Long Beach Marine Stadium

The United States had never dug a rowing course before this one. Long Beach dredged it out of Alamitos Bay for the 1932 Games and made it wide enough for four crews to race abreast, which meant no extra heats and oarsmen reaching the final unspent. That width is the whole design argument. The men's Olympic trials came back here in 1968 and 1976 and the women's in 1984, and national crews still train on the water. It is Olympic infrastructure that never became a ruin.

What the plaque says

Created in 1932 for the rowing events of the Xth Olympiad, the Stadium was the first manmade rowing course in the United States. Its width allowed four teams to race abreast, eliminating additional heats and allowing oarsmen to enter the finals at the peak of their form. Later it served as the venue for the 1968 and 1976 United States men's Olympic rowing trials and the 1984 United States women's Olympic rowing trials. The site remains an important training and competitive center for rowers, including our National and Olympic teams. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 1014

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mission San Gabriel Arcangel — 23 mi
  The fourth Alta California mission, built on Tongva land with Tongva labor, rebuilt after arson and now telling that story straight.
• Santa Monica Pier — 27 mi
  Where the Mother Road runs out of continent, and where the End of the Trail sign gives the drive somewhere to finish.

More markers nearby

• Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site — 6.8 mi
• Drum Barracks — 7.9 mi
• Banning Park — 8.1 mi
• S.S. Catalina — 8.8 mi