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Photos: Historic 1941 Mosaics Uncovered at Long Beach Airport
Something is afoot at the Long Beach Airport, and in this case, they're asking passengers to please look down. A recent renovation at the facility has led to the uncovering of historic mosaic tiling put in back in 1941 by Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist, Grace Clements.
The tile project was part of an overall expansion of the airfield in Long Beach which included putting in the terminal, which was designed by architects W. Horace Austin and Kenneth S. Wing. Sr. It's unclear when the mosaics were first covered over.
The City of Long Beach elaborates on the artwork that was created to represent the city's "origins in aviation, oil and communications":
The mosaics served as the finishing touches on the Airport's art deco style terminal building. Located throughout the first floor, they are in great condition, and include a large global map, birds, a ship, an oil well and a hand dialing a telephone.
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A unique aspect of this particular WPA art project was that the style is a departure from the typical "realistic" renderings of the era; Clements instead opted to create mosaic mural art (on the floor!) that were more imaginative.
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