Yosemite National Park Renovates Historic Post Office
Date: February 1, 2011
Cornerstone of Yosemite Village Receives New Wood Shingle Siding
The historic Yosemite Village Post Office, completed in 1925, is receiving new wood shingle siding as part of the park’s efforts to maintain and restore historic buildings. Yosemite National Park crews are currently installing sugar pine shingle siding along the upper level of the building. Once the siding is installed, the crews will paint the shingles dark brown to match the other historic buildings in Yosemite Village.
The building was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the architect who would later design the Ahwahnee Hotel. The Post Office, which features stone on the lower level and wood shingles on the upper level, is an excellent example of rustic architecture, or “parkitecture.” This type of design became popular at other national parks throughout the country.
The Post Office shares a unified design with the Yosemite Museum and the Park Administration Building as the cornerstone of Yosemite Village. This was one of the highest priories of Stephen T. Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service (NPS), who wanted to replace the haphazard development that was present in the park. The former village, located near the Yosemite Chapel, was moved to the current site in the 1950’s due to frequent flooding from the Merced River.
“We are excited about the renovations to the building,” said Bill Carroll, Yosemite National Park’s Postmaster since 1991. “We are looking forward to another busy summer serving the employees and visitors to Yosemite National Park.”
The Yosemite Village Post Office is open year-round and is where park employees receive their mail each day in post office boxes. It also is a popular destination for park visitors to mail postcards and letters with the Yosemite National Park postmark. The Post Office also sells park related stamps and ephemera. The park has been featured on several postage stamps over the past few years.
The Yosemite Post Office renovation was funded by National Park Service.
