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Help Shape the Legacy of Long Beach’s Historic VIP Records
By Staff Writer
Published on Thu, Aug 6, 2026
Whether you grew up listening to music from VIP Records or admired its iconic sign on your daily commute, the City of Long Beach is encouraging community members to participate in a series of workshops to design a new public space housing the historic VIP Records sign.
Throughout its 40 years serving the Long Beach community, VIP Records brought together artists, music-lovers and residents alike, shaping the local hip-hop music scene. Now designated as a Long Beach historical landmark, the VIP Records sign is being restored and relocated by the Department of Public Works to be the star of the new neighborhood site.
The planned public space, located at the southwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. and Pacific Coast Hwy., is meant to celebrate the cultural legacy of VIP Records and bring residents together in a new, community crafted space.
The first workshop in the series will take place August 13, 2026, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center (1950 Lemon Ave.). Here, attendees can provide feedback on early design concepts, share their favorite memories of VIP Records and voice their ideas for the planned space. A second workshop will be held in the fall before the project reaches its final design phase to gather further community feedback with project completion expected by Fall 2027.
This project and workshop series is part of Long Beach’s Elevate ‘28 Infrastructure Investment Plan dedicated to improving parks, community spaces, mobility access and street improvements throughout the City. The nonprofit community development organization, Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), will lead the design and engagement process for this project over the next year.
To stay up to date on project developments and for more information, visit lbcity.info/VIPRecordsProject.
