Coordinates: 36°19′45″N 119°17′34″W / 36.329054°N 119.292888°W / 36.329054; -119.292888
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US Post Office—Visalia Town Center |
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Visalia Town Center Post Office circa 1960 |
Location |
111 West Acequia Avenue, Visalia, California |
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Built |
1932-33 |
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Architect |
William D. Coates |
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Architectural style |
Art Deco-Beaux Arts |
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NRHP Reference # |
85000142 |
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Added to NRHP |
1985 |
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The Visalia Town Center Post Office is a registered historic building on Acequia Avenue in downtown Visalia, California. The Art Deco structure opened in 1933 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 due to its architectural and engineering significance.[1] It remains in operation as a post office.
Description
Commonly referred to as the "Downtown" post office or "TCS", the structure was built from 1932 to 1933 as a part of the New Deal's Works Progress Administration[2] tasked by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to build infrastructure during the Great Depression.
The Visalia Town Center Post Office, designed[3] by Fresno-native[4] architect William D. Coates, conforms to the standard symmetry used in most post offices of the time, but has unusually sophisticated terracotta detailing in shapes directly derivative of 1920s Art Deco motifs. Decorative dark-brown brick contrasts the light-tan brick used for the bulk of the building's walls. The interior ornamentation is lavish, and includes cast aluminum, marble, and a decorative multi-colored terrazzo floor.[3]
The building has a structured steel skeleton, brick walls, a flat asphalt-composition roof, and a reinforced concrete basement. The building's volumetric massing is symmetrical and derived from the neo-classical phase of Beaux-Arts architecture. The exterior includes aluminum, granite, white bronze, and plinth. The lobby is ornamented with veined marble and a terrazzo floor, the workroom has a maple parquet floor, and the postmaster's offices have oak floors.[3]
Two distinct architectural styles are visible in the building: the late neo-classical period of Beaux-Arts, and Art Deco or "Zigzag Moderne". While the fenestration and ornamentation are strictly symmetrical, typical of Beaux-Arts design, the terracotta panels all contain Art Deco motifs. Following with Art Deco tradition, the architect drew heavy inspiration from a multitude of sources, including Mesoamerica, Greece, Rome, and Egypt.[3]
History
During the Great Depression the Public Works Administration often used Art Deco elements in a primarily classical and monumental framework. The Visalia Town Center US Post Office thus presages the style and aesthetic of much subsequent government architecture in the thirties.[3] This style of architecture was commonly used in private projects in the 1920s and is often associated with decadently luxurious shops and hotels, though by the time the Town Center Post Office was built the Depression had halted most of these private projects. Although the Visalia Post Office uses Art Deco ornamental motifs, the structure is more of a monolithic monument than a pretty piece of art, a characteristic typical of Government construction in the period in which it was built.[3]
The construction process for this building was highly labor-intensive, as seen in the careful masonry, the elaborate terrazzo floor, and the use of parquet rather than strip flooring in the workroom and office areas. The level of craftsmanship was uniformly high in most Depression-era government construction, and the Visalia Town Center Post Office provides an excellent example of this.[3]
Images
See also
References
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- Alabama
- United States Post Office (Albertville, Alabama)
- United States Post Office (Anniston, Alabama)
- Old Athens, Alabama Main Post Office
- United States Post Office (Attalla, Alabama)
- Auburn City Hall
- Robert S. Vance Federal Building and United States Courthouse
- United States Post Office (Demopolis, Alabama)
- Federal Building and United States Courthouse (Dothan, Alabama)
- United States Post Office (Fairhope, Alabama)
- United States Post Office (Gadsden, Alabama)
- Post Office Historic District
- United States Courthouse and Post Office (Huntsville, Alabama)
- Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse
- United States Post Office (Opelika, Alabama)
- United States Post Office Building (Selma, Alabama)
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- California
- United States Post Office (Berkeley, California)
- Beverly Hills Main Post Office
- James R. Browning United States Court of Appeals Building
- Chico Midtown Station
- El Viejo Post Office
- United States Post Office and Courthouse (Eureka, California)
- Federal Building (Sacramento)
- Long Beach Main Post Office
- Terminal Annex
- United States Post Office (Hollywood, California)
- United States Post Office (Merced, California)
- United States Post Office (Napa, California)
- Old Post Office (Santa Rosa, California)
- United States Post Office (Palo Alto, California)
- United States Post Office (Petaluma, California)
- United States Post Office (Porterville, California)
- United States Post Office (Redlands, California)
- United States Post Office (San Pedro, California)
- Rincon Center
- San Bernardino Downtown Station
- United States Post Office-Santa Barbara Main
- United States Post Office (Stockton, California)
- United States Post Office-Visalia Town Center Station
- United States Post Office (Willows, California)
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- New York
- United States Post Office (Akron, New York)
- Old Post Office (Albany, New York)
- United States Post Office (Albion, New York)
- United States Post Office (Amsterdam, New York)
- United States Post Office (Angola, New York)
- United States Post Office (Attica, New York)
- Old Post Office and Courthouse (Auburn, New York)
- United States Post Office (Ballston Spa, New York)
- Bangall Post Office
- United States Post Office (Bath, New York)
- United States Post Office (Bay Shore, New York)
- United States Post Office (Beacon, New York)
- United States Post Office (Boonville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Bronxville, New York)
- Old Post Office (Buffalo, New York)
- United States Post Office (Canajoharie, New York)
- United States Post Office (Canandaigua, New York)
- United States Post Office (Canastota, New York)
- United States Post Office (Canton, New York)
- United States Post Office (Carthage, New York)
- United States Post Office (Catskill, New York)
- Chelsea Grammar School
- United States Post Office (Clyde, New York)
- United States Post Office (Cooperstown, New York)
- United States Post Office (Corning, New York)
- United States Post Office (Cortland, New York)
- United States Post Office (Dansville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Delhi, New York)
- United States Post Office (Delmar, New York)
- United States Post Office (Depew, New York)
- United States Post Office (Dobbs Ferry, New York)
- United States Post Office (Dolgeville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Dunkirk, New York)
- United States Post Office (East Rochester, New York)
- United States Post Office (Ellenville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Endicott, New York)
- United States Post Office (Fort Plain, New York)
- United States Post Office (Frankfort, New York)
- United States Post Office (Fredonia, New York)
- United States Post Office (Freeport, New York)
- United States Post Office (Fulton, New York)
- United States Post Office (Garden City, New York)
- United States Post Office (Geneva, New York)
- United States Post Office (Glen Cove, New York)
- United States Post Office (Goshen, New York)
- United States Post Office (Gouverneur, New York)
- United States Post Office (Granville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Great Neck, New York)
- United States Post Office (Hamilton, New York)
- United States Post Office (Harrison, New York)
- United States Post Office (Haverstraw, New York)
- United States Post Office (Hempstead, New York)
- United States Post Office (Herkimer, New York)
- United States Post Office (Homer, New York)
- United States Post Office (Honeoye Falls, New York)
- United States Post Office (Hoosick Falls, New York)
- United States Post Office (Hornell, New York)
- United States Post Office (Hudson Falls, New York)
- United States Post Office (Hudson, New York)
- United States Post Office (Hyde Park, New York)
- United States Post Office (Ilion, New York)
- United States Post Office (Ithaca, New York)
- United States Post Office (Johnson City, New York)
- United States Post Office (Johnstown, New York)
- United States Post Office (Lake George, New York)
- United States Post Office (Lake Placid, New York)
- United States Post Office (Lancaster, New York)
- United States Post Office (Larchmont, New York)
- United States Post Office (Le Roy, New York)
- United States Post Office (Little Falls, New York)
- United States Post Office (Little Valley, New York)
- United States Post Office (Lockport, New York)
- United States Post Office (Long Beach, New York)
- United States Post Office (Lyons, New York)
- United States Post Office (Malone, New York)
- United States Post Office (Medina, New York)
- United States Post Office (Middleburgh, New York)
- United States Post Office (Middleport, New York)
- United States Post Office (Mineola, New York)
- United States Post Office (Mount Vernon, New York)
- United States Post Office (New Rochelle, New York)
- United States Post Office (Newark, New York)
- United States Post Office (Newburgh, New York)
- United States Post Office (Newtonville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Niagara Falls, New York)
- United States Post Office (North Tonawanda, New York)
- United States Post Office (Northport, New York)
- United States Post Office (Norwich, New York)
- United States Post Office (Nyack, New York)
- United States Post Office (Ogdensburg, New York)
- Old Glen Cove Post Office
- Old Platte Clove Post Office
- Old Wappingers Falls Village Hall
- United States Post Office (Olean, New York)
- United States Post Office (Oneida, New York)
- Old Post Office (Oneonta, New York)
- United States Post Office (Owego, New York)
- United States Post Office (Oxford, New York)
- United States Post Office (Oyster Bay, New York)
- United States Post Office (Painted Post, New York)
- United States Post Office (Patchogue, New York)
- United States Post Office (Pearl River, New York)
- United States Post Office (Peekskill, New York)
- United States Post Office (Penn Yan, New York)
- United States Post Office (Port Chester, New York)
- United States Post Office (Port Jervis, New York)
- United States Post Office (Potsdam, New York)
- United States Post Office (Poughkeepsie, New York)
- United States Post Office (Rhinebeck, New York)
- United States Post Office (Richfield Springs, New York)
- United States Post Office (Riverhead, New York)
- United States Post Office (Rockville Centre, New York)
- United States Post Office (Rye, New York)
- United States Post Office (Saratoga Springs, New York)
- United States Post Office (Scarsdale, New York)
- United States Post Office (Schenectady, New York)
- United States Post Office (Scotia, New York)
- United States Post Office (Seneca Falls, New York)
- United States Post Office (Spring Valley, New York)
- United States Post Office (Springville, New York)
- United States Post Office (St. Johnsville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Suffern, New York)
- United States Post Office (Ticonderoga, New York)
- United States Post Office (Tonawanda, New York)
- United States Post Office (Troy, New York)
- United States Post Office (Walton, New York)
- United States Post Office (Warsaw, New York)
- United States Post Office (Waterloo, New York)
- United States Post Office (Watkins Glen, New York)
- United States Post Office (Waverly, New York)
- United States Post Office (Wellsville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Westhampton Beach, New York)
- United States Post Office (Whitehall, New York)
- United States Post Office (Yonkers, New York)
- City Hall Post Office and Courthouse (New York City)
- O'Brien General Store and Post Office
- Plandome (LIRR station)
- United States Post Office (Akron, New York)
- United States Post Office (Angola, New York)
- United States Post Office (Depew, New York)
- United States Post Office (Lancaster, New York)
- United States Post Office (Springville, New York)
- United States Post Office (Tonawanda, New York)
- United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex
- United States Post Office (Far Rockaway, Queens)
- United States Post Office (Flatbush, Brooklyn)
- United States Post Office (Flushing, Queens)
- United States Post Office (Forest Hills, Queens)
- United States Post Office (Jackson Heights, Queens)
- United States Post Office (Jamaica, Queens)
- United States Post Office (Kensington, Brooklyn)
- United States Post Office (Long Island City, Queens)
- United States Post Office (Morrisania, Bronx)
- United States Post Office (Bensonhurst, Brooklyn)
- United States Post Office (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
- United States Post Office (Canal Street Station)
- 90 Church Street
- United States Post Office (Cooper Station)
- United States Post Office (Inwood Station)
- James A. Farley Post Office Building
- United States Post Office (Knickerbocker Station)
- United States Post Office (Lenox Hill Station)
- United States Post Office (Madison Square Station)
- United States Post Office (Old Chelsea Station)
- North Carolina
- Former United States Post Office (Belmont, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office (Boone, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office (Burlington, North Carolina)
- Cana Store and Post Office
- United States Post Office (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
- Federal Building (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office (Greenville, North Carolina)
- Kings Mountain Historical Museum
- United States Post Office (Lumberton, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office (Monroe, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office (Mount Olive, North Carolina)
- Penland Post Office and General Store
- United States Post Office and Federal Building (Rockingham, North Carolina)
- Salvo Post Office
- Former United States Post Office (Smithfield, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office and County Courthouse (Statesville, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office and Courthouse (New Bern, North Carolina)
- United States Post Office (Wadesboro, North Carolina)
- Waynesville Municipal Building
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- Wyoming
- United States Post Office (Basin, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office (Buffalo, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office (Douglas, Wyoming)
- Evanston Main Post Office
- United States Post Office-Green River
- United States Post Office (Greybull, Wyoming)
- Sussex Post Office and Store
- United States Post Office (Kemmerer, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office and Courthouse (Lander, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office (Newcastle, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office (Powell, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office (Thermopolis, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office (Torrington, Wyoming)
- United States Post Office (Yellowstone National Park)
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