About

“The Ocean Center Building is a center-piece for the City of Long Beach," said the building owner, Mark Omid Akhavain. ”And the Ocean Center Building is a significant marker in the historic development of Long Beach, California.”

An historic Long Beach landmark, the Ocean Center Building was designed by architects, Gabriel S. Meyer and Philip W. Holler, in the 1920s, while they were also busy with other projects around Southern California, including private homes, office complexes, banks, medical centers, churches and theaters in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Meyer and Holler’s most famous Southern California buildings are Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Also known as the Milwaukee Building Company operating in Los Angeles, Meyer and Holler finished the Ocean Center Building in 1929 with builder W. L. Porterfield.

“In addition to the historical importance of the Ocean Center Building, the office complex offers a completely modern and convenient setting in today’s market,” Akhavain said. “We are very proud of the charm of our building, as well as the amenities we have to offer.”

The Ocean Center Building boasts modern amenities such as formal reception areas with catering facilities, safe indoor valet tenant and guest parking, seminar and meeting rooms with video equipment and refreshment capabilities, spacious affordable office suites with comfortable designs and flexible leases, short-order café and deli, restaurant services on the premises, and an array of picture perfect views of the Long Beach skyline, the Queen Mary, the Pike at Rainbow Harbor and other impressive Pacific scenes.

“Our loveliest amenities at the Ocean Center Building are the spectacular panoramic views of Long Beach from the rooftop gardens, terraces and balconies, including one balcony on the seventh floor located under a bracketed pediment,” Akhavain said. “Clients can reserve some of these wonderful spaces and we can help them plan and host elegant and tasteful events for many kinds of special occasions.”

The Ocean Center Building was the first modern office complex on the bluff in Long Beach and rose to the city's height limit for that time. Serving as a point of reference helping to define the Long Beach skyline, the Ocean Center Building is located at the prestigious intersection--Ocean Boulevard across from Long Beach City Hall, and Pine Avenue across from the Long Beach Entertainment and Convention Center.

On the route of the Long Beach Grand Prix, visible from several points, the Ocean Center Building is a popular Grand Prix viewing location for racing celebrities and fans. Akhavain hosted a private Ferrari celebration during the Long Beach Grand Prix at the rooftop garden of the building. The public was treated to a car show on the building’s lawn during the Grand Prix weekend. On his guest list, among other noted attendees, was Marco Mattiacci, President of Ferrari North America.

Factors contributing to the aesthetic value of the Ocean Center Building are the northern elevation facing Ocean Boulevard, Mediterranean design and Italian details. Outstanding features over the front entrance of the historic Ocean Center Building also include an open or broken pediment, a shield with seashells and the face of Neptune. Inside the entryway of the Ocean Center Building is a wide corridor lobby where there are principal historic design features constructed of authentic period materials.

Formal pediments and battlements decorating all four sides make the building attractive from all angles. And one cannot forget. There are fourteen stories of terraced views down to the bluff. A covered arcade under the bluff at the base of the Ocean Center Building linked the building to the original 1902-1979 Pike Amusement Park by the historic and romantic ‘Walk of a Thousand Lights.’ Atop the Ocean Center Building is an octagonal tower, which held a 50-foot, concrete tower and lantern, and a smaller tower at the rear of the roof. After the 1933 earthquake, the lantern was removed.

Mark Omid Akhavain and other owners of historic buildings in downtown Long Beach take pride in maintaining both interior and exterior features of their buildings for the enjoyment of future generations.