Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography/Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Additional collection guides
Descriptive Summary
Title: Post Office, La Jolla
Dates: 1900 - Present
Collection Number: RG005.39
Creator/Collector:
La Jolla Historical Society
Extent: .5 linear feet
Repository:
La Jolla Historical Society
La Jolla, California 92037
Abstract: The La Jolla Post Office Collection is made up of photographs, ephemera and archival material collected by the La Jolla Historical
Society since the 1930s to use for historical research and reference. This Collection includes information on preserving the
Post Office as a designated landmark on the National Register of Historic Places (2013). The first Post Office was welcomed
to La Jolla in 1894, moving into its current building in 1935. The structure has been a focal point and neighborly crossroads
for several generations living in the "village." The attractive Spanish Colonial Revival building, built by the Federal Works
Progress Administration during the Great Depression, also contains an art treasure in its lobby; a stunning mural of La Jolla
Cove painted in 1939 by one of San Diego's most accomplished, early 20th-century women artists, Belle Baranceanu. The topics
in this Collection pertain to the history and heritage of La Jolla, California; its people, places and events. A container
list is included on the PDF and HTML versions.
Language of Material: English
Access
The Collection is open for research
Publication Rights
The La Jolla Historical Society holds the copyright to any unpublished materials
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Post Office, La Jolla. Collection Number: RG005.39. La Jolla Historical Society
Acquisition Information
RG005.39
Biography/Administrative History
The La Jolla Historical Society inspires and empowers the community to make La Jolla’s diverse past a relevant part of contemporary
life.
The La Jolla Historical Society’s Collections encompass over 80 years of actively collecting archival material, books, maps,
scrapbooks, ephemera, fine art, newspapers, street and land use files, business and personal documents and historic and archaeological
artifacts. The Society boasts over 20,000 photographs, over 1000 postcards, 400-plus architectural drawings and approximately
200 oral history recordings.
Collecting was initiated by Howard Randolph and volunteers on the historical committee of the Library Association of La Jolla.
The Collection began by gathering photographs and documentation in the late 1930s, which later became the nucleus of the La
Jolla Historical Society’s Collections. The Society was created in 1963.
Through many moves in location the Society continued collecting and expanding. Accumulated Collections took on its current
construct in 2010 after the renovation of the La Jolla Historical Society’s campus of structures in central La Jolla, which
consists of the 1904 Wisteria Cottage and 1940s Balmer Annex used for exhibits and programming, and a 1909 cottage used for
business and research offices. The late Ellen Browning Scripps’ 1916 automobile garage was also renovated and now houses
the Collection in a modern collections storage facility. Materials are housed in archival boxes, sleeves, envelopes and other
archival-safe materials and are cared for according to standards and best practices of the museum profession. In 2016, the
Society initiated new PastPerfect Museum Software to manage and catalog its Collections and in 2018 started using the Online
Archive of California to upload searchable information from its Collections to enable improved public access. The Society
will continue these processes and look forward to utilizing new opportunities to collect, preserve and share the history of
La Jolla.
Scope and Content of Collection
The La Jolla Post Office Collection is made up of photographs, ephemera and archival material collected by the La Jolla Historical
Society since the 1930s to use for historical research and reference. This Collection includes information on preserving the
Post Office as a designated landmark on the National Register of Historic Places (2013). The first Post Office was welcomed
to La Jolla in 1894, moving into its current building in 1935. The structure has been a focal point and neighborly crossroads
for several generations living in the "village." The attractive Spanish Colonial Revival building, built by the Federal Works
Progress Administration during the Great Depression, also contains an art treasure in its lobby; a stunning mural of La Jolla
Cove painted in 1939 by one of San Diego's most accomplished, early 20th-century women artists, Belle Baranceanu. The topics
in this Collection pertain to the history and heritage of La Jolla, California; its people, places and events. A container
list is included on the PDF and HTML versions.
Additional collection guides