World Wonders and National Novelties in Long Beach
World’s largest mural
Environmental marine artist, Wyland, completed Planet Ocean on the Long Beach Arena in 1993 with the Guinness Book of World Records certifying it as the world’s largest mural. It took four weeks and 3,000 gallons of paint to create it. In 2009, Wyland returned, broke his record, and painted “Earth, the Blue Planet,” a rooftop mural on the arena spanning three acres; the project was completed in less than 24 hours.
Nation’s Skinniest House
Shown on Ripley’s Believe it or Not, the nation’s skinniest is located on Gladys Avenue, the house was built in 1932 by Nelson Rummond on a bet that he could not build a inhabitable residence on the lot which measured only 10 feet by 50 feet. He went ahead and built the compact house, which is 3-stories high and 860 square feet.
Cal State Long Beach’s on-campus sports and athletic complex opened in 1994 to become one of only three true pyramid structures in the United States and is the largest space-frame structure in North America.
Oil islands in disguise
The THUMS Company operates offshore drilling rigs on the islands just off the coast of Long Beach. To make the islands soundproof and pleasing to the eye, the THUMS Company surrounded them with condo-like high-rises, curving walls, colorful lights, waterfalls, and swaying palm trees. They’re the only oil islands in the U.S. decorated as such.
Bikestation Beginnings
The City of Long Beach’s Bikestation is the very first full-service bike transit facility in the United States. It opened as a transit-demonstration project in 1996 and mimics the bicycle facilities that are so popular in Europe. Since it’s opening, it has parked more than 20,000 bikes.