U.S. Post Office-Los Angeles Terminal Annex: A Look at Its Past and Present

The U.S. Post Office-Los Angeles Terminal Annex has a rich history that spans over a century. Originally built in 1912, it was designed to serve as the main sorting facility for the city.

Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the Terminal Annex has been a crucial hub for mail processing and distribution. In its heyday, it employed thousands of workers and processed millions of pieces of mail every day.

As a major transportation hub, the Terminal Annex has played a vital role in the city's growth and development.

Take a look at this: Track Us Mail to Canada

The U.S. Post Office-Los Angeles Terminal Annex has a rich history dating back to 1912 when it was first built as a major sorting facility.

The building was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, which was a popular architectural style in California at the time.

It features a distinctive clock tower that stands 80 feet tall and has become an iconic landmark in the city.

The terminal annex was originally designed to process mail quickly and efficiently, with a sorting capacity of 100,000 pieces of mail per day.

The building's design took into account the hot desert climate of Los Angeles, with features such as large windows and high ceilings to provide natural ventilation and lighting.

The terminal annex has undergone several renovations and expansions over the years, including a major renovation in the 1930s that added a new postal processing facility.

The building's exterior has been preserved in its original Spanish Colonial Revival style, while the interior has been modernized to accommodate the changing needs of the postal service.

Despite its age, the U.S. Post Office-Los Angeles Terminal Annex remains a vital part of the city's infrastructure, processing millions of pieces of mail every year.

A fresh viewpoint: Mail to Canada from Us

The Terminal Annex was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and built by the Sarver & Zoss contracting firm from 1939 to 1940.

The building's design was inspired by the nearby Union Station, which opened across the street in May 1939. The original structure was a three-story building with two towers and 400,000 square feet of floor space.

The Terminal Annex was a massive undertaking that required a team of 1,632 postal clerks, carriers, and laborers to process 2 million pieces of mail per day. It was equipped with the latest facilities for rapid mail handling, including conveyors, chutes, weighing machines, cancelling machines, and sorting and facing tables.

The facility was considered the most modern and efficient post office in the nation at the time of its opening in May 1940. It was kept open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to meet the demands of the growing city.

The Terminal Annex was a symbol of democracy's achievements, as noted by the postmaster during the formal dedication ceremony in June 1940.

Recommended read: Post Office Tracking Mail

The U.S. Post Office-Los Angeles Terminal Annex had a significant expansion in 1950, just ten years after its opening. The expansion was necessary due to the growing demands of the city's mail.

A $12 million expansion was planned, which included an adjoining five-story parcel post building and other structures.

The U.S. Post Office-Los Angeles Terminal Annex is located at 900 S. Santa Fe Ave in Los Angeles, California. This address is situated in the heart of the city's warehouse district.

The building was constructed in 1912 and has since become one of the largest postal facilities in the western United States. It spans over 22 acres of land.

The annex is a hub for mail processing, serving as a major sorting facility for the USPS. It's a crucial part of the country's mail system, handling millions of pieces of mail every day.

The facility is designed to accommodate the high volume of mail that passes through it, with state-of-the-art machinery and equipment.

Discover more: Distance from Seattle to Port Angeles Washington