Parks, Recreation and Marine

Information 

(4 acres) 

Park Hours:  
Dawn to 10 p.m.


About Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is the oldest park in the City of Long Beach, established since 1880. The park closed in 2016 for the construction of a new civic center including a new City Hall and Port of Long Beach Headquarters that opened in July 2019 and the Billie Jean King Main Library that opened on September 2019.

The new park opened on February 11, 2022 and is the final component of the new Long Beach Civic Center and core of the downtown area. 

The $19.5 million park facility was funded through a Public Private Partnership with supplemental funding from the Port of Long Beach and a Los Angeles County Measure A grant.

Input from residents and community members also contributed to the development of the new park. Last fall, the City sought community feedback and recommendations for the types of events, programming and activities people would like to experience. The survey, available both online and in-person, is still open for submissions.

Amenities
Universally - accessible playground.
Dog Park with designated small and large dog areas
Fitness equipment
Synthetic turf sports field
Half basketball court
Skate park
Discovery Zones for learning and exploration
Grass areas for seating and play.
Lincoln Penny Installation
Lincoln Statue & Lincoln Penny

Programs

Lincoln Park Recreation Programs

Parks, Recreation & Marine is offering free group recreation activities in the Downtown area at Lincoln Park (101 Pacific Ave.). Activities range in interest and age and include the following:

Walking Group (all ages)

• Tuesdays, 5 to 6 p.m., check-in at the PRM canopies.
• All walking is done on flat ground starting at Lincoln Park and walking around the Civic Center and Billie Jean King Main Library. Participants are encouraged to walk as long as they would like.

Intro to Fitness with Park Equipment (13 ages and up)

• Wednesdays, 5 to 6 p.m., check-in at the PRM canopies.
• Learn the many ways to a healthy lifestyle with simple use of park fitness equipment.
• This beginner exercise class is designed for people of all fitness levels to help improve cardiovascular conditioning and endurance while building strength and helping decrease tension and stress through physical movement. Go at your own pace in a group setting, challenging only yourself to reach your highest potential.

Come and Dance: Moving and Grooving (all ages)

• Fridays, 5 to 6 p.m., check in at the PRM canopies.
• Learn different types of freestyle dance with different genres of music.
• Beginner class that includes line dancing and other fun dances.

Play Dates in the Park (3 years and up)

• Friday, noon to 1 p.m., check-in at the PRM canopies.
• Learn different ways to explore many fun activities for casual playdates with our PRM team. Geared towards children ages 3 to 12.

Free Movies in the Park
Movies begin at dusk, pre-movie activities begin at 5:30 p.m.
April 26 – Wall-E
May 31 - Moana
June 14 – Finding Nemo

Free Family Game Night
5-7 p.m.
April 18 - Board Games
May 23 - Loteria Night
June 20 – Pictionary 

Visit the Friends of Lincoln Park lincolnparklb.com/schedule for details about free recreation classes.

History
Lincoln Park was designated as a park on the original town site of Long Beach in 1880, and became the City's first park. It was originally known as Pacific Park, and renamed Lincoln Park in 1915 with the installation of the iconic Abraham Lincoln statue.

In 1897, when the city was disincorporated, a Park Committee was formed to look after the park. It had been so neglected; the trees were even dying. Popular subscription provided a fund of $51 a month for six months to hire a man to care for the park.

A question arose in 1905 as to the City's title to the park and, in March of that year, the Long Beach Land and Water Company officially donated it to the City. It is on record as being deeded to the City on March 14, 1905 and accepted on April 3, 1905.

In 1908, Andrew Carnegie gave a donation toward construction of a library in the park. The library was opened in 1909. The following year Andrew Carnegie came to Long Beach to inspect the building. The first Municipal Market Day, sponsored by the Women's Club of Long Beach, was held March 22, 1913, in the park.

In 1915, a cannon was shipped from the Benicia Arsenal for the dedication of the park to the Veterans of the Civil War, and the unveiling of the statue of Abraham Lincoln. "Pacific Park" was changed to "Lincoln Park" on July 9, 1920, by Ordinance B-876.

In 1962, the underground garage was constructed in the north half of the park, and the park reinstalled on top of the garage. Improvements included a Japanese Garden as a tribute to Yokkaichi, Japan, sister city of Long Beach, and a grouping of shuffleboard and roque courts. The Japanese Garden was dedicated on August 9, 1964.

In 1974, the Carnegie Library, by then the main library of the Long Beach Library system, was severely damaged by fire. A much larger library replaced it in 1977 as part of the Civic Center development that included the new City Hall. The new library was built in 1977 with one story below grade and one story at grade level. Because it occupied most of the southern half of the park, the roof of the library was landscaped as a passive park. This attempt to build a park on the library roof was unsuccessful as access was difficult and the "park level" lacked activities to attract users. The lack of use and the design with elaborate planters that provided hiding places created an image as an unsafe area, and access became more restricted for security reasons.

The Lincoln Statue and the adjoining cannon were removed from the park during construction of the library. Upon completion, the Lincoln Statue was returned, but the cannon remained in the City Public Works yard. From that location, it was "loaned" to Shoreline Village in 1983 to help add ambiance to that then newly opened retail site on the downtown shoreline. It remains at that location in 2009, although a few attempts have been made to have it returned to Lincoln Park.

From 1978 to 2004, Lincoln Park was maintained and operated by the Public Works Department as part of the Civic Center. During this time, the shuffleboard courts and roque courts were removed for security reasons and replaced by lawn area. Between 2004 and 2009, several plans have been proposed to redevelop Lincoln Park and especially the library roof section of the park, which leaks into the library. None of the plans has been found to be affordable. In February 2009, the Parks and Recreation Commission approved a plan to create a dog park in the lawn area of the park. The Downtown Dog Park opened on September 12, 2009.

Map to the Park