LONG BEACH : 9 Homes Designated Historic Landmarks

A Victorian-style home in North Long Beach and eight structures along Linden Avenue built in the early 1900s have been granted historic landmark status by the City Council.

The Pressburg residence, a 2 1/2-story Victorian home at 167 South St., is one of the few farmhouses remaining from when the area was unincorporated farmland. Built in 1905, it may be the oldest building in North Long Beach, officials said.

Owner Dan Pressburg purchased the house because of its unique architecture and requested last year that it be protected.

The eight buildings from 1324 to 1357 Linden Ave., near Anaheim Street, were recognized as a historic district. Many of the homes, constructed between 1905 and 1912, once were owned by prominent figures in Long Beach history.

Real estate agent and oil investor Jonah Jones made 1327 Linden Ave. his home in the early 1920s. His son, Jonah Jones Jr., a prominent attorney and founder of the Long Beach Yacht Club, also lived there. A member of Long Beach’s first City Council, Galen H. Welch, lived at 1344 Linden Ave. in the 1920s. The buildings feature several architectural styles popular in the early part of this century, such as Greek, colonial and Victorian.

“These are some of Long Beach’s hidden treasures,” said Ruthann Lehrer, the city’s historic preservation officer. “An inner-city neighborhood is not a place you would expect to find these specimens.” There was no community opposition to the designations, Lehrer said.

Under historic preservation guidelines, any exterior repairs or modifications will require approval by the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission and must not change the buildings’ architectural styles.