Location Taunton, Massachusetts NRHP Reference # 86003476 Opened 1930 Architectural style Neoclassical architecture Architect James A. Wet | Built 1930 Designated CP March 1, 1985 Area 1,619 m² Added to NRHP 19 October 1987 | |
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Part of Taunton Green Historic District (#85000547) Similar United States Post Office–Mil, United States Post Office–M, United States Post Office–Ea, United States Post Office–Mil, Lowell Post Office | ||
US Post Office-Taunton Main is the main post office facility in Taunton, Massachusetts. It is located at 37 Taunton Green in the city center. Built in 1930 with funding from the Works Progress Administration, it is a fine example of Classical Revival architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987; it was included in the Taunton Green Historic District in 1985.
Description and history
The main Taunton Post Office is located on the west side of Taunton Green, bounded on the south by Cohannet Street. It is a single-story limestone-faced Classical Revival building with a truncated hip roof. The prominent features of its main facade are a series of monumental Tuscan columns, behind which the recessed entry is located. The columns, along with paired square pilasters at the outside of the recessed area, support an entablature, above which a dentillated cornice surrounds the building. The interior has a narrow but wide public lobby space, with terrazzo marble flooring and a high marble wainscoting.
The building was designed by James A. Wetmore, the Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury Department, and was built in 1931-32 with funding from the Works Progress Administration. It replaced a Richardsonian Romanesque building dating to the late 19th century, and was built on land once belonging to Samuel Crocker, one of Taunton's leading businessmen.