Santa Monica activists rally to save post office
Members of the Santa Monica Conservancy, a preservation group, plan to hold a rally at the city’s post office at 5th Street and Arizona Avenue at 11 a.m. Saturday, the last day of its operation.
The U.S. Postal Service announced a year ago that it would sell the building, and the conservancy and others have since been advocating for its preservation. In 2012, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the nation’s historic post offices on its annual list of endangered places.
The conservancy has expressed concern that, unless protective measures are taken, a new owner could make “unacceptable alterations.”
“The conservancy strongly supports an appropriate new use of the structure, but we are very concerned that the post office is closing without any formal protection for its character-defining features,” Carol Lemlein, the group’s president, said in a statement Wednesday.
The Moderne building with Art Deco features, built by the Works Project Administration, opened in July 1938. Glendale, South Gate and Santa Barbara have designated their post offices as landmarks, but Santa Monica has not. The building would qualify as a city landmark as one of three WPA buildings in the city with distinguishing Art Deco features such as detailed paneling and lighting fixtures. The city’s Landmarks Commission is expected to take up the issue July 8.
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Twitter: @MarthaGroves
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