The tower cranes are now gone from the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue, as construction nears completion for a $520-million rebuild of the Long Beach Civic Center.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, Plenary Group and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate have been hard at work on the construction of two 11-story glass-and-steel structures that will become the new Long Beach City Hall and headquarters of the Port of Long Beach.  The new buildings, designed by SOM, are replacing the existing Long Beach City Hall - a brutalist structure from the 1970s - and the Port's interim offices near Long Beach Airport.

Also included in the project is a new main library for Long Beach, which is located at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Broadway, and a revamp of Lincoln Park.  Those elements are also designed by SOM.

The entire project is on track for completion in mid-2019.

The civic center redevelopment will create a more open environment for Long Beach's government center, a departure from the currently fortress-like setting.  The joint venture behind the development, called Plenary-Edgemoor Civic Partners, is building the new government offices in exchange for rights to later construct mixed-use structures within the Civic Center.  The private phase of the development could result in mid-rise and high-rise structures featuring a hotel, apartments, and ground-level retail space.

Plenary Group, which specials in public-private developments, is also partnering with AEG and the City of Los Angeles on an expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center and neighboring J.W. Marriott hotel.