Downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
United States Court House
And Post Office
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
1. United States Court House Marker
U.S. Post Office and Court House has been designated a National Historic Landmark. This property possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. This U.S. District Court House is nationally significant in school desegregation history and the civil rights of Mexican and Mexican-American people in the Southwest. The 1946 decision by Judge Paul J. McCormick in Mendez et al. v. Westminster School District forbade segregation, finding that separate was not equal.
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. United States Courthouse and Post Office. 1937.
Erected 2012 by U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the National Historic Landmarks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1946.
Location. 34° 3.314′ N, 118° 14.503′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Downtown Los Angeles. Marker is on North Spring Street just north of Temple Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bella Union Hotel Site (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Los Angeles Star (about 300 feet away); Fletcher Bowron Square (about 400 feet away); Pico House (about 600 feet away); The Lindbergh Beacon (about 700 feet away); Los Angeles City Hall (about 700 feet away); El Pueblo (about 700 feet away); Merced Theatre (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.
Regarding United States Court House. The court house is a Moderne style building that originally served as both a post office and a courthouse. The building was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and Louis A. Simon, and construction was completed in 1940. It formerly housed federal courts but is now used by Los Angeles Superior Court. The post office moved to another site in 1965. It functioned as a court house with judges from the United States District Court for the Central District of California until 2016 when the federal courts moved to the new First Street Courthouse. There is another federal court house in the Roybal Building in Downtown Los Angeles. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012, as the site of Gonzalo Mendez et
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
2. United States Court House Marker
The U.S. Court House has been the venue for a number of notable court cases, beginning in the 1940s with paternity cases against Clark Gable and Charlie Chaplin, and a breach of contract suit filed by Bette Davis against Warner Brothers. The House Un-American Activities Committee met in the building in 1947 to gather information on Hollywood personalities suspected of Communist involvement. In 1973 the federal government case against Daniel Ellsberg for leaking the "Pentagon Papers" was heard in the courthouse.
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
3. United States Court House Markers
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
4. United States Court House
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
5. United States Court House
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
6. United States Court House
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
7. United States Court House
Directly on axis with, and complements, Los Angeles City Hall - built in 1928, located across Temple Street to the south.
Photographed By Craig Baker, July 30, 2023
8. Across the Street
L.A. County Hall of Justice, built in 1925.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 65 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on July 31, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 8. submitted on August 1, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.
