Long Beach leaders held a demolition ceremony for the long-vacant and unused Queen Mary Village on Monday, April 28, which will make room for additional parking and event space to support the Queen Mary and other events.
The Queen Mary Village, also known as the English Village, is located off Queens Highway and Windsor Way. The site once housed an Old English-themed shopping center and tourism attraction. It fell into disrepair under the management of the Queen Mary’s troubled former operator, Urban Commons, and it eventually closed.
The shops sat vacant for years, officials said, and the property continued to deteriorate.
Once the city regained control of the Queen Mary and the surrounding areas in 2021, Long Beach began looking into removing the village with funding from the city’s partnership with the Port of Long Beach, aimed at addressing pressing issues at the site.
Last month, the Long Beach City Council approved its demolition and awarded a $1.1 million contract to Signal Hill firm Environmental Construction Group to carry out the work.
“We are here to honor our past, build our future, and here’s to new beginnings here at the Queen Mary,” Mayor Rex Richardson said on Monday.
Demolition of the Queen Mary Village located off Queens Highway and Windsor Way on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Demolition of the Queen Mary Village located off Queens Highway and Windsor Way on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Long Beach leaders held a demolition ceremony for the long-vacant and unused Queen Mary Village on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Steve Caloca, managing director of the Queen Mary, at the demolition ceremony for the Queen Mary Village on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Mayor Rex Richardson at the demolition ceremony for the Queen Mary Village on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Director of Economic Development Bo Martinez at the demolition ceremony for the Queen Mary Village on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Long Beach leaders held a demolition ceremony for the long-vacant and unused Queen Mary Village on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Demolition of the Queen Mary Village located off Queens Highway and Windsor Way on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Demolition of the Queen Mary Village located off Queens Highway and Windsor Way on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 9Demolition of the Queen Mary Village located off Queens Highway and Windsor Way on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG) ExpandThe demolition of the Village will eliminate existing public hazards and address safety concerns, officials said. The city found a presence of mold, lead, and asbestos in the infrastructure, which exacerbated the risk and urgency to remove the village, according to a staff report.
“This is about more than just demolition,” Richardson added, “but this is really about transformation and setting the stage for an exciting future here that is cleaner, safer, more dynamic and more welcoming to support our growing reputation as a major hub for arts, culture, and entertainment.”
More than 3,000 people boarded the Queen Mary this weekend, said Steve Caloca, managing director of the Queen Mary. Making space for additional parking and other events, such as music festivals and the popular Dark Harbor event during the Halloween season, marks a step forward in the economic revitalization and growth of the area, officials said.
“It’s really exciting times for not only the Queen Mary but more importantly, Long Beach in general,” Caloca said. “We’re inspired at the Queen Mary to really promote the mayor’s vision of tourism, hospitality and music, and you see more and more of that in the city of Long Beach, and we definitely embrace that on the Queen Mary.”
Besides revitalizing the Queen Mary itself through various historic preservations and upgrades in recent years, Long Beach has also been developing plans to revamp the property surrounding the historic ship.
The city has plans to construct a temporary outdoor amphitheater – dubbed the Long Beach Bowl – which would encompass about five or six acres along Queens Highway near the Queen Mary and Harry Bridges Memorial Park. Officials recently selected ASM Global/Legends to operate the future venue.
Long Beach’s waterfront is also preparing to welcome thousands of people for the 2028 Summer Olympics and hosting 11 sporting events — making it the host of the second-highest number of sports after Los Angeles — Richardson said during the ceremony.
“Today starts a next step for us, on how we position our community for success,” said Bo Martinez, director of the Department of Economic Development, “and how we not only position ourselves as the West Coast capital for music, but position ourselves to be the world-class destination for tourism, hospitality, musich and entertainment.”
The demolition for the Queen Mary Village, officials said, is anticipated to be completed by next month.
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