Completely unrecognizable under its new exterior, the Old Federal Building was constructed in 1937–1938 at a cost of $374,000. Underwood, the consulting architect from Los Angeles, designed an H-shaped building with a three-story main block and two-story projecting wings. The wood-framed building was finished with asbestos board laid horizontally to resemble shiplap siding. The exterior was otherwise unrelieved by ornament, with steel-sash windows and a flat roof.
Today, the building is covered with wood siding, with wings raised to three stories; oriels are supported on scrolled brackets. The building houses a variety of offices, while the federal offices and post office have moved