A roughly 120-year-old landmark in Downtown Long Beach is slated for a conversion to housing.

Last month, the owner of the historic First National Bank building at 115 Pine Avenue submitted plans to the Long Beach Planning Bureau for the adaptive reuse of the six-story structure. The interior of the approximately 64,000-square-foot building would be transformed into 70 residential units, with 11 being restricted to low-income households. Plans also call for the addition of a roughly 3,600-square-foot rooftop deck.

Also known as the Enloe Building, the property has been designated a City of Long Beach historic landmark, and is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Train and Williams, it abuts the A Line's Downtown Long Beach terminus today.

115 Pine AvenueGoogle Maps

"This is best preserved historic commercial building remaining in Long Beach from the period 1900 - 1919," states a narrative from the Long Beach Community Development Department website. "Designed in French Renaissance Revival style, its corner clock tower is a unique landmark. A major restoration/rehabilitation project was carried out in the 1980's, becoming the first historic rehab in the City to meet state and federal requirements for tax credits. The ground floor doorways and storefronts, and the decorative cornice on the roof, were reconstructed."

Los Angeles County Assessor's records list the owner of the site at Pinelux Associates LP, which reportedly acquired the building in 2014 for $10.9 million.

The adaptive reuse project may be a sign of things to come in Downtown Long Beach, which like other commercial districts across the country, has faced rising vacancy rates following the pandemic. Another adaptive reuse project could convert a 1970s high-rise at 400 Oceangate into housing.

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