Municipal Warehouse No. 1
Why it's listed
Municipal Warehouse No. 1 is a large six-story concrete warehouse at the south end of berths 59-60 in the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro. Completed in 1917, it contains about 500,000 square feet in a 475 by 150-foot plan. Peter Ficker, then working in the Harbor Engineers office, designed it with full-height pilasters, projecting fire escapes, steel freight doors and lion-faced gargoyle drain spouts cast from his sculpture. Rail tracks run inside the building. It served as the Port's only bonded warehouse, allowing goods to be held for customs and valuable cargo to be stored. In the era of break-bulk cargo, such warehousing let distributors accumulate goods until ships arrived and helped make shipping efficient. The port surpassed other West Coast ports in cargo tonnage and value by 1923. The warehouse was a leading facility until containerization reduced the need for storage in the early 1960s. It remains in its original use and is a prominent landmark for ships and for San Pedro residents.
Significance in brief: The warehouse was the Port's only bonded warehouse, a function critical to Los Angeles entering international trade. It played a leading role in port warehousing during the break-bulk cargo era, from 1917 until containerization in the early 1960s. It is also a visual landmark for ships entering the harbor.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00000386, listed April 21, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2500 Signal St., San Pedro |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | April 21, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000386 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1917-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Peter Ficker |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Maritime History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In good condition and still used in its original warehouse capacity; the rooftop water tank is being partially restored. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Coordinates | 33.72089, -118.27230 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00000386.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6936296
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.