Cooper Arms
Why it's listed
Cooper Arms is a twelve-story apartment building at the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Linden Avenue in Long Beach, California. Planned in 1922 and finished in 1924, it was built as an own-your-own cooperative with 159 apartments, ground floor shops, a garden facing the ocean and a twelfth-floor solarium meant for dances and gatherings. Architects Alexander Curlett and Claud Beelman gave it an eclectic Period Revival design, combining Italian Renaissance arched windows, Adam-style swags and urns, and neo-Egyptian plaster detail in the main lounge. Its wrought-iron balconies, Spanish loggia and arcade of shops are among its defining features. The nomination holds that it was the first and most prominent of the luxury owner-occupied apartment buildings that followed along the Long Beach waterfront, and it has kept the same ownership system since construction. Alterations have been modest, mostly fire-code changes and a 1988 seismic retrofit, and much original fabric survives.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the pre-eminent example of an own-your-own apartment building in Long Beach, whose planning, amenities, location and design set the pattern for later luxury waterfront apartment buildings. It is also presented as an outstanding example of eclectic Period Revival architecture with Italian Renaissance, Adam and neo-Egyptian ornament, designed by master architects Curlett and Beelman.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00001538, listed December 28, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 455 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | December 28, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00001538 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924 |
| Architect / builder | Curlett & Beelman, architects; Scofield Construction Company |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Period Revival Eclectic |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as resident-owned apartments with ground floor shops; the form describes the building as almost totally intact, with minimal alteration. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.76701, -118.18795 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00001538.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5167741
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.