Clark to Begin Construction on Landmark Long Beach Civic Center

LONG BEACH, Calif. – A July 8 groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of construction on the new Long Beach Civic Center project, an expansive re-development effort that will serve as a catalyst for growth in Long Beach, California’s downtown core.

The project is being delivered under a public-private partnership. The private sector development team includes The Plenary Group and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate as co-developers, Clark as Design-Builder, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as lead designer and Johnson Controls as major systems providers and long-term operating partner.

The Civic Center development totals nearly 600,000 square feet divided among three structures: a new City Hall (270,000 square feet), a new headquarters facility for the Port of Long Beach (237,000 square feet) and a new main library (92,000 square feet), which will replace the existing main library and will be built over an underground parking structure. The City Hall and port headquarters buildings will each stand 11 stories tall and include below-grade parking. Roadway and pedestrian improvements, public plazas and pathways will weave the six-city-block site together. Included in the project’s scope is the revitalization of nearby historic Lincoln Park. The team also will provide master planning services for a future mixed-use, transit-oriented development which will include up to 580 residences, a 200-room hotel and 40,000 square feet of retail space.

The start of construction follows the completion of preliminary site operations, including the demolition of the old Long Beach Courthouse, which was replaced in 2013 by the Clark-built Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse.

Construction of the City Hall, port headquarters and main library is expected to be complete in 2019.