United States Post Office (Haverstraw, New York) facts for kids
The U.S. Post Office in Haverstraw, New York, is an important building right in the middle of the village on Main Street. It helps deliver mail for everyone in the 10927 ZIP Code.
This post office was built in the mid-1930s. This was a time when the government started many projects to help people find jobs during the Great Depression. It's a brick building designed in the Colonial Revival style, which was very popular back then. What makes it special is its fancy decorations. This might be because James Farley, who was the Postmaster General (the head of the U.S. Mail) at the time, grew up nearby. In 1988, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
Quick facts for kids |
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U.S. Post Office
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North elevation and west profile, 2008
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| Location | Haverstraw, NY |
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| Nearest city | Peekskill |
| Built | 1936 |
| Architect | Louis Simon |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | US Post Offices in New York State, 1858-1943, TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002497 |
| Added to NRHP | 1988 |
Contents
The Post Office Building
The Haverstraw post office is on the south side of Main Street. It's located between Front and South streets. Across the street, you can see the Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library. To the east, the land gently slopes down to the Hudson River. Houses are located to the west and south of the building.
Outside the Building
The main part of the post office is a square, one-story building. It's made of brick laid in a pattern called Flemish bond. There's also a wing on the east side. The front of the building has a part that sticks out a little. The roof is flat and has a decorative edge called a cornice and a low wall called a parapet.
The front part that sticks out has three round-arched openings. These openings are decorated with limestone columns called pilasters. These columns are in the Corinthian order, a fancy Greek style. Above these columns, there's a decorated band with "UNITED STATES POST OFFICE" carved into it.
The windows on the sides of this front section have special carved decorations above them. The south and west sides of the building look similar. On the east side, there's a wing with a loading dock where mail trucks can unload.
Inside the Building
To get inside, you walk up Granite steps or use a wheelchair ramp. The main entrance has modern aluminum doors. These doors are framed by two columns called Doric pilasters. These support a decorative piece above them.
This leads you into a wooden entrance area. It has carved decorations like rosettes and triglyphs. From here, you enter the main lobby. The floor in the lobby is made of terrazzo, which is a shiny, smooth material. The lower part of the walls has wooden panels, and the upper walls and ceiling are plaster. The ceiling also has a decorative edge. The door to the postmaster's office is also very decorative. It has carved rosettes, sheaves of wheat, and small block-like decorations called dentils.
History of the Haverstraw Post Office
Haverstraw had its very first post office in 1815. This was also the first post office in all of Rockland County. From the 1880s to 1915, a post office was located right where the current building stands. After that, it moved to a rented spot on New Main Street.
Building a New Post Office
In 1931, the government decided to build a new post office in Haverstraw. This was part of a bigger plan to help the country during the Great Depression. However, construction didn't start until 1935. James Farley, who was the Postmaster General at the time, helped lay the first stone for the building. He was from a nearby town called Stony Point.
Farley's influence might have helped get the money for the building. It might have also affected how the building was designed. Many new post offices back then were similar brick buildings in the Colonial Revival style. These designs were often used in different places. The Haverstraw post office was designed by Louis Simon, an architect for the Treasury Department. It looks a bit like the post office in Norwich, which was built two years earlier. However, not many post offices from that time have as many detailed decorations as Haverstraw's. It uses a lot of limestone and terra cotta for its fancy look.
Changes Over Time
Since it was built, the Haverstraw post office has had some changes. A decorative railing on the roof was removed. Most of the front windows have been replaced, except for the one above the main entrance. The area where mail is loaded was moved from the south side to the east side. Inside, new lockboxes and lights have been added in the lobby.
