- City:
- Long Beach, CA
- Site Type:
- Schools, Education and Health
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
- Completed:
- 1935
- Designer:
- George W. Kahrs
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Site Survival:
- Partially Extant
Description
The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. Originally constructed in 1921, Roosevelt Elementary School was rehabilitated in 1935 with assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
“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).
In 2015, a major renovation was unveiled, which preserved existing aesthetic elements while modernizing the building.
Source notes
Cultural Resources Assessment for Long Beach Unified School District, January 2017.
Site originally submitted by Gray Brechin on August 4, 2016.
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