The Willow Street Pump Station may be the oldest building on the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) campus, but another structure, Allen’s Steam Saw Mill, at the confluence of White Oak and Buffalo bayous, was originally on the site—and that’s why a nearby street is still called “Steam Mill Street” today.
Built in 1902, the Willow Street Pump Station was Houston’s first waste and sewage treatment facility. These minutes from the May 15, 1899, Houston City Council meeting, say it all:
We have studied closely the results of the Engineer’s examination of the existing condition of the Bayou and they amply emphasize our own ideas and those of most of the citizens that the condition of the Bayou is deplorable, and should be speedily corrected. We further believe, that until the sewage is taken out of the bayou, action of the Federal Government on the deep water project will not be taken.
Three years later the pump station was built to ensure that federal money would be available to create the Houston Ship Channel. It remained in use until the 1980s.
UHD bought and rehabilitated the structure in 2003, updating it for contemporary use. The building's original architectural elements—including its historic, red bricks from a brickyard near Nacogdoches—are beautifully preserved and integrated with modern-day needs.
Reference: “City of Houston Wastewater History” by Susan Smyer—accessed via the Houston Public Works Department website, Feb. 7, 2024.