United States Post Office and Courthouse–Littleton Main facts for kids
The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse-Littleton Main, now known as the Littleton Main Post Office, is a special old building in Littleton, New Hampshire. It's located at 134 Main Street. This building was finished in 1933. It's considered one of the most impressive and well-designed federal buildings built in New Hampshire during the 1900s. Because of its importance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Quick facts for kids |
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US Post Office and Courthouse-Littleton Main
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 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Location | 134 Main St., Littleton, New Hampshire |
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| Area | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) |
| Built | 1933 |
| Built by | V & M Construction Co. |
| Architect | Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore |
| NRHP reference No. | 86002251 |
| Added to NRHP | July 17, 1986 |
Contents
Discovering the Littleton Post Office Building
The Littleton Main Post Office is in the center of downtown Littleton. It sits on the north side of Main Street. You can find it just northwest of Thayer's Hotel, which is another famous building nearby.
Outside the Building: A Grand Look
This building is quite large, with three stories. It's made of different colored bricks laid in a special pattern called English bond. White marble is used for decoration. The front of the building looks like a classic style called Colonial Revival. It has a part that sticks out in the middle. This part frames the main entrance on the first floor. Above that, on the second and third floors, there's a grand design that looks like an ancient Greek temple, complete with columns.
Inside the Building: Elegant Details
When you step inside, the main lobby is just as fancy. The floor has colorful tiles with a border of gray marble. The lower part of the walls, called wainscoting, is made of black marble. There's also a beautiful stairway. It has a fine railing made of mahogany wood and decorative metal bars called wrought iron balusters.
History of the Littleton Post Office
The Littleton Post Office building was constructed in 1933. This was during a time called the Great Depression. The government started many projects like this to create jobs for people. The building was designed by a special team called the Office of the Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury.
Past and Present Uses
Originally, this building served two important purposes. It was a post office, where people could send and receive mail. It also housed a courthouse for the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. This meant it was a place where legal matters were handled. The federal courthouse moved out in 1982. However, the building still serves as the main post office for Littleton today.
Current Court Services
Even though the federal court moved, a different court now uses part of the building. It houses the Grafton County 2nd Circuit Court – Littleton District Division. This court handles local legal matters for several nearby towns. These towns include Littleton, Monroe, Lyman, Lisbon, Franconia, Bethlehem, Sugar Hill, and Easton.
