Lindbergh STEAM Academy – Long Beach CA

Description

Lindbergh STEAM Academy (originally Lindbergh Junior High School) was rebuilt by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1935 after the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed the original 1930 structure.

The school was designed in WPA/PWA Moderne style by D. Easton Herrald to resemble an airplane with the main entry, library, and administrative offices the nose of the aircraft and the classrooms the wings. Above the main entrance is a relief map of Charles Lindbergh’s historic transatlantic flight.

The 1933 earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were constructed with basic amenities without cafeterias, libraries, auditoriums, swimming pools, or gymnasiums. Four years after the earthquake, school construction totaling $3,281,000 was completed or under contract” (Cultural Resources Assessment for LBUSD, p. 26).

The school library is home to a mural, “History of Flight,” painted by Jean Goodwin and Arthur Ames under the auspices of the WPA Art Project (WPAAP).