U.S. Post Office, Palo Alto, California
historic place
The U.S. Post Office in Palo Alto, California, is a significant historic place in Santa Clara County. It was constructed between 1932 and 1933. Local architect Birge Clark designed the building. The Post Office department hired local architects during the Great Depression. Clark designed the building in the Mediterranean Revival style. This style was an unusual choice for a federal post office at the time, but it reflected the regional architecture common in Palo Alto and at Stanford University. The building features a tile hip roof and an open arcade with round arches at the front. Its entryways have bronze frames and decorative bronze transoms. The interior lobby includes marble flooring and wainscoting. The U.S. Post Office was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 5, 1981. This site represents a period when federal buildings incorporated local architectural styles, making it a notable example of regional design in public architecture.