(November 10, 2004) -- LB's Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Marine, in cooperation with 2d district City Councilman Dan Baker, is launching an effort to revitalize Lincoln Park -- perhaps more recognizable today as LB's mainly concrete Civic Center plaza.
The process will begin with two meetings to receive comment.
- November 11, 3:30 p.m. for "business stakeholders" at a session of the Pine Avenue Task Force. It will be held at the Pine Avenue Fish House, Broadway at Pine Ave.
- November 12, 6:00 p.m., a meeting "designed for residents to participate in a public planning session" at the Main Library Auditorium, 101 Pacific Ave. (Parking will be available at the Civic Center Parking structure on Broadway).
"These meetings will provide an opportunity for residents and the business community to share their vision for what programs and amenities Lincoln Park should offer the Long Beach community. I encourage people to participate and help us create a plan for improving one of Long Beach’s oldest parks," said Councilman Baker in a Parks & Rec release.
Lincoln Park, officially still on the books as 4.85 acres of parkland, is today mainly concrete...although it is/was LB's oldest park.
Originally called Pacific Park, it was officially designated as a park in 1888. In 1908, Andrew Carnegie donated funds to construct the old LB main library in the park.
In 1915, the park's cannon arrived for dedication to Civil War veterans and a statute of Abrahama Lincoln was unveiled. Pacific Park was renamed Lincoln Park in 1920.
The original library was destroyed by fire in 1972. The new main library opened in 1977. LB's current City Hall is also now part of the "park."
Urban legend has it that a patch of some sort of green space was installed on the new library roof as "mitigation"...although no person we know has seen it for some time.
In recent years, the Civic Center plaza/Lincoln Park has become a gathering place for the homeless.