Old Post Office building under construction, 1932 (91/142)

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Submitted to "1930s San Jose: What San Jose looked like During the Great Depression"
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Old Post Office building under construction, 1932

Post Office building under construction on St. James Park, with automobiles parked in front, and Hotel St. James in the background. The street railroad lines can be seen in the middle of the street. The old Post Office building was a Works Progress Administration project designed by Ralph Wyckoff, and this image was likely taken by him.

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  1. This is actually a view of the old Santa Clara County Courthouse being remodeled after suffering a catastrophic fire on May 18, 1931. The framing in this post-fire view shows the construction of a 3rd floor and hip roof addition. Before the fire, the structure had been a domed, two storied building. The fire-damaged interiors, front stairs, and portico were rebuilt. The dome was not.

    One can see a bit of the Hall of Records (since demolished) in the foreground, adjacent the courthouse.

    The new WPA post office would be built in 1933 about where we see the Hotel St. James, and a few shorter buildings beyond. Looks like the hotel building is up for sale here.

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