[4] The original structure consisted of a single-story base that spanned an entire city block with a central tower rising thirteen stories above the main body of the building.

[5][6] The building opened in September 1926 with a banquet and dinner at which Long Beach's Mayor Fillmore Condit and Fred Dunn spoke.

[5] The hotel opened three years before the nearby Villa Riviera, so its imposing tower, rising 15 stories from the beach, gave it "a prominence greater than that of any other in the city.

"[7] Less than a year after its opening, the hotel was sold by Fred Dunn to an unnamed group of investors from Pasadena, Los Angeles and New York.

[5][8] The new owners announced plans for extensive remodeling, including the closure of several dining rooms and conversion of the ballroom into a summer garden.

In August 1934, the Los Angeles Times reported that the hotel had sustained a significant operating loss in 1933 and was delinquent on its real estate and personal properties taxes for the past three years.

Hilton spent at least $200,000 on renovations[6] and converted the penthouse into the Sky Room restaurant,[1] which became one of the most popular gathering spots in Southern California.

[12] Movie stars like Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant and John Wayne were said to have been customers at the Sky Room.

[6] Miller reportedly hoped to "recapture, for Long Beach, the beauty, dignity and service of the city's greatest hotel.

[18] The hotel remained shuttered for nearly three years as plans stalled, and the vacant building was referred to as "the West Coast's largest pigeon roost.

The owners stated their intention to create the ultimate in retirement living for the senior citizens of Long Beach.

[10][22] At this point, the Breakers contained 242 guest rooms, including 20 suites, a restaurant and night club on the top floor, and a ballroom restored to its original 1920s decor.

[24] In 1989, the Breakers, still vacant after its closure in 1988, was designated a Long Beach Historical Landmark, requiring approval from the Cultural Heritage Commission before making any major changes in the building's appearance.

[2] The property was purchased following its 1988 closure by Ocean Boulevard Associates, which spent $23 million on earthquake retrofitting and restoring its 1920s-style Romanesque architecture.

[1][13] As of October 1991, the Breakers had 38 residents, with an average age of 84, paying rents starting at $1,000 a month, including three meals a day, housekeeping and local transportation.

[26] In 1997, the Sky Room, originally developed by Conrad Hilton in 1938, was restored and re-opened by the property's new owner Bernard Rosenson.

[27] In November 2017, Pacific6, a Long Beach based investment and development partnership, assembled by Long Beach businessman and philanthropist John Molina with partners Kevin Davis, Robert Gordon, Jon Heiman, Todd Lemmis and David Telling, purchased the building and announced their intention to fully restore the Breakers and operate it as a 185 room luxury boutique hotel, The Breakers Hotel & Spa.