Built in 1930 (Beaux-Arts). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. 13 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1915.
From the record
“The El Centro Main Post Office, in El Centro, California, was built in 1931. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as U.S.”
Wikipedia article El Centro Main Post Office, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 4 National Register listings published here for Imperial County · listed in 1985 · category: Building · built in 1930, Beaux-Arts, by Louis A. Simon, James A. Wetmore.
Also known as. US Post Office in California 1900-1941 TR
Census division. El Centro
When was it built? 1930
Architectural style. Beaux-Arts
Architect. Louis A. Simon, James A. Wetmore
National Register reference number.85000125- the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.
Then and now
1915 to 1989
The ground this property stands on, surveyed
74 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are
United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
19151989
Fires near this property
10 since 2006
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The
federal wildfire occurrence database
lists 10 fires within 5 miles of US Post Office-El Centro Main
between 2006 and 2017, burning about 106 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson.
Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted
here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
Reported cause
Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
6
Arson/incendiarism
2
Smoking
1
Misuse of fire by a minor
1
The most recent of
them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service
that recorded it.
Date
Cause
Size
Reported by
Name on the report
14 August 2006
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
20 acres
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
not named
6 June 2013
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
6.0 acres
San Diego Unit
not named
8 May 2009
Arson/incendiarism
5.0 acres
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
not named
30 May 2008
Arson/incendiarism
70 acres
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
not named
28 May 2013
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
1.0 acres
San Diego Unit
not named
26 May 2010
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
2.0 acres
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists
2 workings within 5 miles of US Post Office-El Centro Main: 1 occurrence, 1 producer.
1 still produces. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the
map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring
settlement's page as well.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The National Weather Service names
El Centro, the town this property stands in, in 18 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 11 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 2 hail, 1 lightning.
No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office
filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date
opens the federal record of that event.
Strong winds, heavy rain and small hail accompanied storms that moved through the El Centro area. The winds blew down four power poles in south El Centro and blew out store front windows.
Semi-truck blown over on Interstate 8 near the intersection with Highway 111 just east of El Centro. Wind gusts were estimated at 60-65 mph. No injuries reported.
Significant flooding was reported in the El Centro Regional Medical Center. There was 18 inches of flowing water in the parking lot, with the water entering the facility and affecting the emergency room as well as the radiology department. No injuries were reported.
Several downed trees were reported across El Centro, with some of the trees falling onto roofs of home. Winds were estimated between 55-60 mph. Timing estimated from radar. No injuries were reported.
Image of a large uprooted tree that fell onto a home, resulting in roof damage, in the area of Lenrey Avenue and South 5th Street in El Centro. Winds were estimated between 55-60 mph. Timing estimated from radar. No injuries were reported.
Thunderstorms developed across portions of south central Imperial county during the early afternoon hours on August 21st and they affected the communities of El Centro and Imperial. The stronger storms produced large hail in addition to gusty microburst winds. According to the California Highway Patrol, a strong thunderstorm in El Centro produced dime-sized hail, or hail with a diameter of 0.75 inches. The large hail did not appear to cause damage.
A three-alarm haystack fire in rural El Centro was sparked by lightning late Sunday night, forcing four families from their homes. The storm system also dropped nearly an inch of rain on Imperial County along with reports of hail in Imperial and Holtville. Power was knocked out in Imperial for about 2 hours.
Thunderstorms moved through much of central Imperial County producing small hail and high winds. El Centro received half-inch diameter hail that covered the ground in places.
Peak wind gust of 59 mph reported at El Centro Naval Air Station. Nearby wind damage included power lines and poles down and a roof blown off a house in Brawley.
United States Geological Survey topographic
sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then
testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.
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