Old Post Office (Augusta, Maine)

The Old Post Office and Court House is a historic former federal government building at 295 Water Street in downtown Augusta, Maine. Built in 1886-1890, it is one of Maine's finest surviving examples of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1]

Old Post Office
The Old Post Office in 2013
Location295 Water St., Augusta, Maine
Coordinates44°18′51.98″N 69°46′29.6″W
Built1886-1890
ArchitectMifflin Bell
Architectural styleRomanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.74000172[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 18, 1974

Design and Construction

The former Post Office and Court House stands on the east side of Water Street, Augusta's principal commercial downtown thoroughfare, at the southeast corner with Winthrop and Front Streets. It is a symmetrical 2-1/2 story granite structure with a central tower, flanked on either side by a wall and smaller tower. It was designed by Mifflin E. Bell (1846-1904), the Supervising Architect of the US Treasury Department. Bell's term ended July 1887, and his successor William Alfred Freret finished the job, and the building opened in January 1890.[2] The cost of construction was $178,281.20. It contained 427,600 cubic feet, was heated by steam, and contained a hydraulic freight elevator for post office use.[3]

The building was enlarged sometime during the tenure of treasury architect James Knox Taylor (1897 to mid-1912).[2]

History

The building was used as a courthouse and post office until the 1960s, when a new, larger federal building was constructed for these uses. The Old Post Office was sold as surplus property to a private owner. It was adaptively repurposed to house a bank, restaurant, and office, while largely preserving the exterior.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Maine Historic Preservation Commission (11 January 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). NPS.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  3. History of Public Buildings under the control of the Treasury Department. Government Printing Office. 1901.
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