Belmont History

The Belmont Athletic Club would not exist today if it weren’t for the vision of its founders John and Jan Doyle. It’s their enthusiasm and compassion that have built this Long Beach health club into the benchmark it has become.

In 1978 they entered into negotiations to lease the old Belmont Theater on 2nd Street. After 11 months of negotiations they were finally awarded the lease and began construction. The Belmont Athletic Club opened its doors in 1980 and has been on the cutting edge of the health club industry ever since.

By the time they became tenants, most of the building’s historic interior had been damaged; therefore, it is not considered a historic building. Nonetheless, many of the Art Deco architectural elements are still visible on the building’s exterior today

In 2012 the Doyles decided it was time to retire and sold the Belmont Athletic Club to its employees. An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) was formed and today a group of employees lead by the management team that John and Jan relied on for so many years owns and operates the club.