A 1930s-era building in Long Beach, Dolly Varden Hotel, may have an appointment with the wrecking ball to make way for new housing — unless it can qualify as a historic landmark.
Long Beach’s Cultural Heritage Commission received word June 27 that the three-story, 93-year-old building at 335 Pacific Avenue did not have the bona fides to qualify for historic preservation, according to a story published in Long Beach Post. A report by a city consultant found the hotel founder Leland Dolley, and the Art Deco building itself, were not deemed to play a central role in Long Beach’s history, and therefore did not qualify for protection from redevelopment.
However, the hotel’s rooftop sign, bearing the words “Dolly Varden Hotel, Bath In Every Room,” was designated as a historic landmark in 1995. It has been a prominent landmark on the downtown Long Beach skyline. The building’s exterior walls also bear eight-year-old murals that the commission wants to study.
The commission will discuss the fate of the Dolly Varden sign and the murals at a meeting in late July.
The historic sign might be placed on a new residential building constructed on the Dolly Varden site. An application was submitted to build an eight-story, 141-unit apartment building on the hotel property.
About 78 percent of the apartments would be micro-units, which would cover between 380 and 440 square feet. In 2022, the Long Beach City Council approved use of micro-apartments, and buildings devoted to micro-apartments which can fit into smaller infill sites.
Studio OneEleven designed the proposed residential building to replace the Dolly Varden Hotel. A notable StudioOneEleven project is the open air retail center The Bloc in downtown Los Angeles.
– Andrew Asch
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