RMS QUEEN MARY
Also known as: Hmt Queen Mary
Why it's listed
Moored at Pier J in Long Beach, California, the Queen Mary is a steel ocean liner about 1,000 feet long, with three elliptical funnels, a raked stem and a cruiser stern. Cunard planned her in 1926 to carry weekly sailings between Southampton and New York at record speed. John Brown & Co. laid her keel at Clydebank in 1930, work stopped in 1931 during the Depression, and it resumed in 1934 after government funding tied to the Cunard and White Star merger. She was launched in September 1934 and entered service in 1936. She carried passengers until 1939, served as a troop ship from 1940 to 1947, then returned to passenger service until Long Beach bought her in 1967. Her Art Deco and Streamline Moderne interiors drew on British artists and designers and on 53 types of wood, and she was an early large-scale user of plastics on a ship. Today she operates as a hotel and museum, with several hull openings added for visitors.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents her as one of the largest passenger liners ever built and a major example of 1930s Art Deco and Streamline Moderne ship design and interior craftsmanship. She also had a long record as a North Atlantic passenger liner and as a World War II troop transport. The truncated text does not show the criteria marked or the formal significance statement.
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 92001714, listed April 15, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Pier J, 1126 Queensway Hwy., Long Beach |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | April 15, 1993 |
| Reference number | 92001714 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | John Brown & Co., Ltd., Clydebank, Scotland (builder); interior design directed by Arthur J. Davids and Benjamin W. Morris |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement: Art Deco (Moderne/Streamline Moderne); 1930s luxury liner with three funnels |
| Areas of significance | Military, Entertainment/Recreation, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used since 1967 as a hotel and maritime museum and attraction in Long Beach; some doors sealed and new openings cut into the hull for visitor access. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.75291, -118.19072 (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 92001714.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q752939
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.