Mark your calendars to join Long Beach Heritage on Thursday, Feb. 19 for its annual preservation awards benefit. Set aboard the Queen Mary in the elegant Grand Salon, the dinner gala begins with cocktails and a silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards ceremony at 7:15 p.m.

The evening honors 10 individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation of the architectural and cultural heritage of the city, and serves as Long Beach Heritage’s major fundraiser.

Receiving Preservationist of the Year Award is current Long Beach Heritage treasurer Cheryl Perry for her commitment to preservation in Long Beach for the past 25 years. Nine Preservation Awards will recognize individuals involved in the following preservation projects:

• Restoration of the Olmstead Brothers' designed tennis courts and adjacent landscaping at Rancho Los Alamitos;
• The Schoolhouse project, in which a Foursquare style 1904 house was moved and beautifully restored by community volunteers;
• The Art Theatre, recently remodeled inside and out, restoring the 1933 Art Deco facade, renovating the lobby and theater, and adding new customer amenities, including a wine bar and coffee bar;
• Elm Ave. Apartments, rehabilitation of a 1927 Tudor style building;
• The 1927 Bixby Park Bandshell and speaker's stand, which had been nearly destroyed by felled tree in 2005;
• The Penn Residence, a six-bedroom 1954 mid-century modern ranch house in Bixby Knolls whose owners lovingly restored;
• The major exterior restoration of the historic Villa Riviera, which also recently received a California Preservation Foundation award;
• The Montue residence, an altered 1913 craftsman that had so many inadequate repairs done to it over the years that plans to rehabilitate it were nearly scraped;
• The design and construction of a compliant yet historically compatible public restroom in Long Beach Heritage's Bembridge homesite.

Ticket cost $105 per person, a portion of which is tax deductible. Tickets may be purchased online at www.lbheritage.org, or call (562) 493-7019.

Proceeds from ticket sales, the silent auction, and an opportunity drawing for a $300 shopping spree at South Coast Plaza help Long Beach Heritage provide educational and advocacy programs throughout the year, as well as operate the organization’s historic Bembridge House at Drake Park.