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California Heights developed in the early 1900s and has preserved its original architectual style for the most part.  As a historic district in the City of Long Beach, California Heights has protected the integrity residential architecture even though the area's home have slowly gone through phases of redevelopment and expansion over the years.  California Heights as well as other areas of Long Beach display several types of Bungalows.  Popular architectual styles in the area include California Bungalow, Craftsman Bungalow, Spanish Revival Bungalow, Cape Cod along with a few Ranch styles.  As with most of the older areas of Long Beach, California Heights has a large number of post-war tract homes as well.

The Bungalow style is a conscious effort to return to the simplicity of pre-industrial times.  These architectural style was meant to counter the excess of the Victorian period by displaying the laborer's personal involvement in the project.  The "California Bungalow" reflects an Arts and Crafts architectual style that merges elements from Japanese buildings and Swiss chalets.  This style is either a one-story or a one-and-a-half story dwelling.  Most of the living space is on the ground floor.  Low pitched roof and a horizontal shape.  The living room is at the center of the home with connecting rooms with little or no hallways.  This style is known for its efficient floor plans.

The Craftsman "Bungalow" style is an all American design.  Although the Craftsman Bungalow has its roots from India (known as "bangla"), the British colonists adapted the one-story thatched roof huts to use as summer homes.  The first American bungalows were developed in 1879 by William Gibbons Preston.  In California two architects, Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, are credited with inspiring America to build Bungalows.  Their most famous project was the Craftsman Bungalow style Gamble house (1909) in Pasadena, California.  The Craftsman Bungalows typically have features that include: wood, stone or stucco siding; low-pitched roof; wide eaves with triangular brackets; exposed roof rafters; porch with thick square or round columns; stone porch supports; exterior chimney made with stone; open floor plans with few hallways; numerous windows that have a few stained or leaded glass; beamed ceilings; and dark wood wainscoting and moldings.  Craftsman Bungalows will come in a variety of available floor plans and designs with several different types on display in Cal Heights and the surrounding Long Beach area.  Seventy-five years after Craftsman Bungalow took America by storm, the style remains a popular favorite among home buyers.

Spanish "Revival Bungalow" represents a period revival style of the 1920s with roots that span two different generations.  An acknowledgement of the past mixed while reflecting a newer informal lifestyle consisting of more open plans and flowing spaces.  These types of Bungalows have features that include: red tile roof; large round -arched windows; awnings supported by spears over doorways; light-bathed interiors (due to the large windows and wall colors); black iron balustrades and curtain rods with wooden rings; and abundance of tile on staircases, in bathrooms and in the kitchens; and a Spanish fireplace.  Typically the Spanish "Revival Bungalows" will demand a slightly higher resale value in Cal Heights and the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach.

Cape Cod homes were first built by English colonists in America around the late 17th century.  Over time these original designs evolved into modest, one to one-and-half story homes with wooden shutters.  Reverend Timothy Dwight, president of Yale University is credited with recognizing these houses a a class and coined the term "Cape Cod."  Much later, in the early 1900s, a renewed interest in America's past inspired a variety of Colonial Revival styles. Colonial Revival Cape Cod houses became especially popular during the 1930s. These small, economical houses were mass-produced in suburban developments across the United States.  Twentieth century Cape Cod houses often have dormers. The chimney is usually placed at one end instead of at the center. The shutters on modern Cape Cod houses are strictly decorative; they can't be closed during a storm.  Other features common on a Cape Cod home include: steep roof with side gables; small roof overhang; large central chimney (departure from a Colonial Revival style); symmetrical appearance with door in center; dormers for space, light and ventilation; multi-paned double hung windows; shutters, formal center-hall floor plan; hardwood floors; and little or no exterior ornamentation.  Although you don't find to many of these classic Cape Cod homes in the Long Beach area, a few sprinkle the Cal Heights neighborhoods (a few slightly modified Cape Cod styles are evident as well).