Location Medford, Massachusetts NRHP Reference # 86001346 Area 2,428 m² Architect Louis A. Simon | Built 1937 Opened 1937 Added to NRHP 18 June 1986 | |
 | ||
Similar United States Post Office an, Old Athens - Alabama Main Post, Old Post Office Building, Old Middletown Post Office, Sitka US Post Office and Court | ||
The US Post Office–Medford Main is a historic post office at 20 Forest Street in Medford, Massachusetts. Built in 1937, it is a fine example of construction work funded by the Public Works Administration, a jobs program of the 1930s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Description and history
The main Medford Post Office is set on the west side of Forest Street, just north of the central business district's main intersection. The front portion of the building is a seven-bay brick structure, set on a high foundation. The central three bays project forward and upward, and are topped by a gabled roof with a modillioned marble pediment. The outer bays of the projection house tall windows, and the center one the entrance, which is reached via granite steps. The windows in the outer bays are set in recessed panels, with marble sills and lintels. The interior lobby space features terrazzo marble flooring, marble wainscoting, and dark woodwork. The service area, located to the right is topped by a mural depicting the city's historic shipbuilding and rum industries.
The building's principal designing architect was Arthur Blakeslee, and it was built in 1937 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA), following that body's guidelines for design and construction. The building's location on a side street (as opposed to a more prominent corner or main street location) was an evolutionary step in the PWA's practices for post office location, allowing the mail handling area to be accessed from the side rather than the rear.