Ocean Club
Encyclopedia
The Ocean Club is a beachfront residential highrise located in Downtown Long Beach, featuring 116 condominiums. The units range from one to three bedrooms. It is notable for its unique postmodern architecture
and construction techniques.
.
When the units finally began selling, they were commanding the highest price of any condominiums in Downtown Long Beach. Some of the penthouse apartment
units sold for over one million dollars, a considerable sum at the time. To this day, the building's units command a premium over neighboring highrises and remain among the most sought after in Long Beach, California
.
The building was initially named Sunset Bay Towers. For unknown reasons, the name was later changed to the Ocean Club. Speculation runs that the name change was a result of the building's location on the ocean (not a bay) and the fact that it consists of one tower, not multiple towers.
The private residential areas have the following characteristics:
Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...
and construction techniques.
Location
- The building is located on a beachfront bluff with direct beach access.
- The property occupies all space between Ocean Boulevard and the beach.
- Because of its location, the building falls under the oversight of the California Coastal CommissionCalifornia Coastal CommissionThe California Coastal Commission is a state agency in the U.S. state of California with quasi-judicial regulatory oversight over land use and public access in the California coastal zone....
. - While the building remains in the 90802 zip codeZIP CodeZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
associated with downtown Long Beach, it is almost halfway between downtown Long Beach and Belmont Shore, Long Beach, CaliforniaBelmont Shore, Long Beach, CaliforniaBelmont Shore is a neighborhood in Long Beach, California. It is home to many shops, restaurants, salons and business offices.-Geography:Belmont Shore spans 2nd Street and Ocean Avenue near the southernmost part of the city between Bluff Park on the west and Naples Island on the East...
. - Its address is 1310 E. Ocean Boulevard.
History
The building's structure was originally completed in 1984 but, due to a poor real estate market at the time, sat vacant until 1988. The developer insisted on using only high-end construction techniques and eventually was driven to bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
.
When the units finally began selling, they were commanding the highest price of any condominiums in Downtown Long Beach. Some of the penthouse apartment
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
units sold for over one million dollars, a considerable sum at the time. To this day, the building's units command a premium over neighboring highrises and remain among the most sought after in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
The building was initially named Sunset Bay Towers. For unknown reasons, the name was later changed to the Ocean Club. Speculation runs that the name change was a result of the building's location on the ocean (not a bay) and the fact that it consists of one tower, not multiple towers.
Building structure
The building features a 16-story tower located above a four-story bluff pedestal.- The tower portion was constructed at an approximately 45 degree angle to the shoreline to allow for maximum view. As such, all but approximately four of the 116 units have an ocean view.
- From the north side, the bluff pedestal is essentially underground and is used only for parking. From the south side, the bluff pedestal features an ocean view and direct beach access for the 16 units it houses.
- The building uses a steel and concrete and structure that hold the floors together with cables, allowing the building to flex considerably during an EarthquakeEarthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
. It is designed to withstand an EarthquakeEarthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
of 8.7 on the Richter magnitude scaleRichter magnitude scaleThe expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
. This is believed to be among the highest earthquake tolerance design specification in SoCal, higher even than the famous U.S. Bank TowerU.S. Bank TowerU.S. Bank Tower, formerly Library Tower and First Interstate Bank World Center, is a skyscraper at 633 West Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles, California. It is the tallest building in California, the tenth-tallest in the United States, the tallest west of the Mississippi River, and as of...
in Downtown Los AngelesDowntown Los AngelesDowntown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
.
Architectural characteristics
The common areas have the following characteristics:- On the north side, the complex features a fountain (unique among Long Beach residential high-rise buildings) and a tropical garden.
- On the south side, the complex features an expansive, park-like common area that features a swimming pool, hot tubHot tubA hot tub is a large tub or small pool full of heated water and used for soaking, relaxation, massage, or hydrotherapy. In most cases, they have jets for massage purposes. Hot tubs are usually located outdoors, and are often sheltered for protection from the elements, as well as for privacy....
, gas barbecues, and a shuffleboardShuffleboardShuffleboard, more precisely deck shuffleboard, and also known as shuffle-board, shovelboard, shovel-board and shove-board [archaic], is a game in which players use broom-shaped paddles to push weighted pucks, sending them gliding down a narrow and elongated court, with the purpose of...
court. There is also an expansive area for tanning or eating. - Other common areas include a gym, two saunaSaunaA sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
rooms, a meeting room, and beachfront events room known as the Cabana Room. A locker room and showers are placed near the beach access. - The building was built with two hotel rooms, for the exclusive use of resident's guests. One has since been converted to an office for the on-site manager.
- The building features a helipad for emergency evacuations.
The private residential areas have the following characteristics:
- Floors four to 12 have a consistent floorplan. There is no 13th floor. Floors 14 to 17 are considered to be penthouse apartments. The bluff has four stories of units that can be identified because they begin with "B".
- All units feature at least one balcony or patio.
- Originally, each unit featured a videophoneVideophoneA videophone is a telephone with a video screen, and is capable of full duplex video and audio transmissions for communication between people in real-time...
. This technology had yet to catch up with the promise and the system was subsequently removed. - Originally, each unit featured kitchen cabinets from German cabinet manufacturer SieMatic.
Homeowners association
- The Ocean Club homeowners associationHomeowners associationA homeowner association is a corporation formed by a real estate developer for the purpose of marketing, managing, and selling of homes and lots in a residential subdivision...
features an elected board of five members that serve two year terms. - Unlike most homeowners associations that outsource maintenance and security personnel, the Ocean Club is one of the few that actually has its own staff. The current staffing includes: four full-time security personnel, three full-time maintenance personnel, one part-time engineer, and one part-time building manager.
- Unlike most homeowners associations that assess dues on a proration basis (generally square feet), the Ocean Club is one of the few that assesses standard monthly dues on all units regardless of size. Two of the 116 units have two stories and receive a higher rate. This policy has been the subject of considerable debate and one lawsuitLawsuitA lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
in recent years.