The project area, known as the Pike until the late 1960s, carries great historical significance in Long Beach. Following the city's incorporation in 1888, the Pike grew quickly to become the center of city life and a lively tourist attraction featuring a public swimming pool, cafes, movie houses, municipal auditorium -- and one of the West Coast's largest amusement zones, which closed in 1968. Today, the project site is located in the heart of the city's rejuvenated downtown -- on the Rainbow Harbor waterfront between the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center and the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.