United States Post Office (Troy, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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U.S. Post Office
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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West profile, 2009
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| Location | Troy, NY |
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| Built | 1934-36 |
| Architect | Louis Simon |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Part of | Central Troy Historic District |
| MPS | U.S. Post Offices in New York State, 1858-1943, TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002438 |
| Added to NRHP | 1989 |
The U.S. Post Office in Troy, New York, is an important building. You can find it at 400 Broadway, where Fourth Street (US 4) and William Streets meet. This is the tenth place the post office has been in Troy's history! It handles mail for several ZIP Codes in the city.
In 1989, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special place that's important to history. It's also part of the Central Troy Historic District, which includes many old buildings in downtown Troy.
The post office was built during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people didn't have jobs. The government started big projects to help the economy and give people work. Louis Simon, an architect for the government, designed the building. He used a simple Classical Revival style. Inside, there are two cool murals painted by Waldo Peirce in 1938. Troy's post office is one of only three in the U.S. with his artwork!
Contents
What Does the Troy Post Office Look Like?
Outside the Building
The Troy post office is a two-story building. It's made with a steel frame and sits on a granite base. The two main sides, facing Broadway and Fourth Street, have fancy entrances. These entrances are framed by tall, thin columns called pilasters. At the very top of these columns is a simple decorated band called a frieze.
The main entrance has granite steps. It's surrounded by limestone and has old-fashioned wrought iron lamps. The windows next to the entrance also have decorative limestone. There's another entrance on the Fourth Street side, which is similar but less decorated. The other sides of the building are made of buff-colored brick. A brick chimney sticks up from one corner.
Inside the Building
When you go inside, you'll find two connected lobbies. The main entrance has a vestibule made of aluminum and glass. The floor in the lobbies is made of terrazzo, which is a mix of stone chips and cement. The lower part of the walls has dark green and white marble.
The walls are divided into sections by marble pilasters. Most of the original teller windows, the iron grilles above them, and some of the post office boxes are still there.
At each end of the main lobby, you'll see a mural painted by Waldo Peirce. These paintings show local stories. One shows Rip Van Winkle, a famous character from a New York legend. The other is called Legends of the Hudson. Waldo Peirce didn't paint many public artworks, so it's special that Troy has two of his murals!
A Look Back: History of the Post Office
Early Post Offices in Troy
Troy got its first post office way back in 1796. It was in a law office on First Street. Over the years, it moved to seven other places downtown. For a long time, it was in the Atheneum Building (1846-1882) and then the Masonic Temple (1882-1894).
In 1886, the U.S. Congress decided to build Troy's first federal building. The post office was going to be one of the main offices in this new building.
The Old Building and the New One
The first federal building opened in 1894. It was a Romanesque Revival style building made of granite. It had a tall clock tower that became a famous landmark in Troy.
In 1931, during the Great Depression, the government decided to build many new post offices. This was to create jobs and help the economy. Troy's new post office was one of these projects.
The plan was to tear down the old, popular 1894 building. Many people in Troy were upset because the old building was only 40 years old! But the project went ahead. The post office moved to a temporary spot in 1934 while the new building was constructed. It took two years to build the new post office. You can still find stones from the old building around Troy, used in walls or even as a gravestone!
Waldo Peirce painted his murals in 1938, two years after the new building opened. Not much has changed since then. Some customer tables and the front doors have been replaced, and a self-service area was added.
Why Does it Look That Way?
When the Troy post office was built, the government often used the Colonial Revival style for buildings in small towns. For bigger cities like Troy, they preferred the Classical Revival style.
The Troy post office is mostly Classical Revival. This style often reminds people of old Greek buildings. But you can also see influences from modernist styles like Art Deco. This is why the decorations are simple and streamlined.
