The Villa Riviera was originally built as a luxury residential cooperative . The 1928 promotional brochure for the building noted : When the Villa Riviera was completed , the 277-foot high structure was the second tallest in the region — surpassed only by Los Angeles City Hall . Until the 1950s , it remained the second-tallest building in Southern California and " the tallest private building in Southern California . " Shortly after the Villa Riviera opened , the Great Depression hit , and the demand for luxury cooperative apartments declined . Also , the first tenants reportedly " did n't see eye-to-eye and the building subsequently was sold and turned into an apartment-hotel . " In 1933 , the high-rise Villa Riviera was shaken violently in the Long Beach earthquake but did not sustain structural damage . A newspaper account described the reaction of the Villa Riviera occupants to the earthquake as follows : The Villa Riviera , a 16-story apartment hotel , where most of the high-ranking officers of the Navy reside , swayed violently but suffered no more than a few cracks and fallen plaster . Admiral Richard H. Leigh , commander-in-chief of the United States fleet , after rushing down the stairway with most of the other 400 occupants and out into the street , returned to his suite around midnight in disdain of the succeeding shocks , which continued through the night . George Kingreet , assistant manager of the Villa Riviera , painted a picture of the hurried exit of the naval notables when the first shock came . ' The elevator stopped and everybody rushed down the stairs and out into the street . The bellboy stuck right on the job and went through the rooms , clearing them of people . ' In 1937 , silent film star Norma Talmadge and her ex-husband Joseph Schenk , president of 20th Century Fox , bought the building for $ 1.5 million . The '' Los Angeles Times '' reported that " the deal was one of the largest realty transactions in Southern California in several years . " Talmadge lived in the penthouse for a time
Long Beach earthquake
1933 Long Beach earthquake
Villa Riviera