Roosevelt Base, Officers' Club, Corner of Pennsylvania Street & Richardson Avenue, Long Beach, Los Angeles County, CA

Significance: The Roosevelt Base Historic District, constructed in 1940-1943, consists of 11 buildings designed in the International Style with Mediterranean Revival detailing, five structures, and extensive historic landscaping. It is eligible for the National Register for its site planning, landscaping, architectural style, and its Associate Architect Paul Williams, a nationally prominent Los Angeles Afro-American architect. Additionally, the District is significant for its association with the buildup of permanent Naval facilities on the Pacific Coast under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during the mobilization period preceding the United States' entry into World War II. Building 24, the original Officers' Club called the Allen Center, was once a dominant building in the recreation complex, but has been so remodeled that its original International Style attributes have been overwhelmed. The dramatic porte cochere, now hidden by landscaping, the entry door and the pool side door, set within window walls, are the only original elements remaining with architectural integrity.
Survey number: HABS CA-2663-O