After 61 years, the Long Beach Petroleum Club announced Tuesday, Feb. 19, the sale of the group’s real-estate property at 3636 Linden Ave., along with the ceasing of operations at the end of March.
Once one of the most exclusive social clubs for the oilmen of Long Beach, the club suffered from a decline in membership in recent years. At the beginning of February, the club announced that it had entered escrow.
The confirmation of the Petroleum Club’s closing comes from two statements e-mailed to members of the club from the president of the board of directors, Peter Allen, and general manager, Angela Roman. In the statement, Allen, owner of the Long Beach oil company, Allenco, explains that the decision was reached at a member’s equity meeting on Dec. 12, when a majority of equity members voted to approve the sale.
“After careful consideration from the finances of the club, the board of directors has determined that it is not financially feasible for the club to remain in operation,” Allen wrote. “Therefore, with great regret, I am writing to inform you that the board of directors has made the decision to cease operations effective March 31, 2019.”
In a separate statement, Roman confirmed that all accounts will be active until March 31, but that the club’s office will remain open to finish any business with equity owners or anyone who donated any personal artifacts to the club.
After March 31, the club will be closed to the public and will cease its food, drink and pool services.
Allen ended his statement to the club’s members by thanking them for their contributions to the club’s legacy.
“After 61 years in operation, it is hard to say goodbye to an era in which the industry was booming and the club business even bigger,” Allen wrote. “Thank you for being a big part [of] our club’s history.”
