Long Beach Airport Renovation Celebrates Land, Sky and Sea
Project Stats
- Location
Long Beach, California
- Size
604,100 SF
- Market
- Expertise
Making America’s Coolest Airport Even Cooler
With a historic 1941 Streamline Moderne terminal at its center, Long Beach Airport (LGB) takes full advantage of the mild Southern California climate with many of the airport's functions located in covered, open air pavilions. The airport — originally designed by renowned architects William Horace Austin and Kenneth Smith Wing — tapped Corgan for a $59 million overhaul and expansion project that continues this tradition of marrying indoors and outdoors with a new ticketing lobby constructed to the south of the main airport building, and a new indoor/outdoor baggage claim hall.
New pre-security concessions and amenities frame and activate a civic plaza created from a previously underused utility area. This repurposed space — which serves as an oasis for travelers — unifies the various facilities into a holistic passenger-focused experience that showcases the historic terminal building as the centerpiece of this modernized and expanded facility. In 2025, the Washington Post ranked LGB second on its list of the Best 50 Airports in the U.S.
Historic Restoration
Designated a city historic landmark in 1990, LGB is the oldest municipal airport in California and has a rich history of aviation that needed to be preserved and honored during the renovation. The historic terminal was originally the extent of the airport, with planes parking radially around the back west lobby. As the airport expanded, a modern concourse and security building were added in 2012, with the original terminal serving as the ticketing building. Recently, ticketing needs outgrew the space of the historical terminal, and the structure was deemed unstable in any future signification seismic event.
Corgan worked directly with the Long Beach Historical Commission and the Long Beach Planning Department to ensure that the character of the building was maintained and that nothing of historical significance was altered or removed as the building was renovated and repurposed as the new airport rental car facility. All designs and finishes were required to be submitted and approved by Long Beach Historical Commission and a city-appointed historic preservationist was present onsite throughout the duration of the construction.
Hidden Gems
During the renovation, three of the nine panels that make up the 1.6 million-tile mosaic floor masterwork by artist Grace Clements that were hidden for years, were revealed. In what is now one of the best surviving examples of Work Projects Administration projects nationwide, the mosaic features historic images of Long Beach and a large map of the world showing the reaches of air travel. The new west lobby connects the new Meet and Greet Plaza, the ticketing building, baggage building, and serves as a gathering place and historic gallery showcasing Long Beach Airport’s history.
Better Than New
Highlights of the project include seismic retrofits; the restoration of the iconic west entrance, which had been closed for decades; new west bay windows; preservation of the building’s iconic wall clock and original signage; updated restrooms; and the conversion of the of the former ticketing area into space for the airport rental car services, along with other improvements.
