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The Brief

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  • Transportation and Mobility
    Long Beach Airport
    Reopens historic terminal, unveils mosaic
    By Sabrina Farooq
    Published July 15, 2024 10:00 AM

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    A black and white photo shows a white building flanked with bay windows and a tower on top. Cars are seen in the distance in a parking lot with the tale of an airplane seen in the lower left corner.
    Long Beach Airport opened on April 25, 1942, and was declared a historic landmark in 1990 by the city's Cultural Heritage Commission.
    (
    Long Beach Airport
    )

    Topline:

    Long Beach Airport’s Historic terminal will welcome back passengers later this month after being closed for more than a year as it underwent renovations, including restoration to a World War II-era mosaic.

    Mosaic artwork: The west entrance has been closed to the public for decades, but airport officials said when it reopens it’ll unveil the restored mosaic by Grace Clements.

    Collectively titled “Communication (Aviation and Navigation),” the mosaic was made from 1.6 million multi-colored, hand-cut tiles. They’re arranged in vignettes of a sailboat, oil derrick and a propeller plane.

    Why now: The $17.8 million project is part of a larger $125 million Terminal Area Improvement Program, which includes a seismic retrofit and an overhaul to the airport's ticketing lobby and baggage facility.

    When can you see it? Long Beach Airport is hosting its public open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27.

    Learn more: ... about what passengers can see in the Historic Terminal.

    Long Beach Airport’s Historic Terminal will welcome passengers back later this month after being closed for more than a year for renovations, including restoration to a World War II-era mosaic.

    The $17.8-million project is part of a larger $125-million improvement program that includes a seismic retrofit and an overhaul to the airport's ticketing lobby and baggage facility.

    “Long Beach Airport’s Historic Terminal is one of the city's most beloved architectural treasures, and I’m proud of the careful work that has been done to preserve its history,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement.

    Several people are sitting on a bench and chairs inside a hallway. People are seen walking up and down the hallway carrying bags. Along the walls are different stalls with one that reads "Cataline Air Lines".
    The Historic Terminal originally was tiled in 1968 but was later carpeted due to noise concerns from officials.
    (
    Kate Kuykendall
    /
    Long Beach Airport
    )

    Mosaic art

    The west entrance has been closed to the public for decades, but airport officials said when it reopens it’ll unveil the restored mosaic by Grace Clements.

    “It's incredible to think that back in 1941 when women didn't have a lot of opportunities to have leadership roles, either in arts or government or other roles, that [Clements] was only 28 years old and she was leading this massive public art project,” airport spokesperson Kate Kuykendall told LAist.

    Collectively titled “Communication (Aviation and Navigation),” the mosaic was made from 1.6 million multi-colored, hand-cut tiles. They’re arranged in vignettes of a sailboat, oil derrick and a propeller plane.

    As legend has it, Kuykendall said carpet flooring covered the tiles sometime in the 1960s when officials thought travelers’ dress shoes and high heels were too loud. In 2012, maintenance crews stumbled upon the hidden art when they pulled back the carpet and exposed the tiles.

    Then in 2019, Long Beach Airport received a preservation award from the Art Deco Society of California to bring Clements’ mosaic back to life

    A woman is crouched on the ground is a placing a single tile on the ground. A box is next to her that is full of similar tiles.
    Grace Clements was hired through the Work Projects Administration to create the federally funded floor mosaic and several murals prior to the terminal’s opening in 1941.
    (
    Robert Richardson
    /
    Long Beach Airport
    )
    Two people are on their hands and knees on a tiled floor. It shows parts of an airplane. The people are wearing construction hats and gloves with long pants and long-sleeved shirts.
    The mosaic piece by Grace Clements sat beneath carpet since the 60's until it was rediscovered by maintenance workers in 2012.
    (
    Kate Kuykendall
    /
    Long Beach Airport
    )

    When can you see it?

    Long Beach Airport is hosting its public open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27. The programming will include tours, music, children’s activities, giveaways and light refreshments, according to airport officials. Three hours of free parking is available in Parking Structure B.
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