San Pedro Landmarks

San Pedro Landmarks

Vincent Thomas Bridge / Terminal island Ferry

The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a 1,500-foot long suspension bridge crossing the Los Angeles Harbor linking San Pedro, California with Terminal Island. Prior to the bridge’s construction in 1963, the Terminal Island Ferry transported people and cars to Terminal Island. The Ferry building was a working ferry terminal from 1941 to 1963 and currently houses the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.The bridge is named after California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San Pedro.

Ft. MacArthur

In 1888, the War Department took control of a tract of land next to the San Pedro bay, and added to it in 1897 and 1910. This became Fort MacArthur in 1914, and was a coastal defense site for many years, which also included a Nike missile site in the White Point area. In 1978, the Secretary of the Interior transferred ownership of the White Point U.S. naval reservation to the City of Los Angeles to be used for recreational purposes.The Fort MacArthur Military Museum is located at 36th Street and Gaffey, From 1916-1945, this was the Upper Reservation of the Fort, and operation post for defense of the harbor against enemy attack from the sea. The site housed four batteries, each secured under 12 feet of concrete, and with walls from 16-30 feet thick.

Korean Bell

The Korean Bell of Friendship is a massive bronze bell housed in a stone pavilion in Angel’s Gate Park, in the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, California. It is ocated at the corner of Gaffey and 37th Streets.

The bell was donated by the Republic of Korea to the people of Los Angeles, California to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States, to honor American veterans of the Korean War, and to symbolize friendship between the two nations. . It was dedicated on October 3, 1976.

Point Fermin Lighthouse

Built in 1874in the Stick Style Victorian style, the Point Fermin Lighthouse was the first navigational light into the San Pedro Bay. Phineas Banning, proposed construction of the lighthouse in 1854 however land disputes delayed its construction until 1874.On December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed and the coast was blacked out for fear of being a beacon to enemy ships and planes, that included turning off the lighthouse beacon. Sadly, the light was never to be lit again.

The Muller House

Steeped in history the Muller House was originally located at 129 Front Street in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Pedro California and moved when Front Street was widened. The colonial Revival style house was built for the parents of Edward “Big Ed” James Mahar, Mayor of San Pedro. In 1901 shipbuilder William Muller bought the home for his family.

The house was owned by the Mullers from 1906 to 1963, when they donated it to the San Pedro Bay Historical Society, who restored it and now operates it as a museum. The Muller House is now situated on a knoll at the south end of Beacon Street .