United States Post Office (Le Roy, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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U.S. Post Office
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West profile and south elevation, 2010
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Le Roy, New York |
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| Built | 1936–38 |
| Architect | James Arnold |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| MPS | US Post Offices in New York State, 1858-1943, TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002342 |
| Added to NRHP | May 11, 1989 |
The U.S. Post Office in Le Roy, New York, is an important building. It handles mail for the 14482 ZIP Code, which covers both the village and the wider town. This post office is made of brick and stone. It was built in the late 1930s on Main Street, which is also New York State Route 5.
The building's style is called Colonial Revival. It has a special hipped roof and is covered in limestone. This makes it unique among small post offices in New York State. It's the only one of its size with a clock tower and limestone outside. This is because a local person helped pay for half of its construction. In 1989, the post office was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It's the only building in Genesee County to get this special recognition on its own.
Contents
The Post Office Building
The Le Roy Post Office is located at the corner of Main and Mill streets. This spot is on the eastern edge of downtown Le Roy. It's two blocks east of Clay and Lake streets, which is also New York State Route 19. To the east of the building, a stone retaining wall about 25 feet tall separates it from Oatka Creek. There's also a partial dam nearby. Other shops and businesses are to the south and west. A parking lot is located to the north. The ground slopes quite a bit near the creek, so you can see the basement on the north side of the building.
The post office building is almost square and has one story. It has a steel frame structure, which means it's built with a strong metal skeleton. The outside is covered in cut ashlar limestone blocks. The hipped roof is covered with slate shingles. Around the roofline, there's a shallow cornice (a decorative ledge) and a parapet (a low wall) with fancy balustrade sections above the windows. In the middle of the roof, there's a square wooden cupola (a small dome-like structure). It has an electric clock that lights up and a weather vane on top. A wide stone chimney rises from the back of the building.
Outside Details and Entrance
The main entrance is in the middle of the south side of the building. It's set back a bit and has metal lanterns on either side. Above the doors, there's a large, round fanlight window with spokes like a fan. There's also a small hood supported by stone brackets. On either side of the entrance are tall wooden sash windows with 12 small panes on top and 12 on the bottom. At the very ends of the building, there are recessed areas with small, half-circle openings at the top.
Above all the windows, you can see carved panels. These carvings show either garlands (decorative wreaths) or symbols related to the postal service. Metal letters are attached above these carvings, just below the cornice. They spell out "UNITED STATES POST OFFICE." Smaller letters above the doors, in the frieze (a decorative band), say "LE ROY NEW YORK."
On the sides of the building, at the south end, there are double-recessed arched windows. These windows have 20 panes on top and 15 on the bottom. They are on parts of the building that stick out slightly and have carved medallions. Other windows on the sides look just like the ones next to the main entrance. At the back of the building, a wooden canopy covers the loading dock, where mail trucks unload.
Inside the Lobby
Stone steps with walls lead up to the main entrance. The doors are modern and made of metal and glass. They open into a wooden vestibule, which is a small entry room. Beyond this, you enter the main lobby. It's shaped like an "L" and takes up most of the front of the building, wrapping around the southwest corner. The postmaster's office is in the southeast corner.
The inside of the post office still has many of its original features. The floor is a black and white checkerboard pattern made of terrazzo (a mix of chips of marble, quartz, or glass). There are black marble borders and baseboards (trim along the bottom of walls). The walls have gray marble wainscoting (wood paneling) that goes up seven feet. Above the marble, the walls and ceiling are made of plaster with decorative molded cornices. The windows are also set back and have decorative beaded molding. The counter area where you buy stamps and send mail has unusual angled glass and metal grilles above the teller windows and lockboxes.
History of the Le Roy Post Office
Le Roy was founded in the late 1700s, even before the Holland Purchase opened up much of Western New York. The spot where Oatka Creek met a major Iroquois trail (now Route 5) was perfect for building a mill. By 1804, Le Roy had its own post office. About 30 years later, it officially became a village.
For many years, throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, the post office moved around. It was located in different rented buildings in the village. In 1929, a local resident named Ernest L. Woodward, whose family was rich from the Jell-O company, asked Congress for help. Congress then approved money to build a special post office just for Le Roy. This was added as a change to the Public Buildings Act. It took longer to start and finish this post office than other New Deal post offices in New York. This was partly because of Mr. Woodward's involvement.
Two years later, Congress approved the project again. This happened because of the start of the Great Depression, a time when many people lost their jobs and money. Mr. Woodward helped by donating land for the post office. Federal and state inspectors even flew over the land to approve it!
Challenges and Solutions
Even though the land wasn't very wide, it had other good points that made it a great spot. The Treasury Department, which was in charge of building post offices, asked Mr. Woodward to get more land along the creek. This extra land was needed for the retaining wall. He got the land from the local electric company, Niagara Hudson Company. However, the Treasury Department didn't want to accept the deed (ownership papers). They were worried about being responsible for any flood damage that had happened in the past. Mr. Woodward made many trips to Washington to talk to officials. He finally solved the problem by getting a surety bond. This was a special agreement that protected Niagara Hudson from any responsibility.
Mr. Woodward also suggested that James Arnold, an architect from Rochester, design the building. Arnold knew Le Roy's downtown area well. His suggestion was accepted, and Arnold quickly drew up plans for the building. It was said to be "almost an exact copy" of the Radcliffe Science Library at Oxford University in England. Mr. Woodward, along with U.S. Representative Archie D. Sanders, the postmaster, and village officials, sent a request to the Treasury. They asked that the stone used for the building come from the local area.
Funding and Construction Issues
The final money for the project was delayed because of a change in presidents and the start of the New Deal. In November 1933, the budget for the post office was cut in half. President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to focus on planting trees instead. Many people in the village wondered if a post office that truly fit the community could be built with so little money. Mr. Woodward encouraged residents to ask for the full amount of money back. They succeeded the next year. Most of the money would be used to build the retaining wall. The village and the government had to agree on who would pay for what part of the wall.
Construction faced problems from the very beginning. There were no local stonecutters available. So, instead of local stone, Indiana limestone had to be used. The company that offered the lowest price for the job, a contractor from Kenmore, went out of business before building could even start in late 1935. The company that provided the bonding (a type of insurance) chose a new company from Rochester to take over. The cornerstone of the building was laid in August 1936, but there were no big ceremonies. Mr. Woodward found out that the first contractor had thought they were building a brick building. So, he paid for the limestone outside himself.
He also stepped in to delay the building's opening, which was planned for spring 1937. He wasn't happy with the roof. He felt the original flat roof, which was common for post offices back then, looked "squatty" and not special. That summer, plans for the current roof, with its clock tower, were approved. Construction started again. The building was finally officially opened in 1938, almost two years after construction began. It was estimated that the total cost, including the money Mr. Woodward donated, was almost $90,000. Because of his help, the Le Roy post office is the only small one in New York State with a clock tower and limestone outside. Its hipped roof with a parapet is also very special.
