The Long Beach City Council could approve landmark designation status for 10 buildings Tuesday night along with 26 Mills Act contracts that will provide tax breaks for historic structures throughout the city.
Some of the structures seeking historic status have been waiting since 2018 when the City Council approved an ordinance to be written but it never returned to the council for ratification. They include single-family homes that embody early architectural styles in the city and commercial buildings tied to people who were important to the city’s history.
Many of the buildings are being approved under the Mills Act, which allows property owners to apply for historic designation if they meet one of four criteria including the building being associated with events that have made significant contributions to broad patterns of the city’s history or if the building is associated with the lives of people significant to the city’s past.
Buildings can also be eligible if they display distinct design characteristics or represent the “works of a master.” The final criterion is if the building may be likely to yield information important to pre-history or history.
In exchange for breaks on property taxes, building owners must abide by certain restrictions on alterations, conservation and restoration of the building and any work done to the properties after being deemed historic must meet state guidelines for historic buildings.
Here are some of the buildings that could be designated as historic landmarks Tuesday:
The Craig House (953 Chestnut Avenue)
The two-story Craig House was built in 1903 and is considered a “high-style example” of Queen Anne architecture with its steeply-pitched roof, turret and fish-scale detailing. The house is associated with Robert J. Craig, a contractor and builder who is credited with building numerous homes and apartment buildings as well as the original Long Beach City Hall that was demolished in 1920. The Craig House was built by Craig and served as his residence for 40 years.
Bratsalis House (151 St. Joseph Avenue)
The 1928 two-story home was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and has a cross-gabled roof with Spanish tile. Its original second-floor balcony and its multiple French doors are also typical elements of the Monterey Revival style. The home was one of the original single-family homes built in Belmont Shore before the area started to grow amid the city’s oil boom. Along with its designation, the application also calls for the house to be named after its long-time residents, Andrew and Stamantina Bratsalis.
F.W. Rehbock (3305 E. First Street)
The Rehbock House was built in 1924 by Miner Smith, an artisan builder of bungalow-style homes in the 1920s. While the home has been altered over the years, the distinct custom molding and original brass accent switch plates, fixtures of Smith’s designs, are still preserved. The original owners, Frederick William and Clara Rehbock, were prominent members of the community with Fred owning a large hangar at the Long Beach Airport, which was eventually renamed Lewis Aviation Service-FW. The association with the couple and Miner’s architectural style qualified the home for historic designation.
Mr. and Mrs. Maury Frank House (4004 Country Club Drive)
The Virginia Country Club neighborhood was designed by Jules Brady, Waugh Smith and Edward Killingsworth, whose work is showcased across the city. This L-shaped home has a flat roof and its entryway door is framed between two glass window systems. The house was commissioned by the Franks in 1959 and is associated with the Killingsworth architecture firm and Frank Brothers Furniture, which was considered at the forefront of modern furniture under the direction of Maury and his brother Edward. In addition to other historic homes in the city, Killingsworth helped design other notable buildings in the city like the former City Hall building that was demolished in 2021.
Berg Office Building (822 Willow Street)
The 1951 office building on Willow Street was designated for historic status in April for its connection to the Killingsworth KBS architecture firm that designed the Berg building. The building demonstrates some of Killingsworth’s early work on commercial buildings after being commissioned by Wallace G. Berg. Berg served as a C.P.A. in the city until 1981 and the building is considered a “work of a master” before Killingsworth’s firm pivoted to designing hotels, multi-family homes and civic architecture.
Click here for a full list of the buildings being considered by the City Council.