HENRY ALLEN NORD: TYPICAL ACTIVITIES
OF A BEACH AND HARBOR CITY
Photo © Robin Dunitz
Date
1938
Location
Long Beach Plaza, exterior parking structure
3rd St. and Locust Ave.
Long Beach
Media Notes
Glazed semi-glossed tile mosaic, approximately 38' x 22'
Original design by Henry Allen Nord, redesigned by Stanton Macdonald Wright and Albert Henry King
Description
When this mosaic was created for the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, it was reportedly the largest cut-tile mosaic picture in the country and the single biggest achievement of the Federal Arts Project. King supervised the actual execution, which involved the collaborative work of 40 artists. Changing the geometric shapes of tile for each pattern in a design was an innovation of Wright's, and is recognizable in his other southern California mosaics.
In 1979 a major community effort saved the mural from destruction when the municipal auditorium was demolished to make way for a new convention center complex. In 1982 it was mounted at its present location and declared a City Historical Landmark by the Long Beach City Council.
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