In 2007, the Port of Los Angeles, a consortium of 10 southern California universities, including USC proposed the development of an urban marine lab in the Port of Los Angeles. In 2008, the Port and the Annenberg Foundation co-sponsored a grant to USC Sea Grant to propose a “visioning study” for the new facility after extensive input from marine researchers, educational institutes, the general public, and communities surrounding the ports, USC Sea Grant’s study was accepted by Los Angeles Harbor Commission. USC Sea Grant then served as a liaison between the Port and academia for many years during this project development. Since opening in 2021, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles has been dedicated to accelerating scientific collaboration, advancing an emerging blue economy through business innovation and job creation, and inspiring the next generation, all for a more sustainable, just, and equitable world. This is a great example of the repurposing of space within ports as industries change over time, and USC Sea Grant continues to partner with this facility in research, education, and outreach.