Demolition of dilapidated village near Queen Mary has begun
What used to be a bustling tourist attraction will now be used for additional parking and event space.
Demolition of Londontown, the defunct tourist attraction adjacent to the Queen Mary, is underway.
Officials gathered at the site Monday morning to celebrate the occasion as crews ripped apart the structures, which have been the neighbor of the historic ocean liner for more than five decades.
“As we look at it, we think of the glorious past that it had,” said Steve Caloca, managing director of the Queen Mary. “But today, we’re going to be talking about the exciting future that’s in front of us.”
Originally dubbed Mary’s Gate Village, the themed retail center was approved in 1972 and opened to the public in June 1974 with 40 shops and an English pub. The village also served as the entryway for visitors to the historic Queen Mary.
The one-acre village was designed in the style of medieval England by Vernon G. Leckman, who also designed Ports O’ Call. Estimates for construction were $1.5 million but the total cost was $2 million.
In the 1980s, most of the village was demolished, with the remaining structures falling into disrepair in the decades since.
“We are here to honor our past and build our future,” said Mayor Rex Richardson, who called the village “outdated” and noted the structures were unsafe and posed safety concerns.
“Here’s to new beginnings,” Richardson added. “This is about transformation and setting the stage for an exciting future.”
Removal of the village, which is expected to be completed in May, will allow for additional parking and event space, according to city officials.
The area around the Queen Mary already hosts a number of music festivals, including the wildly popular Day Trip, which brings tens of thousands of people to the waterfront each year. To add to Pier H’s musical offerings, the city is preparing to construct an outdoor amphitheater adjacent to the Queen Mary.
Dubbed the Long Beach Bowl by Richardson, the vision for the seaside music venue was first announced by the mayor in his 2024 State of the City address. The first renderings were shared by the mayor during the most recent State of the City address in January.
One week after the big reveal, city officials acknowledged that the cost of developing the temporary amphitheater remained unclear, despite the hopes of opening the venue this fall.
“We really want to see a future of music, having Long Beach be the music capital of the West Coast,” Caloca said. “We believe we can do it.”
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