In 1969, the south wall and south one-third of the east wall were enclosed to allow for indoor service counters, air conditioning, heating and additional postal boxes yet the building still manages to preserve the look and feel of the original design. The cornerstone was laid on Octoand the building was completed and dedicated on September 27, 1917. Work on the new building began on Mawhen a thousand people witnessed Postmaster Hanna turn over the first shovelful of dirt. The impressive details feature many terra cotta ornaments based on Renaissance designs, marble columns and a roof covered in Spanish tiles. The design was only open on three sides and maintained the grand historic Mediterranean Revival style. He worked on and submitted a street level design with no steps, that was open on all sides, giving patrons 24-hour access to their post office boxes.
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Initial plans for the post office called for a grand structure built above street level with steps leading up to it but Postmaster Hanna didn’t care for it. That year congress approved $102,500 to construct a new full-service post office which would suit the city’s needs for years to come. Petersburg.īy 1915, our city had outgrown the building and the post office was moved temporarily to the first floor of City Hall then located on 4th Street South. Five government officials in attendance, including the Postmaster General, endorsed the building as adapting to the needs of a city like St. Feeling the open air feature was best for the city, Hanna stood firm.Ī few months later a postmasters’ convention was held here. When the federal postal authorities found out about it they refused to pay rent on such a design. Hanna, suggested they leave the front façade off the building so residents would be able to get to their post office boxes day or night to retrieve their mail. In 1907 its predecessor was being built on the corner of Central Avenue and 4th Street North. In my research I discovered this was not the first open air post office in St. For some inexplicable reason, today it has tickled my imagination and forced me to wonder how and why someone had decided to build such a thing as an “open air post office”? I have an inquisitive nature (some would call it nosey) and so decided to delve into the history of this iconic building. I have passed this building many times but have never felt the need to explore it further.
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The rich detail and arches of the Mediterranean Revival style building are reminiscent of the designs found in early renaissance Florence, Italy. Petersburg’s historic Open Air Post Office. From my vantage point, I look diagonally across 1st Avenue North at the southwest corner where it meets 4th Street North and cannot help but notice St. Today I’m under a large, old, grand oak that shades the green bench I sit on in Williams Park.
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#IS THE POST OFFICE OPEN TODAY FREE#
Now that I’ve retired and have free time, one of the pleasures I most enjoy is finding a comfortable place to sit and watch the comings and goings of other retirees, visitors and those still engaged in the daily grind.