US Post Office-San Pedro Main
Also known as: San Pedro Main Post Office
Why it's listed
San Pedro's main post office is a three-story reinforced concrete building on Beacon Street, built between October 1935 and September 1936. It was designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect under Louis A. Simon in the restrained Starved Classical style, with ornament limited to fluting cast into the front walls and piers. Inside, the public lobby keeps its terrazzo floor, polished brass trim, bronze fixtures, marble kickboards and glass-topped desks. A mural by Fletcher Martin, painted in 1937 for the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts, covers the lobby's west wall and shows an idealized view of the Indian communities that first occupied the San Pedro area. The building was listed as an exceptionally well-preserved example of the large combined post office and federal office building of the mid-1930s to early 1940s, and as the purest Starved Classical example in its thematic group, even though it was not yet fifty years old.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the purest example of the Starved Classical style in the thematic group of California post offices. It retains complete architectural integrity in its front elevation and public lobby. It also contains a 1937 federally commissioned mural by Fletcher Martin. It was judged exceptionally significant despite being under 50 years old.
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 85000132, listed January 11, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 839 S. Beacon St., San Pedro |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | January 11, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000132 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | OSA, Louis A. Simon |
| Architectural style | Starved Classical |
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as a government post office; in excellent structural condition, well maintained, with only minor visible alterations such as a fire escape on the north elevation. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 33.73632, -118.28052 (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 85000132.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891042
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.