Former Acres of Books (Long Beach, California)

USA / California / Long Beach / Long Beach, California / Long Beach Boulevard, 240
 bookstore, Art Deco (architecture), historic landmark
240 Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 437-6980

Acres of Books was a large independent bookstore in downtown Long Beach, California. The bookstore closed on October 18, 2008 after the owners sold it to the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency for $2.8 million.

The business was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1927 by Bertrand Smith. In 1934 Smith moved to California and established the store in Long Beach; he moved to the current address in 1960. Acres of Books was the largest and oldest family-owned second-hand bookstore in California, claiming to have in stock over one million books.

In its long history Acres of Books served clientele such as Jack Vance, Upton Sinclair, Stan Freberg, Gary Owens, James Hilton, Greg Bear, Tim Powers, Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Paul Schrader, Fran Lebowitz, Robert Easton, Eli Wallach, Diane Keaton and most notably Ray Bradbury, who immortalized the bookstore in an essay entitled "I Sing The Bookstore Eclectic".

This commercial building was built in 1924 and has been in continuous commercial use in downtown Long Beach for over fifty years. Its Streamline Moderne facade, added in the 1930s after the 1933 Long Beach 6.4 earthquake, is an intact and typical period piece.

Framed by curving piers with vertical accents, the facade exhibits the typical three horizontal lines and chevron moldings. The south pier rises in three curved steps to form a characteristic tower reminiscent of the contemporary "skyscrapers". The separation of the transom from the display windows below is typical of the original 1924 building. The facade, a classic Streamline Moderne design, is the result of post-earthquake repairs, representing the rebuilding of downtown Long Beach in the "modernistic" style of the 1930s.

www.acresofbooks.com/
www.beachcalifornia.com/lbhis4.html
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acres_of_Books
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   33°46'12"N   118°11'19"W

Comments

  • Happy trails to you, until we meet again. Some trails are happy ones, Others are blue. It's the way you ride the trail that counts, Here's a happy one for you. ~Dale Evans
  • This is gone? One of the main reasons for ever visiting Long Beach would be this old New and Used book store full of Acres of Books
  • I parked behind it for the LBGP this year. *Hangs head*.....I didn't bother to look on the other side of the building.
  • Shame on you.
This article was last modified 15 years ago