LA Waterfront Downtown Harbor is located at the foot of Historic Downtown San Pedro’s 6th Street, a project that is the center piece of a greater “LA Waterfront” Master Plan at the Port of Los Angeles. The Downtown Harbor includes the Maritime Museum (Historic Ferry Terminal Building), Crowley Tugboat Company, Fire Station #112, the historic USS Iowa and a Red Car Trolley station.

This project establishes an exciting new destination anchoring downtown San Pedro with the waterfront. It creates a new harbor inlet for vessels to dock, approximately 700 linear feet of promenade and a venue to watch the ever changing, passing pageant of working ships and vessels in the Port. Surrounding the inlet is an elegant and modern town square, featuring landscaping, lighting, historic marine artifacts, expansive promenades, ancillary event plazas, landings, an overlook pier, as well as public art.

Equally important to the landside improvements are the waterside improvements, which created 1.60 acres of new water. The new slips will accommodate water taxis, tour and event boats, daytime private
boat visitations and tall ships for the International Tall Ship Festival. Dredging of this new harbor has moved the former water’s edge approximately 200-feet west to the new edge of the Promenade, closer to the downtown community. 

 

Quality and harmony of design have been a focus of the project. Every effort was made to compliment the civic context of the site, adjacent to historic San Pedro City Hall, and the LA Maritime Museum. The massive stone walls and seating elements remind visitors of the City Hall, and the layout of the public areas adjacent to the water and promenade are of a scale that is comfortable for both individuals and larger gatherings. The Civic contribution that the new harbor brings to the community is unrivaled in the San Pedro-Wilmington area, which has for many generations lacked access to the waterfront in such a civic manner. It has been built to last, and to establish a new center of gravity for the community on the waterfront, that reflects both the small town nature of San Pedro and the international port that is Los Angeles.