{"nrhp_refnum":"79000818","name":"U. S. Post Office","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1701 Charleston Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mattoon","county":"Coles County","state":"IL","lat":39.48148974800006,"lon":-88.37522737299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-12-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A public post office building at 1701 Charleston Avenue in downtown Mattoon, Coles County, Illinois, completed in October 1913 to designs overseen by Supervising Architect James Knox Taylor.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is one of the few downtown Mattoon structures with real architectural value and integrity, and is among the finest in the city. It blends Neo-Classical and Second Renaissance Revival characteristics. It also served 66 years as the city's post office, symbolizing local growth tied to the railroads.","narrative":"Completed in 1913, the Mattoon post office is a limestone and granite building with one full story, a partial second story and a raised basement that forms a podium. Its entrance is a row of seven arches leading to a portico, with marble stairs and a marble lobby floor. The design mixes Neo-Classical features, such as symmetry, a smooth surface and a low roofline, with the arches and ornament of Second Renaissance Revival style. James Knox Taylor was Supervising Architect, and Mangnus Yeager and Son of Danville built it after Congress appropriated $70,000 in 1910. The post office followed the 1855 establishment of mail service in a town that grew where two railroads crossed. Surveys identified only a handful of buildings of interest downtown, and this one stands out for its quality and integrity. A 1957 rear loading dock and a 1970 roof replacement are the main changes. The lobby largely keeps its original finishes. It was the first site on the Coles County Register of Significant Places.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Supervising Architect: James Knox Taylor; Builder: Mangnus Yeager and Son, Danville, Illinois","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical / Classical Revival with Second Renaissance Revival characteristics","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used as the post office since 1913; scheduled to be vacated in 1980 when a new post office would be built elsewhere. Form marks it occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.274636-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/8918/28891898/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/79000818.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000818/d78e5edce4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000818/d78e5edce4-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mattoon_main_post_office,_old.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mattoon_main_post_office,_old.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891898","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office_(Mattoon,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14688145"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/coles-county/u-s-post-office-79000818/"}