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Venice Post Office
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The Venice Post Office | Greg Szimonisz
Overview
The Venice Post Office was constructed in 1939 during the Great Depression as part of a nationwide effort to build civic infrastructure through Federal New Deal–era funding. Designed under the direction of Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury, the building was developed through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program that provided jobs while creating enduring public architecture.
Simon also served as Supervising Architect for the nearby Santa Monica Post Office, completed the previous year as part of the same New Deal initiative.
Located at the corner of Main Street and Windward Avenue, the single-story reinforced concrete building anchors the heart of Venice’s commercial center. Designed in the Mediterranean Revival style, it features stucco-clad walls, a symmetrical primary façade, red clay barrel tile roofing, and carefully proportioned window bays.
About This Place
About This Place
The Venice Post Office is a significant example of New Deal–era civic architecture and public art. Between 1934 and 1943, nearly eight hundred historic U.S. Postal Service buildings (approximately one-third of those constructed during that period) were adorned with interior murals or sculptures commissioned through federal programs.
At the Venice Post Office, modernist artist Edward Biberman created a mural in the lobby depicting the early history of Venice. The mural portrays city founder Abbot Kinney framed by the canals he envisioned, alongside a wooden roller coaster symbolizing the Venice Pier, once a major attraction that drew thousands of visitors to the seaside community.
Although never formally designated as a historic landmark, the building has been recognized as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and as a local Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. Its architectural integrity, prominent location, and preserved public artwork make it a vital cultural asset for Venice.
Our Position
In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service announced plans to relocate and sold the Venice Post Office to a private owner. As part of the sale, the City of Los Angeles placed a preservation covenant on the Biberman mural, ensuring its long-term protection. All future work on the building was required to comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and be reviewed by the City’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR).
The conservancy played a key role in nearly 13 years of advocacy and planning, supporting the preservation of both the building and its public art. An early rehabilitation proposal sought to convert the building into a film production facility; however, financial and legal challenges stopped the project by 2015, leaving the building vacant.
Several years later, a new owner undertook the challenge of completing a sensitive rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the property. The Lighthouse, completed in 2026, now leases the building and has transformed the interior into a collaborative creative environment. The project introduces shared media studios, podcast and recording spaces, work areas, a theater, lounge, and café bringing use to the historic post office.
