How to Research a LB Home

How to Research a LB Home

Interested in learning more about the history of a Long Beach home or building? The following resources are available to the public. This HouStories workshop follows this guide, with examples of each record:

The House and Neighborhood

City Building Permits
Original building and alteration permits, noting owners and builders are available through the Development Services Department of the City of Long Beach. http://citydocs.longbeach.gov/WebLink8/

Tax Assessment Records & Deed/Grants
The Los Angeles County property tax assessment records give the date built, original and current owners, data on size and accessory structures, and current zoning for particular properties. These records are available at the L.A. County Assessor's South Office in Signal Hill (1401 E. Willow St. (562)256-1701).

The Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles is another source of information. In Room 225, there are ownership and tax assessment records from the mid 20th century through 1983. The records from 1984 - present are in a database. Early 20th century records must be accessed in a basement office of an adjoining building. Directions and original parcel numbers may be obtained from the service desk in Room 225. For more information, call (888) 807-2111.

Copies of residential grants and deeds for the Long Beach area are available only at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder in Norwalk (12400 E. Imperial Highway, (562)462-2716).

City House Number Maps & Tract Maps & Old City Maps
Street maps of neighborhoods, the name and date of the original tract recording are available at the Maps Department (10th floor) in City Hall. Current tract maps and valuations are available on-line at the L.A. County Assessor website: http://assessor.lacounty.gov/extranet/Datamaps/Pais.aspx.

Sanborn Maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance maps (1888-1950) are available on microfilm in the Long Beach History Collection at the Main Library and the Historical Society. Maps show street layouts, house footprints, garage locations, etc.

Electronic access to Sanborn maps is available to Los Angeles Public Library card holders through the LAPL databases webpage.

Win2Data
The Main Library has a subscription to Win2Data, a database that contains information about the current owner of a particular property. It is searchable by street address or owner's name. Request the assistance of a Librarian at the Central Information Desk at the Main Library to access this specialized database.

Trade Magazines
Builder and Contractor (March 1893 - June 1917) and Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer (1908-1917) combined in July of 1917 to form Southwest Building and Contractor. These weekly magazines list permits, owners, architects and builders of various dwellings in the Los Angeles Area. They are not easy to use because they are not well-indexed. However, later editions do have a separate section for Long Beach permits. The magazines mentioned above are not available at the Long Beach Public Library. They are available at the Los Angeles Public Library California History Room, USC Architecture Library, and UCLA Charles A Young Microform and Media Services Library. Please call ahead to confirm.

The People

City Directories
Long Beach City Directories began in 1899 and were published until 1969. They list the name, spouse's name, and occupation of a person who lived at a particular address. This information varies through the run of the directories. City Directories are available on the LBPL website under “Digital Archives.” Many years are available in print at the Historical Society of Long Beach.
Please note, some Long Beach street numbers changed in January 1921. To see if a street name has changed over the years, please see Long Beach and Signal Hill Street Names Changes: 1900-2006. This reference book is available in the Long Beach History Collection at the Main Library.
Telephone Directories
Telephone directories from 1916 to the present are available on microfilm in the Periodicals Department at the Main Library. They do not include unlisted phone numbers. Telephone directories must be searched by resident's last name.
Criss-Cross Directories
Some Long Beach criss-cross directories are available on microfilm in the Periodicals Department of the Main Library. They do not include unlisted numbers. The criss-cross directories must be searched by street address. The street addresses are cross-indexed to telephone numbers.

Long Beach History Index
The Long Beach History Index is a selectively indexed online database which contains Long Beach history related citations. It is best searched by keyword. The index is available online at www.LBPL.org. Also, it is only an INDEX (the full-text articles are not included in the database). All indexed articles are on microfilm and some are in the Long Beach History Collection clipping files. Ask a Librarian to demonstrate how to search the Long Beach History Index or visit the Central Information Desk at the Main Library for access to materials in the Long Beach History Collection.

Electronic access to Newspaper Archive.com (1938-1977) and the L.A Times is available via your LBPL card.

The Historical Society also maintains of database called “Past Perfect.” It is available on-site only at the HSLB. It provides access to their collection of photographs, biographies, and ephemera often not available anywhere else. HSLB also has numerous bound volumes of the Press Telegram and Sun. Access is limited.

Census Records
Long Beach Public Library card holders have free access to the Library's subscription genealogy databases. The Ancestry Library database is in-library use only, found on the Long Beach Public Library Genealogy Databases page.

Additional Resources

Long Beach Cultural Heritage Surveys
From 1979 to 1988, the Long Beach Cultural Heritage Commission did a survey of several historic areas of Long Beach. These surveys are extensive and, for some homes, list important information such as architect, builder, construction date, architectural style, and a brief history of the home. Area surveys include: Downtown and Bluff Park, Cedar-Chestnut District, Drake Park, Carroll Park, Wrigley District, California Heights, Bixby Knolls, and Los Cerritos.

Long Beach Water Department

Find out when your house was hooked up to the city sewer line: 1800 E. Wardlow (near Cherry).

Provided during BHCA’s House History workshop

Presented by Maureen Neeley, MLIS, House Historian

March 14, 2011 @ Belmont Heights Community Association meeting

Visit the HouStories website for more information: www.HouStories.net

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