This small, brick utility building is the second-oldest pumping plant remaining in Los Angeles. It was built by the City’s Department of Public Works at a time when public infrastructure projects were influenced by the City Beautiful Movement, an ambitious initiative to create beauty and order through urban planning and development.

The building’s circular plan lends a sense of formality to its otherwise simple design, which features brick lintel arches over the windows and door.

Though small in size, the structure played an important role in facilitating growth at the Port, with city leaders recognizing early on that the Port’s growth relied on the development of sewers and sewage disposal infrastructure. Pumphouses were critical for accommodating a larger workforce and processing the waste of the growing canning industry.

This building was one of at least four pumphouses constructed at the Port during the mid-1920s and the last remaining example on Terminal Island. It has remained in operation and continues to function as a part of the Harbor District’s sewer system. It has been identified as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.