{"nrhp_refnum":"85000141","name":"US Post Office-Porterville Main","other_names":["Porterville Main Post Office"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"65 W. Mill Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Porterville","county":"Tulare County","state":"CA","lat":36.068602518000034,"lon":-119.01792732499996,"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 Porterville Main Post Office is a federally owned post office building at 65 West Mill Avenue in Porterville, Tulare County, California. Work began in January 1933 and the building was finished that November, with an Art Deco design by H. Rafael Lake.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the most sophisticated Art Deco building in Porterville and one of three overtly Art Deco post offices remaining in California. Its early use of extruded aluminum for muntins and mullions is described as precocious, predating general use of the material by at least ten years. The exterior keeps substantial integrity, while the lobby has been extensively remodeled.","narrative":"This post office at 65 West Mill Avenue in Porterville, in California's San Joaquin Valley, was built between January and November 1933. It follows the symmetrical box form used by the Supervising Architect's Office but carries applied terracotta Art Deco ornament, including plaques above the windows, fluted piers, and a frieze with acanthus leaves, a rising sun and eagles. Cast aluminum plaques, extruded aluminum window framing and two nautically inspired aluminum lanterns flank the entrance. The roof is green terracotta tile and the foundation is faced with granite. The nomination identifies it as the most sophisticated Art Deco building in Porterville and one of three overtly Art Deco post offices left in the state, noting that its early use of extruded aluminum came about a decade before the material was in general use. Fresno architect H. Rafael Lake is named as the designer. A 1965 remodeling enlarged the workroom, and the interior was largely altered, but the exterior keeps its original character.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"H. Rafael Lake","architectural_style":"Art Deco (with Starved Classical influence)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in excellent condition. A 1965 remodeling enlarged the workroom and remodeled the interior, and the exterior remains consistent with the original style.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.571721-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/85000141.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000141/fa7d488ade-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000141/fa7d488ade-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-Porterville-PO.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobak Ha'Eri</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-Porterville-PO.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"16000468","name":"Big Creek Hydroelectric System Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/big-creek-hydroelectric-system-historic-district-16000468/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857850","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office_(Porterville,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14684208"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/tulare-county/us-post-office-porterville-main-85000141/"}