{"nrhp_refnum":"83001208","name":"U.S. Post Office","other_names":["Federal Building/U.S. Post Office-Bell Station"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"401 W. 18th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Merced","county":"Merced County","state":"CA","lat":37.30223108800004,"lon":-120.48146005599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small federal post office building, later called the Federal Building, at 401 West 18th Street (northwest corner of 18th and K Streets) in downtown Merced, California. Designed 1931-32 by Allison and Allison of Los Angeles and built 1932-33.","why_significant":"The nomination argues local significance in architecture, art and politics/government. It is a well-preserved example of the eclectic revivalism of early 1930s public buildings, with Mediterranean elements. Its 1937 New Deal tempera murals are the only works of their kind in the city. It was Merced's first federal building, built under the Hoover-era federal construction program.","narrative":"Built in 1932-33 at the corner of 18th and K Streets in downtown Merced, this former post office later became a federal office building. Allison and Allison of Los Angeles designed it with Mediterranean touches: a steel frame under brick walls finished in stucco, a hipped roof of ceramic mission tile, terra cotta trim, and a five-bay arcade of round-arched windows across the front. Inside, the main lobby keeps its marble floor and wainscot, bronze grilles and writing tables, chandeliers, and a coffered plaster ceiling. Two tempera murals added in 1937 through a New Deal program hang over office doors. The building was listed because it is a well-preserved example of early 1930s eclectic public architecture, holds the city's only murals of their kind, and was Merced's first federal building, built during the Hoover-era federal construction program. It remains a local landmark and visual anchor for its neighborhood.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Allison and Allison, Los Angeles","architectural_style":"Eclectic revival with Mediterranean elements (round-arch windows, stucco walls, ceramic tile roof)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Exterior remains essentially original and the building is well maintained. The interior was altered into federal offices, but the main lobby retains much of its original character. The basement is vacant and used for storage and mechanical rooms.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.940314-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/83001208.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001208/11ad6371fd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001208/11ad6371fd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Saeidb","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Post_Office_Merced.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Saeidb</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Post_Office_Merced.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859860","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office_(Merced,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14684201"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/merced-county/u-s-post-office-83001208/"}