Was going through some older photographs this week, when I came across this one from August 2001. It shows a time when the waterfront pumping station was still in ruins and not attached to the shore. As you can see on the right side of the photo the path system was at this time, under construction to create what is there today. However, I remember back in my youth that the building was derelict and open to trespass and the elements.
It was built in 1914, designed by Detroit architects Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, as a pumphouse for the long departed Municipal Waterworks which was nearby. Today it is used to pump water for use in the watering of plants in the riverfront park system.