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The Lafayette's condominiums began life 90 years ago — on Monday, Oct. 28 — as a flagship of the Hilton Hotel chain. The Lafayette was a center of Long Beach's social life from 1929 to 1959, with four-star restaurants, basement bars, a penthouse ballroom and a wedding chapel.
The Lafayette, a complex of buildings on Linden Avenue between Broadway and First Street in Long Beach.
ballroom, a wedding chapel as well as hosting Miss Universe pageant contestants. Photo: File
The Lafayette, a complex of buildings on Linden Avenue between Broadway and First Street in Long Beach. ballroom, a wedding chapel as well as hosting Miss Universe pageant contestants. Photo: File
By HARRY SALTZGAVER | PUBLISHED: October 25, 2019 at 1:44 p.m.
The Lafayette in Long Beach. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
High-rise condo and apartment buildings seem to pop out of the downtown Long Beach ground every other day as the building boom continues.
Owners at The Lafayette, a complex of buildings on Linden Avenue between Broadway and First Street, can only smile. Their condominiums began life 90 years ago — on Monday, Oct. 28 — as a flagship of the Hilton Hotel chain. The Lafayette was a center of Long Beach’s social life from 1929 to 1959, with four-star restaurants, basement bars, a penthouse ballroom, a wedding chapel as well as hosting Miss Universe pageant contestants.
Lafayette residents will bring those days back to life from 1 to 5 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 27, with “It’s About Time…90th Anniversary Celebration.” The party will include tours of the three-building complex, live jazz music, 1920s-era automobiles, tastes and libations from East Village restaurants, a contest for the best-dressed in vintage 1920s clothing and more.
The Lafayette Hotel opened Oct. 28, 1929 — the week the Great Depression began. There was no coverage of the opening amid the devastating economic news.
The Lafayette in Long Beach on Friday, May 10, 2019. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Lafayette was designed by renowned Art Deco architects Arthur and Cecil Schilling. The building facade features large Italian stylized male and female figures, a winged ram’s head and hanging garlands. Art Deco expert John Thomas will offer a talk about them and the building this Sunday.
The Campbell Apartments next door, completed just the year before, is built in the Spanish Baroque style typical of the pre-Art Deco architecture, and includes an 11th-floor solarium. It since has become part of the Lafayette Condominiums.
The latest addition to the complex, the Broadway Building, opened in 1948 and was operated as part of the Lafayette Hotel. Its architecture is described as International Style.
Today, there are 176 condominiums in the complex, which works hard to maintain its historic nature. That’s important, resident and event committee member Julie Nemechek said.
“Living at the Lafayette is a walk through time from the elegance of a bygone era to today’s modern amenities,” she said. “The residents share pride in this historic landmark and the vibrant East Village neighborhood of specialty restaurants, shops, art galleries and night clubs.”
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