The Long Beach City Council has approved $500,000 to embark on fixing the most pressing structural and mechanical problems that threaten to sink the iconic Queen Mary hotel, a popular California tourist attraction for the past 50 years.
The council is also calling on officials of the coastal city south of Los Angeles to present alternatives for long-term preservation of the 87-year-old ship, including possibly seeking federal monument status that would qualify it for ongoing preservation and operational funds. Those alternatives are expected to be reviewed next month.
“It’s going to be absolutely critical that we continue regular operations and maintenance on the ship as we take back ownership for the first time in decades,” Councilwoman Cindy Allen said. “The Queen Mary has been a world symbol of Long Beach, and it’s important that we maintain the ship.”
Docked in Long Beach since 1971 and serving as a major tourism attraction and economic generator for the city and the greater Los Angeles region, the Queen Mary was closed in May 2020 because of the pandemic. City officials said the retired luxury liner can not reopen until the most pressing repairs are completed, even as California is preparing to reopen its economy next week.
The actions this week come after Long Beach late last week regained direct control of the Queen Mary for the first time in more than four decades, following years of operations through lease agreements with private operators. The latest operator, Urban Commons, surrendered its lease amid bankruptcy proceedings involving its parent firm, Eagle Hospitality Trust.
A Delaware bankruptcy court is overseeing efforts to settle issues regarding Eagle’s business stakes in the 346-room hotel among others in its portfolio, some of which are in the process of being sold off. The city of Long Beach is expected to eventually assign the Queen Mary lease to another operator or possibly creating a new entity to oversee its future operations.
In the meantime, the city’s public works department is looking to immediately complete the most urgent among an estimated $41 million in crucial, but neglected, repairs identified by its engineers who have said the ship is in danger of sinking.
The city council approved an economic development department request for $500,000 to complete several critical repairs by the end of this year. Those include installing temporary bilge pump systems, replacing the alarm system for water intrusion, testing and repairing the bulkhead, fixing issues with the electrical power system and beginning the process of removing and repairing several deteriorating lifeboats on the ship.
The city council Tuesday evening also approved a six-month, $2 million contract, subject to future renewals, for Evolution Hospitality to provide daily security, maintenance, systems supervision and other functions aboard the ship. San Clemente, California-based Evolution, a subsidiary of Aimbridge Hospitality, has been performing those duties among others for the past decade as a subcontractor for leaseholders.
Several other structural and system problems identified by city engineers need to be addressed later by the city or future operators. Among others, the piping system has leaks, boilers need replacement and sewage holding tanks are compromised and inaccessible under state safety guidelines, according to the city’s consultant Elliott Bay Design Group.
Council members want the city to consider new ways to provide permanent funding to support long-term maintenance and service aboard the ship, which spans more than 1 million square feet of systems and services that require constant attention. One option is formation of a public-private foundation, similar to foundations in several cities that finance ongoing improvements to parks and other civic amenities.
Another is seeking federal monument status, along the lines of popular historical attractions such as the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, which would qualify the ship for regular federal financial support. The Queen Mary, which was built in Scotland in 1934 and made its first voyage in 1936, is currently listed among the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Hotels of America but does not have federal monument status, officials said.
Once known for its mid-century glamour and opulence, the ocean liner was docked in Long Beach after it retired from service in 1967. It opened to tourists in 1971 after an extensive renovation.
The ship has 346 guest rooms, three restaurants and three bars and has long served as a popular venue for public festivals, on-board tours, weddings and other special events. It generated more than $115 million in direct annual visitor spending prior to the pandemic and $200 million in overall regional economic activity, according to consulting firm Beacon Economics.