ADDRESS: 370 Main Street, Yuma, Arizona 85364
So I’m looking through my older photos and came across this one. It was an accident that I found it at the time. For some reason I seem to remember asking the locals were the post office was located. I seem to remember someone pointed out that this building was once the Yuma post office. We eventually found the newer Yuma Post Office that I’m guessing was the replacement for this building.
The only indication or evidence to support this is the engraved “United States Post Office” under the Gowan Company name at the top of building. If you look closely you can see the older post office letters.
Reflecting on this now I’m disappointed the letters were filled in. I certainly understand a company wanting to place their own name on a building. I’m just biased and think that if the name “United States Post Office” is already part of the facade then why not just keep it?
Contrast this to the Former post office in Dixon, where they keep the letters. Visit my article about the former Dixon, Illinois Post Office.
At the time I was not really interested in the history or artifacts of the some of my earlier photos. So I’m not sure what other history remains. If anyone else out there has more information regarding this building I’d love to hear from you. Please comment below.
Thanks,
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 1/31/2004 by David W. Gates Jr.
- Gowan Company (https://www.gowanco.com)
HELLO DAVID:
WE ARE GOING BACK QUITE A STRETCH SINCE YOU TOOK THESE PHOTOS. ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO CORNERSTONE TO VIEW, THIS P.O. BLDG. WAS DESIGNED BY MR. ROY PLACE A PRIVATE ARCHITECT FROM SAN DIEGO, CA. HIS NAME MAY WELL APPEAR ON THE CORNERSTONE, ALONG WITH MR. JAMES A. WETMORE’S NAME, AS SUPERVISING ARCHITECT FOR THE TREASURY DEPT. MR. PLACE WAS COMMISSIONED TO DESIGN SAME, AND THE COST TO BE WITH IN THE APPROPRIATION TO BUILD SAME, AND APPROVED BY MR. WETMORE. THE P.O. WAS BUILT BY THE BANNISTER FIELD CO. LOS ANGLES, CA. WITH A LOW BID CONTRACT OF $129,000.00 THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED AND OCCUPIED ON APRIL 16, 1934
IT WAS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER, 12/03/85
ROBERT MIS COLLECTION
GREAT AMRICAN POST OFFICE’S PG. 221