- City:
- Long Beach, CA
- Site Type:
- Schools, Education and Health
- Completed:
- 1935
- Designer:
- Edward Leodore Mayberry
- Quality of Information:
- Good
- Marked:
- Unknown
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Originally constructed in 1926, Lowell Elementary School was rehabilitated in 1935 by Edward Leodore Mayberry with New Deal funding following the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. The style is WPA/PWA Moderne.
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).
Source notes
Cultural Resources Assessment for Long Beach Unified School District, January 2017.
Site originally submitted by Natalie McDonald on January 17, 2024.
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