The pumphouse sits on Conway and Hoit's original main irrigation canal that weaves throughout the city grid. Unlike the facility at Hidalgo ( HL5) that takes water directly from the river, the one in Mission lifted the water twelve feet farther upland to service the farmlands north of the city. Set in an urban context, this agricultural facility is sheathed in brick and corrugated metal, and includes two one-story side wings attached to a central block with a landmark smokestack that burned fuel to keep 175 miles of canals and 1.5 million fruit trees watered. Decommissioned in 1984 in favor of electric pumps, it serves as a reminder that Mission's existence was historically linked to agricultural technology.
Beyond the canal, the Mission Citrus Growers Union Packing Shed (1944), at 824 W. U.S. Business 83, is typical of the agricultural processing sheds that lined the industrial railroad corridors of Valley towns. A rare World War II construction project, its distinctive double-arched lamella roofs provided the clear spans needed for fruit processing activities.