{"nrhp_refnum":"08000114","name":"Chardon Post Office Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"121 South St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chardon","county":"Geauga County","state":"OH","lat":41.58077155500007,"lon":-81.20311920099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-02-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former post office at 121 South Street in Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio, one block off the historic Public Square. It was built around 1940-1941 as a Public Works Administration project, with a cornerstone dated 1940.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the building is a significant local example of Depression-era federal architecture under Criterion C. It shows a streamlined, modern take on Colonial Revival design typical of small-town PWA post offices. It also recalls the federal presence and public works activity in the Chardon area during the Depression.","narrative":"Built around 1940-1941 at 121 South Street, this brick building served as Chardon's post office under a Public Works Administration program. Philadelphia firm Taylor-Davis, Inc. designed it, and Putchat Construction Company of Trenton, New Jersey, built it. Its balanced, symmetrical front has a hip-roofed center section, a central doorway with sidelights, a transom and a keystone, and contrasting brick window surrounds. Together these give a simplified, modern reading of Colonial Revival style. Inside, terrazzo and hardwood floors, marble wainscoting, oak woodwork, brass teller bars, skylights and the original stamp vault survive. A 1942 mural, \"Maple Syrup Camp,\" was removed and restored, and now hangs in the Chardon Municipal Building. The rear loading dock was enclosed in 1987. The building was recognized as a local example of Depression-era federal architecture, and its scale and setting near the historic square allow it to blend with the older buildings facing the Chardon Square. It now houses offices.","period_of_significance":"1939-1941","architect_builder":"Taylor-Davis, Inc.; Federal Works Agency/Public Buildings Administration (contractor: Putchat Construction Company of Trenton, New Jersey)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals (Colonial Revival, streamlined classicism)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Now used as office space for a private accounting firm; the building stopped serving as a post office, and the interior and exterior are described as largely original or restored.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:06.936893-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/08000114.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000114/80641d8145-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000114/80641d8145-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_post_office_in_Chardon.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_post_office_in_Chardon.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988670","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138339882"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/geauga-county/chardon-post-office-building-08000114/"}