Long Beach Municipal Auditorium Mural

The Long Beach Municipal Auditorium Mural, also known as Typical Activities of a Beach and Harbor City'' andRecreation in Long Beach'', is a glazed tile mosaic mural in Long Beach, California. Created between 1936 and 1938 under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project, it originally adorned the arched facade of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium. When the auditorium was demolished in 1975, the mural was removed and placed in storage. It was installed at its present location at 3rd Street and The Promenade in 1982, where it stands as a freestanding work. It was designated a Long Beach Historic Landmark in 1982.

The mural measures in height and in width and comprises more than 460,000 individual glazed tiles. At the time of its completion, it was reported to be the largest cut-tile mosaic picture in the United States. The work depicts recreational activities associated with 1930s Long Beach, including swimming, croquet, horseshoes, sailing, and fishing, with figures of men and women at play in a range of skin tones and dress.

History

Creation

The mosaic was commissioned in 1936 when the city of Long Beach applied for financing from the WPA to add a mural to the front facade of the Municipal Auditorium, which had been completed in 1932. The original design was painted by Henry Allen Nord, a local artist. Stanton Macdonald-Wright, director of the Southern California Division of the Federal Art Project, along with Albert Henry King and Louisa Etcheverry, redesigned the work as a mosaic. Macdonald-Wright introduced an innovation in the varying geometric shapes of cut tile for each pattern in the design. More than 40 artists worked for over a year to execute the mosaic, assembling the work in a warehouse in Los Angeles before installing it on the auditorium facade. The artists' tile signatures are embedded in the border surrounding the artwork. Albert Henry King supervised the execution of the mosaic but was forced to resign from the project when it was discovered that he was not a U.S. citizen. The project cost $17,500, of which $14,500 was provided by the federal government and $3,000 by the city.

The mural was completed in 1938. When installed on the auditorium's arched facade, the glazed tiles were said to "glitter like inset jewels in the archway" when illuminated by the sun.

Relocation

The Municipal Auditorium was demolished in 1975 to make way for the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. In 1979, a community effort saved the mural from destruction. The mosaic was carefully removed in sections and placed in storage. In 1982, it was mounted on the exterior wall of the City Place parking structure at 3rd Street and The Promenade, where it was installed as a freestanding piece. That same year, the Long Beach City Council designated the mural a City Historic Landmark. It is listed on the List of City of Long Beach historic landmarks. In 2013, the adjoining space was developed into Harvey Milk Promenade Park and Equality Plaza, named for Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official. The park gave the mural a more prominent public setting.

Restoration

In February 2025, the City of Long Beach completed a restoration of the mural and surrounding site as part of the Elevate '28 Infrastructure Investment Plan. The $900,000 project was funded with $90,661 from the city's General Fund and $400,000 from Measure A. Restoration work included waterproofing the arch structure, repairing weather-damaged tiles, restoring sandstone grout, and waterproofing the glazed tile surface. Site improvements included bench repairs, restoration of rainbow floor tiles, repairs to the Harvey Milk Honorary Wall, and the installation of two commemorative plaques describing the mural's history. The project received an honor at the 37th Annual Preservation Awards in May 2025.

Description

The mosaic depicts a scene of beach recreation in 1930s Long Beach. Figures are shown swimming, playing croquet and horseshoes, sailing, and fishing. The work includes both men and women, with a range of skin tones and types of dress, including uniforms. The tiles were cut in varying geometric shapestriangles, squares, and other formsto indicate different textures such as water, grass, sand, and fabric. The mural contains more than 460,000 individual glazed tiles. The names of the artists who worked on the mosaic are inscribed along the sides of the work. The signatures of Stanton MacDonald-Wright, Henry Nord, and Albert Henry King are woven into the border.

Artists

The mosaic was designed by Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Henry Nord, and Albert Henry King, with additional design work by Louisa Etcheverry. Macdonald-Wright served as director of the Southern California Division of the Federal Art Project and was known as a co-founder of the Synchromism school of art. Henry Allen Nord created the original painted design. Albert Henry King supervised the mosaic's execution. More than 40 artists worked on the project under their direction.