Terminous Culling Chute
Also known as: Tower Park Culling Chute
Why it's listed
Rising three stories beside Little Potato Slough at Terminous, this narrow wood-frame culling chute was built by the Western Pacific Railroad around 1927. It measures roughly 40 feet long and 8 feet wide, with an open lower frame resting on concrete retaining walls, eight numbered wooden chutes with trap doors, and an engine room for the conveyor belt on top. Inside the neighboring packing sheds, celery and other Delta crops were washed, sorted and packed for shipment east, and inferior cull stock rode a conveyor to the chute, where it was loaded onto trucks and hauled to area farms. The structure is listed as evidence of the Delta's agribusiness boom, when rail service, standardization and corporate growers such as John C. Maurer and Sons made Terminous a major celery center in the late 1920s and 1930s. Its exposed truss framework also reflects the engineering of its time, and it appears to be the sole remnant of that era in the Delta.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it represents a significant phase in the growth of agribusiness in the San Joaquin Delta, centered on celery packing and shipping. It is also described as a rare surviving vernacular agricultural-industrial structure of the 1920s that shows engineering principles of the period with its integrity intact.
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 84001189, listed April 19, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 14900 W. CA 12, Lodi |
|---|---|
| County | San Joaquin County |
| Listed | April 19, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84001189 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific date ca. 1927) |
| Architect / builder | Western Pacific Railroad |
| Architectural style | Vernacular agricultural-industrial structure; modified Long truss combined with balloon frame |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked unoccupied; integrity described as intact with only minor deterioration of the conveyor belt. The site is within a park and marina. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 38.10976, -121.50011 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 84001189.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.