Orchard Street Pumphouse, 368 Orchard St. (1934) SR

Orchard Street Pumphouse, November 2003. Photo Credit: Kevin S. Forsyth.

This quaint neo-colonial building, designed by local architect Harold A. Childs, was constructed to provide water service to the Strathmore subdivision. It sheltered a well and water pumps, and a large water tower once stood on the triangular green to the east. The tower has since been removed, and the green is now a city park.

The well continues to produce a good supply of raw water for the city’s water treatment plant, and a portion of the building still serves in its original role as a pumphouse. The remaining interior space is used as a community center and serves a wide variety of interests. The pumphouse and adjacent park are owned by the city.

Aerial view of East Lansing facing northeast, circa 1937. The Union and Home Economics are in the foreground, and the Masonic Temple may be discerned toward the middle left. At top center is the dark mass of the water tower with the Orchard Street Pumphouse at its base. Ten years after its platting, broad swathes of Strathmore remain to be developed. Image reprinted in College Bulletin 31(13), Beside the Winding Cedar (1937), available online.