Book Description

The purpose of this project is to discuss the process for performing the documentation of the Port of Long Beach Administration Building as a form of mitigation for the future replacement of the building. The completed documentation found in the appendices of this thesis project follows the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) Standards and Guidelines and includes a full set of drawings, large format photographs, historical photographs, and written history. The Administration Building located at the Port of Long Beach (POLB) is identified as eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources under Criterion C for its significant International Style architecture and its modernist mural decoration. Further research revealed that one of the project architects, Warren A. Dedrick, appears to be a significant architect for his work within the City of Long Beach. The Port of Long Beach Records Center provided construction and maintenance records for the building, historical photographs, original building plans, and Port annual reports utilized to track the uses of the building over its fifty-year history. Additional resources consulted during the research and writing of this report include books on the history of the POLB and the City of Long Beach, newspaper articles, technical documents, and manuals for recording historic resources. Photographer Steven Schafer of Schafer Studio of Ventura, California took and processed the photographs and large format negatives needed to complete the project. Copies of the report with original photographs and negatives are on file at the Port of Long Beach Records Center.