by Maureen Neeley & Bette McKinney
Was your home built in 1920 or before? If so, you can show it some love by displaying this congratulatory sign designed just for centenarians
of Belmont Heights.
Want a sign? Send a note to President@MyBelmontHeights.org or call 562-285-3860. A $10 donation defrays the cost to the BHCA. Personal delivery by Bette included!
How to find the year of construction:
If you want to verify the year your house was built, use the L.A. County Property Assessment Information System through the Tax Assessor website.
How to find your original permit:
Your original permit will show the date of issue, the original owner and builder. It can list the overall dimensions of the house and the cost to build. Click here to access the Permit Archives for the City of Long Beach.
Your original permit may have a different address if the house was built prior to 1921: When searching for your permit, keep in mind that addresses changed in January 1921, so if your house was built prior to 1921 the address may be different. For example, the numbering scheme on east-west streets in our neighborhood originally started at Alamitos Avenue. After 1921 the house numbers started at Pine Avenue.
Pre-1921 addresses for north-south streets began at Broadway. Today they begin at Ocean. This is why your official address with the U.S. Post Office often starts with “N.” because unless you live south of Ocean Boulevard your house number has a “North” designation.
Oh, and of course there are the street-name changes… but that is a story for another day!