{"nrhp_refnum":"85000140","name":"US Post Office-Petaluma","other_names":["Petulama Post Office"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"120 4th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Petaluma","county":"Sonoma County","state":"CA","lat":38.23180361400006,"lon":-122.63776165999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-01-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Petaluma Main Post Office, a federal post office building at 120 4th Street in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, designed in 1932 and completed in 1933.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an excellent example of the post office type built under the 1926 Keyes-Elliot Act, which funded federal building programs in California. Its central arcade flanked by wings was a hallmark of late 1920s and early 1930s designs. The style is transitional between 1920s classicism and the Starved Classical style of the 1930s. It is significant at the state level and retains substantial integrity.","narrative":"Petaluma's main post office, at 120 4th Street, was designed in 1932 and completed in 1933 under the federal government's Supervising Architect's office. Its buff-colored stucco walls, red clay tile lobby roof and rigidly symmetrical facade of five arches reflect a Spanish Colonial Revival approach, with Mediterranean, Spanish Baroque and Art Deco touches. Dark green veined marble columns frame the central entrance, wrought iron scrollwork fills the arches, and terracotta gargoyles sit on the piers. The building was authorized and funded by the 1926 Keyes-Elliot Act and is considered an excellent example of the post offices built under that law. Its central arcade with flanking wings monumentalized the entrance without adding significant cost, and the design bridges 1920s classicism and the leaner Starved Classical style of the 1930s. Later changes include a lobby extension, replaced doors and service counter, and a covered skylight, yet the building retains substantial integrity.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"James A. Wetmore; Louis A. Simon, OSA","architectural_style":"Spanish Colonial Revival, with eclectic Italianate-Mediterranean ornament on a classical box; transitional to Starved Classical","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent structural condition and occupied; a mailing platform expansion and a handicap access ramp were under construction at the time of the form.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.09967-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/85000140.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000140/08db2eb30d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000140/08db2eb30d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Post_Office-Petaluma,_120_4th_St.,_Petaluma,_CA_5-31-2010_7-01-53_PM.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</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-Petaluma,_120_4th_St.,_Petaluma,_CA_5-31-2010_7-01-53_PM.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857822","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office_(Petaluma,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14684207"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sonoma-county/us-post-office-petaluma-85000140/"}