Venice Post Office

Place

Venice Post Office

Built with the support of Federal New Deal-era appropriations, the 1939 Venice Post Office features a lobby mural by Edward Biberman depicting the early history of Venice.

Place Details

Address

1601 Main Street Venice, CA 90291
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Architect

Property Type

Community

The 1939 Venice Post Office was one of many post offices built with the support of Federal New Deal-era appropriations throughout the region and nation.

It was designed by Louis A. Simon, who was also the supervising architect of the nearby Santa Monica Post Office, which was dedicated the previous year and also built as part of the New Deal.

Modernist artist Edward Biberman created a mural for the lobby that depicts the early history of Venice, including city founder Abbot Kinney surrounded by the canals he built and a wooden roller coaster representing the Venice Pier that once drew thousands to the seaside community.

Between 1934 and 1943, approximately eight hundred (nearly a third) of historic USPS buildings were adorned with interior murals or sculptures commissioned for post offices as part of the New Deal.

The federally funded arts initiative responded to the Great Depression by creating jobs and boosting morale.

Mural in Venice Post Office
Mural by artist Edward Biberman; photo by Greg Szimonisz
Venice Post Office lobby
Venice Post Office lobby; photo by Greg Szimonisz