The United States Postal Service engaged Rachlin Partners to restore and rehabilitate the downtown San Bernardino Post Office, a two-story masonry structure built in the 1920’s. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As restoration began, the building interior revealed an original architecture of unexpected beauty. A splendid vaulted ceiling had been concealed behind a banal dropped ceiling installed during the 1960’s and offered no evidence of the original soaring arches and ornate detail. An exquisite composition of marble and terrazzo comprised the floor and wainscot.
Our services encompassed selective demolition, seismic retrofit and historic preservation and renovation. We painted the interior and exterior of the building and researched hardware, millwork and lighting in order to combine appropriate historical details with modern technology. Decorative plaster details, cornices, ceiling moldings and capitals were repaired to replicate the original workmanship. To complete the $1 million project, our firm also conducted site work and created new landscaping and hardscape, adding a wrought iron fence and a ramp to create a transition from street to building, while simultaneously providing ADA accessibility.