US Post Office-Burbank Downtown Station
Why it's listed
Burbank's Downtown Station post office, at 125 E. Olive Avenue, was completed in 1937 to designs by Los Angeles architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. It is a steel-frame, reinforced concrete building with a Spanish tile roof, an arcaded entry loggia, recessed windows, wrought iron details and an irregular, picturesque massing that gives it the feel of a large residence. Inside, decorative glazed tiles with Spanish motifs line the lobby, and the original skylight and wooden workroom floor survive. Two murals painted in 1940 by Barse Miller depict aviation and motion picture filming, the main industries of Burbank. The building was listed because, although under 50 years old, it shows high artistic value and is a rare, little-altered example of the small Mediterranean-style post offices once common in southern California. It also represents the smaller work of a leading 1930s architect and includes accomplished Depression-era mural art.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues for exceptional significance because the building is under 50 years old but has high artistic values under Criterion C. It is a rare surviving example of the small Spanish/Mediterranean-style post offices built by the federal government in 1930s southern California, most of which have been heavily altered. It is also a smaller work by a prominent architect and contains two murals by Barse Miller, a noted federal-project artist.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85000127, listed January 11, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 125 E. Olive Ave., Burbank |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | January 11, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000127 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1937 |
| Architect / builder | Gilbert Stanley Underwood |
| Architectural style | Eclectic Mediterranean: Spanish Colonial Revival with Mission Revival and Pueblo Revival elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied government building in excellent condition and well maintained, with no significant interior or exterior modifications; a new HVAC system and a bank of post office boxes were added. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 34.17997, -118.31041 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85000127.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q104865149
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.