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.
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 mission to build infrastructure during the Great Depression.
The Visalia Town Center Post Office, designed[2] by Fresno-native[3] 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.[2]
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.[2]
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.[2]
Historyedit
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.[2] 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.[2]
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.[2]
^"National Register of Historical Places - CALIFORNIA (CA), Tulare County".
^ abcdefg"National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: U.S. Post Office Visalia Town Center Station". National Park Service. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
Media related to United States Post Office (Visalia, California) at Wikimedia Commons
October 28, 2023
united, states, post, office, visalia, town, center, station, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, s. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message 36 19 45 N 119 17 34 W 36 329054 N 119 292888 W 36 329054 119 292888 US Post Office Visalia Town CenterU S National Register of Historic PlacesVisalia Town Center Post Office circa 1960Location111 West Acequia Avenue Visalia CaliforniaBuilt1932 33ArchitectWilliam D CoatesArchitectural styleArt Deco Beaux ArtsNRHP reference No 85000142Added to NRHP1985The 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 Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 Images 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksDescription editCommonly 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 mission to build infrastructure during the Great Depression The Visalia Town Center Post Office designed 2 by Fresno native 3 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 2 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 2 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 2 History editDuring 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 2 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 2 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 2 Images edit nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp See also editNational Register of Historic Places listings in Tulare County California List of United States post officesReferences edit National Register of Historical Places CALIFORNIA CA Tulare County a b c d e f g National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form U S Post Office Visalia Town Center Station National Park Service Retrieved April 22 2014 W D Coates External links edit nbsp Media related to United States Post Office Visalia California at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United States Post Office Visalia Town Center Station amp oldid 1122804471, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
