Oversized photograph. An unidentified mail carrier fills his bag with bundles of letters to be delivered to their rightful recipients. He stands in front of a sorting area with several tiers; each tier is divided by metal brackets and labeled with either a number or name. His area appears to be the tier that is now empty of any letters or packages. Employees of the United States Postal Service are divided into three major categories: Letter Carriers (also referred to as mailpersons or mail-carriers); Mail Handlers and Processors; and Clerks. Letter Carriers are the public face of the United States Postal Service. Being in the front line, carriers are pressured to move faster, work harder and perform their tasks in a timed manner. They are watched, timed and inspected more than any other employee of the USPS, adding extra stress to their job. The Post Office Terminal Annex was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood in the California Mission style and was built in 1938; the supervising engineer was Neal A. Melick. This 400,000 square feet building served as the main mail distribution center for the Metropolitan Los Angeles area from 1938 until 1994. Approximately 1,700 Post Office employees handled over four million pieces of incoming and outgoing mail on a daily basis. The Post Office Terminal Annex was added to the National Register of Historic Places - Building #85000131, on January 11, 1985. Although no longer used as a post office, the building is used occasionally as a filming site.
Type
image
Format
1 photograph :b&w ;35 x 28 cm. Photographic prints
United States Post Office Terminal Annex (Los Angeles, Calif.) United States Postal Service Post office buildings--California--Los Angeles Historic buildings--California--Los Angeles Letter carriers--California--Los Angeles Postal service--California--Los Angeles Postal service--Employees Underwood, Gilbert Stanley Melick, Neal A
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
