Villa Riviera 3.75

Villa Riviera is a registered historic building on Ocean Boulevard in the Alamitos Beach neighborhood of Long Beach, California, United States. From the time of its completion in 1929 through the mid-1950s, it was the second-tallest building, and the tallest private building, in Southern California. The 16-story Chateauesque building has been called the city's "most elegant landmark" and a building that "has helped define the city." The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 and is currently used as condominiums with approximately 134 units, including 2 Penthouse units occupying the 16th floor of the building, complete with gargoyles adorning both sides of the bay windows overlooking the city and ocean.Description and architectureBuilt from 1927 to 1929 at a cost of $2.75 million, the Villa Riviera is a 16-story French Gothic Building. The structure is topped with a steeply pitched verdigris copper roof. The building was designed by architect Richard King who won a grand prize at an international contest for the design that he referred to as "Tudor Gothic." The structure features fierce-looking gargoyles perched along the ridges of the higher floors. The building was also equipped with luxurious features, including a ballroom, Italianate roof garden, lounges, high-speed elevators, "vacuum-type heating," and a 100-car garage.The Villa Riviera was originally built as a luxury residential cooperative. The 1928 promotional brochure for the building noted:When the Villa Riviera was completed, the 447-foot high structure was the second tallest in the region—surpassed only by Los Angeles City Hall. Until the 1950s, it remained the second-tallest building in Southern California and "the tallest private building in Southern California."