Photos courtesy of Millworks Long Beach.

Millworks Long Beach, the developer behind the working revitalization of the old Vault 350 building on Pine Avenue, has extended the deadline and the reach of its Request for Information (RFI), to allow creatives not just within the borders of our seaside city to assist in the vision and reopening of the building. The RFI was released by the property developer on Tuesday, announcing that proposals will be accepted up until Thursday, October 15. 

“We’re basically allowing people to submit if they have—not necessarily an idea—but something they can execute,” Michelle Molina, managing partner at Millworks, told the Post. “If they’re a great sound designer, give them an opportunity to come in and pitch their expertise and look at the venue and understand its capabilities. If there’s an operator who has other venues who wants to come in and say, ‘Hey, I want to bring what we’ve been doing in Santa Cruz or San Diego, we want to bring some of that style and that vibe to Long Beach,’ then we want to be able to consider that, too.”

As Vault 350, the venue hosted the famous likes of The B-52s, Tower of Power, Kanye West, Eddie Money, The Addicts and Smokey Robinson.

While Molina says Vault 350 was a great club for its time, presenting an always-diverse musical calendar, Millworks is looking to create an entirely different venue, a site where show goers can revel in the music and the building’s history without having to venture to LA or Orange County to meet their desire for quality entertainment and a memorable night out on the town.

The building at 350 Pine Ave is rife with art and architectural history. Built in 1921, it spans some 29,000 square feet and rises three stories, while the facade features a mosaic mural thought to be attributed to renowned artist Millard Sheets, according to the RFI. The colorful piece sits above the marquee, welcoming visitors and passersby with an ode to Long Beach’s industrial era. The main hall inside is capped with a ceiling of painstaking gold-leafed detail and borders etched with Greek Revival imagery.

Molina wants each and every one of the 1500 attendees (the building’s proposed capacity for general admission) at any given event on any given night to feel that their experience is at the least on par with what they’d find at The Fillmore, El Rey Theatre or The Wiltern. In that way, 350 Pine seeks to join the small club of classic venues that have stood the test of time, but not without implementing its own distinct sense of Long Beach style.

“We figured if we did something that went out beyond the Long Beach market we might attract people who maybe used to live here or work here and appreciate our thriving arts scene and want to be part of that,” Molina said in regard to the RFI. “Our vision is to just keep up with the way that Long Beach is moving up.”

From bartenders to sound engineers, architects to lighting designers, talent buyers to construction workers, “we’re not excluding anybody from this opportunity,” Molina said. For those proposals selected, Millworks will have their authors present their work to the team at the venue, like a casting call.

So if you have the vision and expertise to contribute toward making 350 Pine a premier entertainment venue that both promotes and thrives on the city’s growing arts and culture scene, it’s time to get the ball rolling on that idea you’ve been sitting on.

“Our vision is for a premier entertainment venue that isn’t limited to just music, it’s gotta have great sound, it’s gotta have great food and a great bar and Long Beach deserves that,” said Molina. “We’re trying to think of, now what are audiences looking for in an entertainment venue and what are bar patrons interested in and what is it that people are excited about? We have so much talent in Long Beach. We’re ready to go.”

All responses will be accepted by U.S. Postal Service traditional mail only; no electronic or telephone submissions will be accepted. Mail responses to include a resume, cover letter, and any visual examples (CD/DVD/USB accepted) to: 701 Pine Ave. #528, Long Beach CA 90813. For more information about Millworks, click here.

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