United States Post Office (Evansville, Indiana)

Evansville Post Office, also known as the Customs House, is a historic post office building located in downtown Evansville, Indiana.

Evansville Post Office
Evansville Post Office, December 2008
United States Post Office (Evansville, Indiana) is located in Indiana
United States Post Office (Evansville, Indiana)
United States Post Office (Evansville, Indiana) is located in the United States
United States Post Office (Evansville, Indiana)
Location100 block N.W. 2nd St., Evansville, Indiana
Coordinates37°58′17″N 87°34′17″W / 37.97139°N 87.57139°W / 37.97139; -87.57139
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1876-79; 1918
ArchitectOffice of the Supervising Architect
Architectural styleGothic, Ruskinian Gothic
NRHP reference No.71000010[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 2, 1971

History and architecture edit

The Evansville Post Office is a three-story, Ruskinian Gothic style limestone building over a basement. It features a front arcade, oriel window, slate roof, and contrasting brownstone details. The building was designed by architects and engineers in the Office of the Supervising Architect under Alfred B. Mullett and William Appleton Potter, with significant revisions by Potter to Mullett's Second Empire design. Construction began under Potter in 1876, and was completed by his successor, James G. Hill, in 1879.[2] The building originally housed facilities for the United States Post Office, the United States District Court for the District of Indiana, the United States Customs Service, the United States Weather Bureau, and other agencies, though several of these would later move to other locations.[2] In 1918 the building was extended with flanking wings in a style matching the original.[3]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[1] After a new federal building was opened in 1968, the building was sold and is now (2022) known as Old Post Office Plaza and used as office and event space.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b A History of Public Buildings Under the Control of the Treasury Department (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1901)
  3. ^ "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved 2016-08-01. Note: This includes Gwendolyn F. Koch and Martha J. Rogers (July 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Evansville Post Office" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-01. and Accompanying photographs
  4. ^ "History," Old Post Office Plaza, accessed March 28, 2022.