Emerald Villas – A Great Downtown Long Beach Condo Complex

Some of the best places to live in Downtown Long Beach aren’t the ones you see from the freeway — they’re the quiet, well-run communities tucked a block or two off the main drag. Emerald Villas is exactly that kind of address. Set at 555 Maine Avenue on the western edge of downtown, this gated condominium community pairs resort-style amenities and roomy floor plans with a location that puts Pine Avenue, the waterfront, and the Metro all within an easy walk.

Whether you’re a first-time buyer looking for a smart entry point into Downtown Long Beach, a professional who wants a lock-and-leave home near transit, or an investor drawn to a building that consistently attracts renters, Emerald Villas deserves a close look. Here’s everything you need to know about the community, its design, the neighborhood around it, and what life looks like here.

Emerald Villas at a Glance

All About Emerald Villas

Emerald Villas was built around 1990 and completed in 1991, part of the wave of new residential construction that reshaped Downtown Long Beach in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It’s worth appreciating the moment it arrived: while historic commercial buildings just a few blocks east were being reimagined as adaptive-reuse lofts — projects like the Kress Lofts and the Walker Building — Emerald Villas took the opposite approach. Rather than converting an old structure, it was purpose-built from the ground up as a modern condominium community, designed from day one for comfortable, secure urban living.

That ground-up origin is the key to what makes the community feel different from a converted loft or a vintage high-rise. The 123 condos are arranged around a central, landscaped courtyard, an intentional design choice that brings light and air into the community while keeping the street’s energy at a comfortable distance. The four-story layout is topped by a rooftop sundeck with open city views — a genuinely social space that’s become one of the community’s most-loved features.

Because owners have personalized and upgraded their homes over the years, no two units feel exactly alike. You’ll find everything from lightly updated original kitchens to fully reimagined contemporary interiors with quartz counters, wood-style flooring, and modernized baths. For a buyer, that variety is an opportunity: it means there’s usually a home to match a range of budgets and tastes, and a chance to add value through thoughtful updates.

The Design & Development of Emerald Villas

With Long Beach’s landmark buildings, we can often trace a clear architectural lineage — the Renaissance Revival pedigree of the Kress Building, or the French Gothic drama of the Villa Riviera. For a ground-up condominium community completed in 1991, the picture is different. The individual architects and developers behind early-1990s residential infill projects like Emerald Villas are not as widely documented in the public architectural record, and we won’t put a name to the project that we can’t verify. What we can speak to with confidence is the era and the intent behind it.

Emerald Villas is a product of Downtown Long Beach’s redevelopment push. Through the late 1980s and into the 1990s, the city and its redevelopment agency actively encouraged new housing downtown to bring full-time residents back into the urban core. Emerald Villas, along with a cluster of similar mid-rise condominium communities built nearby in the same period, was part of that revitalization — and those new residents helped lay the groundwork for the vibrant downtown that surrounds the building today.

The community is owned and operated by its residents through the Emerald Villas Association, which oversees the shared amenities, common areas, building security, and long-term maintenance. As with any condominium, prospective buyers should review the association’s current budget, reserves, and any planned assessments as part of their due diligence. If you’re curious about the building’s original design and permitting history, the City of Long Beach maintains building records that can be requested directly.

Architectural Style: Contemporary Courtyard Living

Emerald Villas is best understood as a contemporary, courtyard-centered condominium community — a style of multifamily design that was popular in coastal Southern California through the late 1980s and 1990s. Rather than reaching for the ornamentation of an earlier era, this approach prioritizes livability: clean lines, abundant natural light, private outdoor space for every home, and shared amenities woven into the plan.

A Courtyard at the Heart

The defining move is the central courtyard. Wrapping the homes around a landscaped interior space does several things at once: it gives the community a calm, green focal point; it buffers homes from street noise; and it creates a sense of arrival and shared identity that a simple double-loaded corridor never could. The pool, spa, and gathering areas live within this protected core.

Private Balconies & Indoor-Outdoor Flow

Every home at Emerald Villas has a private balcony — a hallmark of the style and a feature buyers consistently prize. Combined with open floor plans and generous glass doors, the balconies extend each home’s living space outdoors and make the most of Long Beach’s famously mild climate. Homes on the top floor were designed with higher ceilings, adding an extra sense of volume and light.

Built for Modern Convenience

Where historic loft conversions had to retrofit modern systems into century-old shells, Emerald Villas was designed around them from the start. That shows up in the things residents use every day: central air conditioning and heating, in-unit laundry, secured subterranean parking, elevator access, and — in many homes — a gas fireplace as a comfortable focal point. It’s a practical, easy-to-live-in interpretation of contemporary design.

Living at Emerald Villas: Floor Plans & Amenities

Emerald Villas is best known for its spacious two-bedroom, two-bath floor plans, which generally range from roughly 786 square feet to well over 1,100 square feet depending on the home. Layouts vary throughout the community, so when a home comes available it’s always worth a look to see how the space lives. Common features across the community include:

• Open-concept living and dining areas with abundant natural light
• A private balcony for every home
• Central air conditioning and heating
• In-unit (stackable) washer/dryer capability
• Higher ceilings available in top-floor homes
• Gas fireplaces in many units

Community amenities give Emerald Villas its resort-like reputation:

• Swimming pool and spa/jacuzzi within the central courtyard
• Gas barbecue area for residents
• On-site fitness center
• Rooftop sundeck with open city views
• Gated, controlled-access community with elevator service
• Secured subterranean parking (many homes include two spaces) plus guest parking

Looking for what’s currently available? You can search the Long Beach MLS for free, or request our Emerald Villas Hot List to be notified the moment a home hits the market.

The Neighborhood: Western Downtown & the Waterfront

Location is a big part of the Emerald Villas story. The community sits on the western side of Downtown Long Beach, with Cesar Chavez Park practically around the corner — a generous green space with playgrounds, walking paths, and weekend community life along the Los Angeles River. From here, the heart of downtown is a short, flat walk away.

Pine Avenue, downtown’s dining and nightlife spine, is just a few blocks east. The Pike Outlets, Shoreline Village, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Convention Center, and the beach itself are all within roughly a mile, making car-free days genuinely easy here. Commuters appreciate the proximity to the Metro A Line and quick access to the 710, 405, and 22 freeways. For buyers who love the idea of oceanfront and harbor living too, it’s worth comparing notes with nearby communities like West Ocean, AQUA Towers, and the Harbor Place Towers.

Common Questions

Over the years we’ve fielded many questions from buyers and owners about Emerald Villas. Here are some of the most common ones, answered.

Dining Options Near Emerald Villas

One of the best things about life at Emerald Villas is how much you can reach on foot. With Pine Avenue just a few blocks away, a deep bench of restaurants, cafes, and bars is part of your everyday routine. Here are three nearby favorites worth knowing.