- City:
- La Jolla, CA
- Site Type:
- Civic Facilities, Federal Facilities, Post Offices
- New Deal Agencies:
- Federal & Military Operations, Public Works Funding, Treasury Department, Public Works Administration (PWA)
- Completed:
- 1935
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The La Jolla post office is a fine example of Mission Revival architecture, which was wildly popular in Southern California in the interwar period. Many New Deal buildings in the region adopted this prevailing style. The La Jolla post office is built of concrete, covered with stucco and roofed with terra cotta tiles – except on the flat-roof wings.
This post office was jointly funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and Treasury Department (US Post Office) — possibly because the PWA invested heavily in Southern California in the wake of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.
Short and Brown observe, “This little post office is an example of the excellent results that can be obtained with architectural concrete as carried out in California. The basement is only partly excavated. The lobby has an alcove for the lock boxes and the postmaster’s office has access to the lobby and also to the workroom. The swing room for the employees is on a mezzanine floor over the postmaster’s office.”
A citizens’ protest movement saved the La Jolla post office from the wrecking ball c. 2017.
Source notes
Short, C. W. and R. Stanley-Brown (1939) Public Buildings: Architecture Under the Public Works Administration, 1933 to 1939. United States Government Printing Office: Washington, DC.
Site originally submitted by Shaina Potts on March 22, 2012.
Additional contributions by Richard A Walker.
At this Location:
Site Details
| Total Cost |
|---|
| $59,009.00 |
Contribute to this Site
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.
Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site
Join the Conversation