Did you know that the Long Beach Lifeguard Headquarters is named after the founding father of lifeguarding in Long Beach?
His name was Roy “Dutch” Miller, who became a lifeguard in 1918. Dutch stood at the helm of marine operations in Long Beach for five decades, along with his faithful brother Vic Miller, and was responsible for bringing a host of new innovations and lifeguarding techniques to the shores.
He constructed lifeguard towers, brought in new, lifesaving equipment, and pioneered Long Beach lifeguards until his retirement in 1966. (To read more about Roy “Dutch” Miller and his family legacy of lifeguarding in Long Beach, read our story here.)
The original lifeguard headquarters, once located on the shoreline near Pine Avenue Pier in 1936, now stands at its current location on 2100 E. Ocean Blvd. It was moved to its current location in 1961 when the city moved the famed Rainbow Pier to make way for an expanded shoreline. In 1936, a devastating storm destroyed the tower, but it was rebuilt in 1938 with funding from President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration program. The headquarters became a Long Beach historical heritage site in 1981, the same year it was crowned the Roy “Dutch” Miller Lifeguard Station.
Indeed, the lifeguard headquarters, just like its namesake, stood the test of time. And today, it symbolizes decades and generations of lifeguards who protect the waters and ensure families leave the beach safely.
