- City:
- New York, New York City, NY
- Site Type:
- Post Offices, Federal Facilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Treasury Department, Federal & Military Operations
- Started:
- 1934
- Completed:
- 1936
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The colossal James Farley Post Office Building, so named in 1982, is home to the Main Post Office of New York, New York. The building was originally constructed in 1912, facing Eighth Avenue; a 1934-6 Treasury Department-funded addition doubled the size of the building and extended it to Ninth Avenue. Hence, the building now occupies two full New York City blocks: 8th to 9th Ave. from 31st to 33rd Street.
The U.S. Postal Service houses just retail operations at this regal facility—as well as a couple of examples of New Deal artwork—on the 8th Avenue-facing side of the building. With most of the mail processing operations now located at the Postal Service’s Morgan Annex facility, most of the Farley Building underwent years of construction to become Moynihan Train Hall, a massive train station.
Source notes
Vornado Realty Trust: https://www.vno.com/office/property/the-farley-building/3313609/landing (accessed Jul. 2023)
Untapped Cities: https://untappedcities.com/2018/01/08/the-top-10-secrets-of-nycs-james-a-farley-post-office/ (accessed Jul. 2023)
https://moynihantrainhall.nyc/ (accessed Jul. 2023)
Site originally submitted by Evan Kalish on September 7, 2014.
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Jason Farley
Parker Sackewitz
“The Farley-Long Affair” between Senator Huey Long of Louisiana and Postmaster Farley was an failed attack of Farley and the administration. Farley’s building supply firm had contracts to supply the building materials for the Then known as General Post Office Building Annex. Farley was cleared by the Senate of any wrong doing because his firm had secured the contracts under the Hoover Administration and Farley was cleared by the senate. Farley is historically associated with the Farley building via the “Farley-Long Affair”.
The State Historic Presevation Office should have recognized this fact before they allowed Senators Moynihan name to be attributed to the “Train Hall”.
The State of New York and Vornado Realty have a responsibility under the national historic preservation act of 1966 NHPA 1966 to provide clear sperations to the public between the landmarks historic use as the Farley Post Office, and any adaptive reuse housing the Moynihan Train Hall.
I do not believe there is any federal legislation renaming the landmark Post Office or the Amtrak station in Senator Moynihans Honor (it died on committee in the Senate). Senator Moynihan publicly stated that it was his wish that “good old Jim Farley’s name stayed on the Post Office”!
The Train hall opened on January 1st, 2021 and serves as the head house for the Amtrak and LIRR terminal.