Long Beach Airport to reopen Historic Terminal, unveiling a long-forgotten mosaic

Long Beach Airport’s Historic Terminal will welcome passengers back later this month after being closed for more than a year for renovations, including restoration to a World War II-era mosaic.

The $17.8-million project is part of a larger $125-million improvement program that includes a seismic retrofit and an overhaul to the airport's ticketing lobby and baggage facility.

“Long Beach Airport’s Historic Terminal is one of the city's most beloved architectural treasures, and I’m proud of the careful work that has been done to preserve its history,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement.

Mosaic art

The west entrance has been closed to the public for decades, but airport officials said when it reopens it’ll unveil the restored mosaic by Grace Clements.

“It's incredible to think that back in 1941 when women didn't have a lot of opportunities to have leadership roles, either in arts or government or other roles, that [Clements] was only 28 years old and she was leading this massive public art project,” airport spokesperson Kate Kuykendall told LAist.

Collectively titled “Communication (Aviation and Navigation),” the mosaic was made from 1.6 million multi-colored, hand-cut tiles. They’re arranged in vignettes of a sailboat, oil derrick and a propeller plane.

As legend has it, Kuykendall said carpet flooring covered the tiles sometime in the 1960s when officials thought travelers’ dress shoes and high heels were too loud. In 2012, maintenance crews stumbled upon the hidden art when they pulled back the carpet and exposed the tiles.

Then in 2019, Long Beach Airport received a preservation award from the Art Deco Society of California to bring Clements’ mosaic back to life

When can you see it?

Long Beach Airport is hosting its public open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27. The programming will include tours, music, children’s activities, giveaways and light refreshments, according to airport officials. Three hours of free parking is available in Parking Structure B.