- City:
- St. Albans, WV
- Site Type:
- Civic Facilities, Federal Facilities, Post Offices
- New Deal Agencies:
- Federal & Military Operations, Treasury Department
Description
This New Deal post office was constructed by the Treasury in 1937. As of December 2013 it was still functioning and was known as the Old St. Albans Post Office. However Researcher Frank da Cruz reports this building now houses an architectural engineering firm. The wood relief sculpture “Science and Industry” by Reuben R. Kramer (1941) was moved to the new post office that was built in 986 at 431 B Street. He also reports that the cornerstone names Treasury Secretary Morgenthau, Postmaster General James Farley, Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon, Neil A. Melick Supervising Engineer.
“The Old St. Albans Post Office is located within the central business district of the town of St. Albans, West Virginia (population 12,500). The building sits on the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue and Second Street, facing Sixth Avenue. Built in 1937, the building measures 60′ x 56′. … It is also associated with the city’s development and was the first building built specifically to house the post office functions.
The Old St. Albans Post Office is a one-story, five-bay, brick building with metal hip roof. The 14″ thick brick foundation is raised above the street level, and is visually defined by a 20″ wide water table constructed of stone. The brick walls are 12″ thick and laid in a common bond of alternating rows of headers and stretchers. The hip roof is metal with a standing seam. A wood belvedere sits atop the roof. The overall architectural characteristic of this building is of a Colonial Revival style.
The interior of the building contains the original vault, installed in 1938 and manufactured by the Vault Herring-Hall Marvin Safe Company, Hamilton, Ohio. It is 8′ x 9′ in size and is surrounded by 12″ thick concrete walls. The front lobby area is covered with quarry floor tile and wainscotting. The non-public space is floored with maple tongue and grove flooring. The interior floor plan and distribution of public and private space were also a part of the formula for a Class D post office.” (https://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov)==
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