The plan for a permanent Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Laboratory (ASWBPL) building was developed during the Korean War. The building (now termed ASWBPL-East) was erected in 1955 at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. The cost was approximately $200,000.

The building contains a little more than 7,300 square feet of floor space with several main sections. A section has been added to house freezers for 35,000 frozen blood products. A one million dollar renovation project on the older sections of the building began in 1996 and was completed in 1998. The older section contains:

1. Loading platform.
2. Cold room with walk-in refrigerators.
3. Laboratory.
4. Equipment room with backup power generator and refrigeration units which insured compliance with environmental control standards.

From 1955 to 1966 it was not utilized for receiving, processing, and shipping blood and blood products due to a lack of requirement. During this period it served as an immunization clinic and was also a physical examination center.