Long Beach’s Historic Context Statement was last updated in 2009. The update and the preparation of a new focused historic context statement on Race and Suburbanization offer an opportunity to tell a more inclusive story about the City’s history. These documents can offer an in-depth look at Long Beach’s rich community and culture, the experiences of communities of color during periods of segregation and during the Civil Rights era, the evolution of our neighborhoods throughout the late Twentieth Century and Long Beach’s wealth of Mid-Century architecture. With this project, the City of Long Beach hopes to expand its understanding of our neighborhoods and places which may be eligible for historic designation and other historic preservation programs. In particular, the City hopes to further develop its record of sites affiliated with underrepresented and under-recognized communities across the city.
Development Services
History Matters LB
The City of Long Beach is updating its Historic Context Statement and has prepared its first-ever historic context statement focused on race and suburbanization. These documents are important resources that will guide future planning and land-use decisions and will enable those decisions to be rooted in a deeper understanding of the city’s history and evolution to help fill historical gaps and provide information about communities of color and other underrepresented communities. Such documents are used by City staff and professionals as they determine which buildings and places must be protected through historic preservation in order to appropriately convey the city’s complete and inclusive local history.
The Race & Suburbanization Historic Context Statement was approved by the Cultural Heritage Commission on August 30, 2022. It is scheduled to go before the Planning Commission on October 6, 2022, and City Council on November 1, 2022 for receive and file.
- View the Approved Race and Suburbanization Historic Context Statement
- View the presentation deck for the Race and Suburbanization Historic Context Statement Study Session that took place at the July 26, 2022, Cultural Heritage Commission meeting.
Why Update?
Contact Us
For more information or questions, please call 562.570.6194 or email historicpreservation@longbeach.gov.
