The former downtown building that once housed this daily newspaper will soon get a splash of color on its walls.
John and Michelle Molina, whose family runs Molina Healthcare, has hired Dreams & Visions to help create a mural that would wrap around the block that includes the former headquarters of the Press-Telegram and the Meeker-Baker building at Sixth Street and Pine Avenue.
The couple, who has been involved in the project since 2004, tonight invited residents to a meeting to introduce them to the artists company, which has been involved in creating several Long Beach murals including the one at Ocean Boulevard and Pine and Wyland's Earth mural atop the Long Beach Arena.
Sold in 2006, the paper's longtime home was intended to be converted into a mixed-use condominium development. The original design featured two high-rise towers with up to 542 units above 37,000 square feet of commercial and office space and 1,186 parking spaces. The Planning Commission later approved a new design with one fewer tower, smaller units and reduced the size of the commercial space to 30,000 square feet and the number of parking spaces to 947.
Then the recession hit.
"It caused us to rethink what's going to be at Sixth and Pine," said John Molina, adding that there will be more community outreach once those plans come together.
"But in the meantime," he said, "the last thing that Pine Avenue needs is another, what I call, dead site. You see it up and down the street, an entire block that is deactivated and run down and is not something residents and homeowners want to see. So we talked about what can we do on a short-term basis to engage the community."
Residents said they were happy that the Molinas want to beautify the site, which at times has been a target for graffiti. Some suggested to the Molinas that local artists be involved in the mural project.
John and Michelle Molina, whose family runs Molina Healthcare, has hired Dreams & Visions to help create a mural that would wrap around the block that includes the former headquarters of the Press-Telegram and the Meeker-Baker building at Sixth Street and Pine Avenue.
The couple, who has been involved in the project since 2004, tonight invited residents to a meeting to introduce them to the artists company, which has been involved in creating several Long Beach murals including the one at Ocean Boulevard and Pine and Wyland's Earth mural atop the Long Beach Arena.
Sold in 2006, the paper's longtime home was intended to be converted into a mixed-use condominium development. The original design featured two high-rise towers with up to 542 units above 37,000 square feet of commercial and office space and 1,186 parking spaces. The Planning Commission later approved a new design with one fewer tower, smaller units and reduced the size of the commercial space to 30,000 square feet and the number of parking spaces to 947.
Then the recession hit.
"It caused us to rethink what's going to be at Sixth and Pine," said John Molina, adding that there will be more community outreach once those plans come together.
"But in the meantime," he said, "the last thing that Pine Avenue needs is another, what I call, dead site. You see it up and down the street, an entire block that is deactivated and run down and is not something residents and homeowners want to see. So we talked about what can we do on a short-term basis to engage the community."
Residents said they were happy that the Molinas want to beautify the site, which at times has been a target for graffiti. Some suggested to the Molinas that local artists be involved in the mural project.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
The Molinas should build their Molina headquarter here instead of at Ocean/Shoreline. This will bring the workers to the Pine Avenue area, and increase traffic and acitivity to Pine Avenue, just as it did when Press Telegram was located there. They should develop luxury condos at the Ocean/Shoreline site when the market turnaround.