Historical Marker · No. 854
United States Post Office
San Jose, Santa Clara County · California
Erected by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Fine Arts Gallery Association, San José Historic Landmarks Commission, and the San José Historical Museum, 1972
The bronze celebrates the first federal building in San José and skips what stood on this block. The Market Street Chinatown occupied it until May 4, 1887, when, weeks after the city council declared it a public nuisance, anti-Chinese arsonists burned it and about 1,400 people lost their homes. The post office rose here five years later. Its tower was damaged in 1906 and never restored; the building became the city library in 1937 and an art museum in 1969. The city formally apologized for its part in the fire in 2021.
What the plaque says
United States Post Office Constructed in 1892, this was the first federal building in San José. It served as U.S. post office from 1892 to 1933. Designed by Willoughby Edbrooke and constructed of locally quarried sandstone, this Romanesque style structure, built by the United States government, is the last of its kind on the west coast. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 854 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Fine Arts Gallery Association, San José Historic Landmarks Commission, and the San José Historical Museum. October 22, 1972
Where it stands
37.33340, -121.89017 · Directions
More markers nearby
- St. Joseph's Catholic Church — steps away
- Site of California's First State Capitol — steps away
- Site of World's First Broadcasting Station — steps away
- Luis María Peralta Adobe — 0.3 mi