United States Post Office (Madison Square Station)

The United States Post Office Madison Square Station is a historic post office building located at 149 East 23rd Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan, New York City. In spite of the building's name, it is not located on Madison Square but about five blocks east (approximately 1/4 mile) along 23rd Street. The building runs through the block to East 24th Street, where there are loading docks and another much smaller and less formal public entrance.

United States Post Office
Madison Square Station
(October 2008)
Location149-153 E. 23rd St.
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°44′22″N 73°59′2″W
Built1937[1]
ArchitectLorimer Rich
Architectural styleClassical Revival
MPSUS Post Offices in New York State, 1858-1943, TR
NRHP reference No.88002364[2]
Added to NRHPMay 11, 1989

The building was constructed in 1937, and was designed by Lorimer Rich for Louis A. Simon, the Supervising Architect of the Treasury.[1] It is a two to three story building clad on its main facade with polished "Dakota Mahogany" granite in the Classical Revival style. The main facade features six two-story Doric order piers and pilaster that surround the recessed entrance bays. The exterior also features five bronze relief sculptures by artists Edmond Amateis and Louis Slobodkin illustrating different forms of communication: from west to east, the god Mercury, jungle drums, mail, carrier pigeon, and smoke signals. The interior features eight murals executed between 1937 and 1939 by artist Kindred McLeary.[3]

The Madison Square Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[2]

The central one of the five relief sculptures shows a mailman with mailbags
One of Kindred McLeary's murals, this one from the west wall of the main room

References

Notes

  1. White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5., p.212
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. Gobrecht, Larry E. (July 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Madison Square Station Post Office". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-10-01. See also: "Accompanying 20 photos".


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