History

1887 – Long Beach becomes an incorporated city and, soon after, a seaside destination for those seeking health- and spirit-related refreshment.

1902 – The Red Car line connects Downtown Los Angeles with the Long Beach Pike, a boardwalk complete with arcades, food stands, rides, and a public bathhouse. (The Pike is demolished in 1980.)

1905 – William C. Price builds the Psychic Temple to be the headquarters for his Society of New or Practical Psychology a.k.a. The Holy Kiss Society.

1908 – Price files lawsuit against his own followers in an effort to collect unpaid stock purchases supporting his cult.

1911 – Anna Sewell, one of Price’s legal foes, purchases the Psychic Temple for $2,910.09 and turns it into the American Hotel.

1911 – Port of Long Beach opens, providing the city with trade-related commerce.

1921 – Oil discovered on Signal Hill, helping Long Beach become America’s fastest growing city.

1933 – A 6.25 earthquake levels most of Long Beach. Reconstruction brings Art Deco design and other trendy styles to its cityscape.

1941 – Construction begins on Long Beach breakwater, eliminating surf and enabling the Navy to use the port for military purposes.

1952 – First section of the Long Beach Freeway (710) opens, eventually providing access to and from Monterey Park but not Pasadena.

1962 – Long Beach Convention Center and Sports Arena opens and goes on to host the first L.A. Kings hockey game (1967), Led Zeppelin (1975), Olympic Volleyball (1984), Anime Expo (the first time in 2001), and TED (2012).

1971 – The docked Queen Mary opens as a hotel and tourist attraction, with the Spruce Goose as an adjacent attraction from 1980-1992.

1971 – Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. is born. Under his performing name of Snoop Dogg, his gangta raps and freestyle skills went on to popularize both “-izzle” speak and the LBC.

1975 – First Long Beach Grand Prix takes place. It becomes the longest running street race in North America.

1989 – The City of Long Beach declares the dilapidated Psychic Temple to be a historical landmark (16.52.480).

1991 – interTrend Communications, a full-service communication agency specializing in the Asian American market, is founded.

2000 – The City of Long Beach purchases the Psychic Temple. They allow it to go vacant with the hopes of redeveloping it.

2010 – After many unsatisfactory bids and unsuccessful attempts to redevelop the Psychic Temple, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency enters an exclusive negotiating agreement with JR van Dijs, Inc. All planning is tenuous after the agency is decommissioned in the wake of California’s bankruptcy.

2012 – Following a year of efforts, approval is given for JRVD to restore and renovate the Psychic Temple into a creative space and the future home of interTrend.