U.S. Post Office
Why it's listed
Occupying a full block near Palo Alto's Civic Center, this one-story post office was built between 1931 and 1933 to a design by local architect Birge M. Clark. Its reinforced concrete walls are finished in uneven stucco that imitates adobe, and a tiled hip roof shades from dark reddish brown at the ridge to salmon at the eaves. An eight-bay arcade of round arches fronts Hamilton Street, with bronze-framed entrances, wrought iron grills and blue and white wall tiles. Inside, the lobby has a stained boxed-beam ceiling, a woven-pattern marble floor and deep red marble wainscoting. Landscaped grounds with mature trees add to the setting. The building was designed during the Great Depression, when federal policy favored local architects to put people back to work. Clark drew on the Monterey and Early California styles and the arcades and tile roofs of Stanford University. It is valued as a rare local post office built in a regional style and as the main post office for Palo Alto.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it was the main post office building for Palo Alto and is architecturally significant for its Mediterranean-influenced design, which matches the architecture of Palo Alto and the Stanford campus. It was a rare attempt to design a local post office in a popular regional style. It also reflects Depression-era policy of hiring local architects for federal buildings.
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 81000175, listed April 5, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 380 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto |
|---|---|
| County | Santa Clara County |
| Listed | April 5, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000175 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1931-33 |
| Architect / builder | Birge M. Clark |
| Architectural style | Spanish Mediterranean Revival |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition and unaltered on its original site; occupied and in government use as a post office, though the original bronze doors were replaced with lighter metal ones. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Coordinates | 37.44604, -122.15919 (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 81000175.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14684204
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.