First National Bank of Long Beach
Also known as: California National Bank; Bank of America; Metropolitan Buildi
Why it's listed
Rising six stories at the corner of Pine Avenue and West First Street, this Long Beach bank building was designed in 1906 by the Los Angeles firm Train and Williams. Its Renaissance Revival design is built of brick over a steel frame, with pedimented entries and windows and a corner clock tower that became a downtown landmark. The First National Bank, founded in 1900, replaced an earlier three-story building on the site and occupied the new structure until 1920. California National Bank then moved in, followed by Bank of America from 1927 to 1982. The ground floor was covered in blue tile in 1938 and the parapet was removed in 1954. A rehabilitation from 1983 to 1989 rebuilt both from historic photographs. The building is the only known Long Beach work of its architects, the only pre-World War I commercial building over three stories left downtown, and one of few to survive the 1933 earthquake intact.
Significance in brief: The building is significant under Criterion C as Long Beach's most notable turn-of-the-century commercial building, and its clock tower dominates the downtown skyline. It is the finest extant commercial work of the architects Train and Williams, and their only known work in Long Beach. It is also the only surviving pre-World War I commercial building over three stories downtown, and it is tied to the city's early bankers and civic leaders.
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 90001432, listed September 13, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 101--125 Pine Ave., Long Beach |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | September 13, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001432 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1906 |
| Architect / builder | Train and Williams |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated from 1983 to 1989, with the ground floor and parapet recreated in original and substitute materials and the interior being adapted to restaurant, office and retail uses. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 33.76822, -118.19266 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 90001432.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5453407
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.