SoCal Landmarks

SoCal Landmarks

A Photography Project

U.S. Post Office, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara Main Post Office

The main U.S. Post Office in Santa Barbara is a combined post office-federal office building in the historic core of the city. Together, the post office, El Cuartel, the Lobero Theater, El Paseo and El Presidio form a remarkable grouping of historically significant buildings by prominent architects. Pasadena architect Reginald Davis Johnson designed the building in the mid-1930s and construction was completed in 1937. Johnson had been a strong proponent of Spanish Colonial and Mission Revival styles, but embraced Art Deco late in his career and combined elements of all three in this two-story building. When added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, it was noted that there had been no changes to the exeterior, including the landscaping, and interior changes were limited to the addition of more mail boxes.

Click any thumbnail to open the image gallery

Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt