Crews Begin Demolishing Old Long Beach Courthouse

LONG BEACH, CA - City officials on Saturday celebrated the demolition of the old courthouse at 415 W. Ocean Boulevard to make way for a new Civic Center development.

The internal abatement of the building has been completed, and on Monday, the largest "ultra high-reach excavator" in the country will begin chopping away at the structure. City officials said it will take approximately two-and-a-half months for the steel structure to be completely removed.

"This building will be demolished through a powerful combination of technology, efficiency and sustainability, to make way for a new Civic Center development," Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said.

"As we demolish this structure, I'm proud that more than 90 percent of the materials will be recycled, and nearly 50 percent of workers will be local hires," added Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal.

The new Civic Center project is expected to be completed by June 2019, and includes a new Main Library, Lincoln Park, City Hall, Port Headquarters, and new housing and retail uses.

The old courthouse opened in 1958, but recently was given low marks by the state in security, overcrowding and physical condition. The building closed as the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse opened nearby in September 2013.

The high reach excavator boasts a 182-foot boom mounted onto a 500,000- pound excavator. The tool used to cut the building is a 15-foot-long, 15,000- pound shear. It took nine loads to mobilize the machine, and five days for a four-person crew to assemble it.

For more information, visit http://www.LBCivicCenter.com.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of the Long Beach mayor's office