SANTA MONICA POST OFFICE
SANTA MONICA, California

Chattel worked with the project team to develop an adaptive reuse project of the beloved 1938 City-designed Landmark, The Santa Monica Post Office, in conformance with the Secretary of the Interiors Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. While a number of post offices were designed and constructed across the United States during the Great Depression, the Santa Monica Post Office, designed by local architect Robert Dennis Murray is a particularly unique expression of the Art Deco style with elements that reflect the local bayfront community including stylized wave motifs on the exterior and a white pine wood-clad lobby that resembles the interior of ship hull. The property was transferred out of federal ownership in 2013 and is currently in the hands of its second private owner. Soft demolition of the interior has commenced.

Historic American Buildings Survey documentation was completed to comply with a mitigation measure contained in the Mitigated Negative Declaration under CEQA. Photographer Stephen Shafer worked with Chattel to assemble the documentation package.