Post Office – Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas VI

Description

The historic Emancipation Gardens post office, a.k.a. Alvardo de Lugo Post Office, in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas was constructed in 1937-8 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses the only two examples of New Deal federal building artwork in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is still in service.

Dept. of the Interior, 1938: “The Treasury Procurement Division has, during the year, completed the Federal Building at Charlotte Amalie, which houses the post office, the customs department, and the United States Public Health Service. This handsome structure which is located on a commanding site in Charlotte Amalie has won universal praise.”

The building features a standard FDR-era cornerstone, as well as a plaque on its ‘porch’ (text below). In 2017 hurricanes Irma and Maria damaged the historic structure, at which point the building was repaired and both murals underwent restoration. A visit by Evan Kalish in 2019 affirms the presence of original flooring and wall tiles, though many modern touches permeate the building, including modern lighting fixtures and P.O. Boxes.

Plaque text:

This building was erected under the act of Congress dated August 12, 1935 and was completed during the administration of

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, President of the United States of America

HENRY MORGENTHAU JR. OF NEW YORK, Secretary of the Treasury

JAMES A. FARLEY OF NEW YORK, Postmaster General

LAWRENCE W. CRAMER, Governor of the Virgin Islands

CHRISTIAN JOY PEOPLES OF CALIFORNIA, Director of Procurement

W. ENGLEBERT REYNOLDS OF IOWA, Assistant Director for Public Buildings

SMITH W. PURDUM OF MARYLAND, Fourth Assistant Postmaster General

ALVARO DE LUGO, Postmaster

1938