9 ODD ONES AND SHOPS / LONG BEACH

THUMS Islands (Astronaut Islands)

Oil drilling islands disguised as a resort skyline. Four artificial islands whose drilling rigs hide behind sculpted towers, waterfalls and landscaping, an early example of industrial camouflage overseen by a theme-park designer.

The facts

Blank means no source we checked says

Where	San Pedro Bay off downtown Long Beach, Long Beach
Built	1965
Architect or builder	Joseph Linesch (aesthetic design)
Kind	Odd ones and shops
Status	standing
Visiting	exterior only
From El Segundo City Hall	17.9 miles, straight line
Coordinates	33.76, -118.17 (approximate)

What the sources say

Quoted word for word, with labels

They were built in 1965 to tap the East Wilmington Oil Field. The THUMS Islands were built in 1965 to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field. Wikipedia ↗ reported
There are four artificial islands in San Pedro Bay off Long Beach. The THUMS Islands are a set of four artificial islands in San Pedro Bay off the coast of Long Beach, California. Wikipedia ↗ reported
Landscaping and sound walls were designed to hide the operation and cut noise. The landscaping and sound walls were designed to camouflage the operation and reduce noise. Wikipedia ↗ reported

Labels: fact is an official or owner source, listing a venue page, reported one news outlet or an encyclopedia. Checked Nov 3, 2026. See something wrong? Send a correction with a public link.

Nearby on the list

Closest entries, straight line

Villa Riviera, Long Beach 0.8 mi
Queen Mary, Long Beach 1.2 mi
Signal Hill oil field and Hilltop Park, Signal Hill 2.9 mi

← No. 8: Wayfarers Chapel · No. 10: Walt Disney Concert Hall → · All on the map

Cite this

For people, papers and AI answers

THUMS Islands (Astronaut Islands). elsegundo.xyz Architecture, checked Nov 3, 2026. https://elsegundo.xyz/architecture/thums-islands/

Machine-readable: this entry is record 9 in catalog.json. Not an official City of El Segundo page, and not written with or for the owner.