Cool news on the Acres of Books front! Long Beach’s former literary landmark has sat empty and unloved for the nearly two years since it was sold to the city’s redevelopment agency, but major progress is now being made toward kickstarting its new life as a hub of artistic activity. The Press-Telegram reports:
The Long Beach Redevelopment Agency Board approved the final environmental impact report for Art Exchange, an art-driven facility where visitors can watch local artists create, buy art and attend classes.
The 10,150-square-foot building would be at least silver LEED certified and incorporate the front 5,000 square feet of Art Deco facade of Acres of Books, the longtime business that once attracted writer Ray Bradbury and other literati to its cavernous bookstore at 240 Long Beach Blvd., Acres’ home for 50 of its 74 years.
Current plans are for the Art Exchange to be administrated by a nonprofit group, and to feature “artists studios, a hot shop for glass making, ceramics production, demonstrations and classes, gallery spaces” and more.
Tags: Acres of Books, Art Exchange, Long Beach, Press-Telegram
The loss of Acres hit me pretty hard. It was tough seeing such an important landmark close its doors. I’m happy to see that they are doing something with this building though, even if it means I can’t sit on the dusty floor and flip through hundreds of books about pirates, traveling and Greek history.
I miss that, too. It’s nowhere near as mind-blowingly big and sprawling, but you can get a pretty good musty-book-browsing experience at Planet Books over on Anaheim. There’s even the requisite lazy, bookstore cat!
Fantastic! When does this come to fruition? What a tremendous opportunity for local artists, collectors and those who wish to experience creativity firsthand.