Long Beach : Museum Move to Be Costly

The Long Beach Museum of Art wants to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether it can raise approximately $5 million needed to move into a new 31-story office building scheduled for construction downtown. If possible, says museum director Stephen Garrett, the museum hopes to relocate there within three years.

“We are very enthusiastic about it,” Garrett said. “It would place us in the absolute center of downtown. We would have far greater visibility to people moving around Long Beach.”

In addition, space in the new building--to be in the block bounded by Ocean Boulevard, Pacific Avenue, Broadway and Pine Avenue--would increase the museum’s 14,000 square feet of exhibition space to about 30,000 square feet.

A project of Cushman Development & Investment Corp. and Treptow Development Co. of Los Angeles, the $86-million tower was recently approved by the City Council and Redevelopment Agency board on the condition that the museum space be provided.

The museum has been in its current home, a red brick house on Ocean Boulevard, for nearly 30 years.