California Central (San Joaquin) Valley

Interior of the New Deal WPA post office. Other than the flourescent lighting, the interior was a wonderful example of preserving the detail from that era, including the work put into the design of the flooring. I'm uncomfortable taking photos when people are standing in line, thus this barely begins to illustrate the detail. See also nearby pictures.

One of the two ornate lighting stanchions on the entrance steps to the post office. See also nearby pictures.

Terra cotta frieze over one of the exterior windows on the front of the post office, apparently designed as a celebration of the agricutlrual heritage of the area. The greenish tint evident at the top of the frieze can also be seen in other parts of the frieze, so I suspect it is some sort of weathering phenomen. See also nearby pictures.

Impressive (to me) was the use of patterns in the brick work around "United States Post Office" and the slightly rounded brick work in the decorative columns, as well as the terra cotta eagle friezes and detail around the windows. Due to the relatively narrow street in front of the building, it was difficult to get better pictures of the front. See also nearby pictures.

Detail of one of the eagle friezes on the front of the building (see nearby pictures).

Closeup of the brick work on the facade of the Visalia WPA Post Office (see nearby pictures)

Much less preserved than the United States Post office is the Visalia Courthouse Annex. Per the website below, the building was constructed with New Deal WPA funds in 1935 as an annex to the courthouse. The courthouse itself was destroyed in a 1952 earthquake and all court functions were moved to a new location a few blocks away. The annex survived the earthquake, but has been vacant for many years. See: www.visalialifestyle.com/a-look-back-at-courthouse-square A photo of the building in about 1936 is here: visaliahistory.blogspot.com

And, of course, to wrap up any trip through the Central Valley one must be reminded of the anti-Democratic party politics that dominate the area.

Close up of the intricate detail at the top of the Courthouse Annex.