United States Post Office (Racine, Wisconsin) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
U.S. Post Office-Racine Main
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Wisconsin
|
|
| Location | 603 Main Street, Racine, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 85000989 |
| Added to NRHP | May 8, 1985 |
The United States Post Office in downtown Racine, Wisconsin is a special building. It serves as a post office, where people send and receive mail. This building was finished in July 1931. It was designed in a style called Classical Revival. This means it looks like old Greek and Roman buildings. The building is so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This list includes places that are important to American history and culture.
Contents
What Does the Racine Post Office Look Like?
The Racine Main Post Office is a large, rectangular building. It has three floors and is very close to Lake Michigan. The building is mostly covered with light-colored stone called Bedford limestone. Some parts are made of red brick.
Main Entrance and Front Details
The main entrance is on the second floor, facing Main Street. You walk up steps to get to it. This side of the building has six tall, fancy columns. These are called Corinthian columns. They reach 22 feet high! Above the columns, you can see the words "United States Post Office" carved into the stone. There is also an eagle carved there.
Sides of the Building
The side of the building along Sixth Street also has columns. These are called pilasters. They are flat columns built into the wall between the windows. The back of the building faces Lake Street. This is where trucks load and unload mail. There is also a parking lot here.
Inside the Post Office
Inside, the building has a strong frame of concrete and steel. Besides the area where you buy stamps and mail letters, most of the building is open space. This is where postal workers sort and process mail. The main workroom on the second floor gets light from two big skylights on the roof.
History of the Racine Post Office
Mail service started in Racine way back in 1836. At first, the post office moved around. It was usually in the home of the person in charge of the mail, called the postmaster. So, every time a new postmaster was chosen, the post office moved!
First Official Building
In 1891, the government decided Racine needed its own special post office building. This would be the city's first federal building. They bought the land where the current post office stands today. The first building was finished in 1896. Some people thought it looked like a church. So, the post office carved its name above the front door to make it clear what it was!
Building the Current Post Office
Later, in 1928, money was set aside to build a new, bigger post office. While the old building was being torn down, mail services moved to a different building temporarily. The current Racine Main Post Office was officially opened on July 25, 1931. This was a big event for Racine. The city also celebrated the opening of a new City Hall and county courthouse that same week. The new post office was seen as a tribute to Congressman Henry Allen Cooper. He worked hard to bring important projects like this to Racine.
Recent Years
Over the years, there have been talks about moving the main post office. One idea in 1991 did not happen. In 2001, the post office had a scare during the U.S. anthrax attacks. A postal worker found some brown powder, but it turned out to be harmless. In 2009, there was another plan to sell the building. While the downtown office now has fewer staff and shorter hours, it is still open today.
Images for kids
