2920 23rd Avenue
Merced Manor / Sunset District
This classical building is the Central Pump Station. Designed by Willis Polk and built in 1936, it sits atop the asphalt capped Merced Manor Reservoir which holds 9.5 million gallons of water to supply the city of San Francisco. The building has been attributed to N. A. Eckart by some, but he was the General Manager and Chief Engineer of the Water department.
The City and County of San Francisco through the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, owns and operates a regional water system that serves 2.4 million people, primarily in San Francisco and the south San Francisco Bay region. The system extends about 167 miles, from Yosemite National Park (Hetch Hetchy) to San Francisco, and develops water supply from three principal watersheds: the Tuolumne River, Alameda, and Peninsula watersheds. The regional water system includes over 280 miles of pipeline, over 60 miles of tunnels, 11 reservoirs, 5 pump stations, and 2 water treatment plants (filtration). The history of the system dates back to the 1860s, and many parts of it are over 100 years old.
*
The Fish and Trident motif are also used in his design of the Sunol Water Temple.
This is the 23rd street entrance to the lawn area above the reservoir. The Valve House is at the top of the stairs.
