The City of Long Beach through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) has revitalizing four dilapidated buildings to a half-block at the corner of Long Beach Boulevard and Anaheim Street in a rough part of Long Beach, California. The Metro Blue Line, across the street and a main artery to downtown Los Angeles provides a steady flow of pedestrian traffic amidst a mix of retail, restaurants, and housing.  The purpose of the CDBG is to remove blight and improve options for the neighborhood.

Gwynne Pugh Urban Studio (GP-US) designed the four façades adding significant visual and aesthetic improvements, upgrades, strengthening and unifying the block to reinvigorate the area as a desirable pedestrian oriented environment. 

The challenge was working with three different owners and 12 individual tenants on a tight budget. As a binding element, Galvalume metal canopy and aluminum storefront were utilized for durability and easy maintenance. The tenants had used harsh roll down gates for night security. To alleviate safety concerns, transparent gates were installed on all interior storefront and up and down LED lighting in the canopy making the sidewalk secure at night and friendly to pedestrians. The main component on Anaheim Street allowed for a variety of color pillars at eye level along the street creating a space for a lively mural. An artist whose roots were founded in graffiti-art was chosen and the finished mural fits into the community with its vibrant shapes and colors.  

Similar signage elements unifies the four buildings. The design includes new paint and repair, introduces color and public art to enliven the façade at the pedestrian level while strengthening the commercial, predominately Latino neighborhood.