East 1st Street Facade Improvement Project

Terry Braunstein & Thomas Barter

Terry Braunstein and Thomas Barter have enhanced the facades of the buildings on 1st Street to reflect the colorful Art Deco history of the East Village Arts District in Downtown Long Beach. Braunstein designed each vignette, which Barter, an East Village ceramist, rendered in hand-made tile. These colorful artworks also provide architectural detailing while framing the existing murals and bordering store doorways. Some of the geometric aspects of the designs create a three-dimensional effect and provide depth for the storefronts as well as for 1st Street. The large tile mural of a three-story Art Deco building on a corner mirrors the small-town atmosphere of Downtown combined with high-rises, important to the City’s commerce.