United States Post Office (Albion, New York) facts for kids
The U.S. Post Office in Albion, New York, is a special building. It is located on South Main Street, right in the center of town. This post office handles mail for the 14411 ZIP Code. This includes the village and town of Albion, plus parts of nearby towns like Barre and Gaines.
Quick facts for kids |
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U.S. Post Office
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South profile and east elevation, 2008
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 8 S. Main St., Albion, NY |
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| Built | 1937 |
| Architect | Louis Simon; Judson Smith |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | US Post Offices in New York State, 1858-1943, TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002450 |
| Added to NRHP | November 17, 1988 |
This post office is a brick building built in the late 1930s. It is designed in the Colonial Revival style, which looks like older American colonial buildings. Inside, in the main lobby, there is a cool painting (a mural) showing the nearby Erie Canal.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This list includes many important buildings across the country. Even though it's inside the Orleans County Courthouse Historic District, it's not considered part of that district's history. This is because it was built after that district's main historical period.
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Exploring the Post Office Building
The Albion Post Office is located on the southwest corner of Main and East State streets. It's right in the middle of Albion. Across the street is the county courthouse, surrounded by a small park with old trees.
To the north is the Swan Library, which used to be a home built in the 1840s. To the south, there's another old home from the 1830s. This building is now used by the Cornell Cooperative Extension offices. Across the intersection, you'll find the First Presbyterian Church. This stone building has a very tall steeple, about 175-foot (53 m) high. It's the tallest structure in Orleans County.
Main Street goes down a bit to the north. It leads to Albion's other historic district, called North Main-Bank Streets. This area has more shops and businesses. The street ends at the New York State Barge Canal, which used to be the Erie Canal.
What the Building Looks Like
The post office building has one story and is made of brick. It sits on a stone base. The main part of the building has a gently sloped roof. This roof is covered with wooden boards and has a decorative edge. In the middle of the roof, there's a square tower called a cupola. It has decorative corners and columns. These columns frame windows, and the top of the cupola has a rounded cap with a weathervane. The back part of the building has a flat roof with a low wall around the top.
All the windows on the building have stone sills and tops. They are double-hung windows with 12 small panes of glass. There's also a half-circle window in each end of the roof. On the front of the building, above the main entrance, bronze letters spell out "UNITED STATES POST OFFICE". Below that, on the brick, it says "ALBION" and "NEW YORK". A stone with the building's construction date is on the northeast corner.
Granite steps lead up to the main entrance. These steps have their original iron railings and lampposts. A modern wheelchair ramp has been added on the north side for easy access.
The main entrance has two decorative columns and flat column-like shapes on either side. These support a decorative beam above the door. A wooden sign with metal letters saying "ZIP 14411" was added later. Above this, there's a decorative arch that looks like a window. It has an aluminum eagle on it.
Inside the Post Office
When you go inside, modern double doors open into a small entry area. This area has narrow wooden panels and multi-pane windows. The main lobby floor is made of red and brown ceramic tiles. The lower part of the walls has a light brown wooden paneling. Above that, the walls and ceiling are plaster.
Many of the original features are still there. These include the customer service counter, metal grilles, and the old lockboxes where people get their mail. There are also two wooden tables for customers and a bulletin board. High on the wall, above the postmaster's office, is the special painting (mural) showing ships on the canal.
History of the Albion Post Office
Albion became the main town for Orleans County in 1824. It grew into a busy canal town, shipping Medina sandstone from nearby quarries. But for a long time, Albion didn't have its own post office building. In the early 1900s, the mail was handled from a rented shop on East Bank Street. By the 1920s, this space was too small. Postal officials decided it was time for a dedicated building.
Building During the Great Depression
In 1931, a law was changed to allow for new public buildings. This was also a way to help people find jobs during the Great Depression. Construction on the Albion Post Office didn't start until 1936. Two old Greek Revival houses on the site had to be torn down first.
A company from New York City, Andover & Associates, built the new post office. It cost $52,699. The building officially opened in 1937.
Louis Simon was the main architect for the Treasury Department. This department was in charge of designing most federal buildings. Simon used the same Colonial Revival design for Albion's post office as he did for 12 other post offices in New York. This was the largest group of similar post offices in the state. This shows that the Treasury Department liked to use standard designs. They also preferred the Colonial Revival style during the Depression. Albion's post office is a very typical example of this design.
The Canal Mural
In 1939, a painting called Along the Barge Canal was added to the lobby. This painting was created by Judson Smith. He won a competition held by the Treasury's Section of Fine Arts. This group was in charge of public art in post offices back then.
Since the painting was added, not much has changed in the building. The original lobby lights were replaced with newer ones, but most of the building remains the same.
Historic Status
About 60 years after it was built, the post office was included within the boundaries of the Orleans County Courthouse Historic District. However, it was one of only two buildings in that district not considered "contributing" to its historical importance. This was because it was built after the district's main historical period (1830–1910). Nine years later, when the post office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by itself, it still wasn't considered a "contributing property" to the older district.
Images for kids
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South profile and east elevation, 2008
