{"nrhp_refnum":"81000545","name":"U.S. Post Office","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"50 W. Chestnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lancaster","county":"Lancaster County","state":"PA","lat":40.04067340800003,"lon":-76.30757559699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-07-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former United States Post Office building at the corner of North Prince and West Chestnut Streets in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, two stories with a mansard roof and a one-story rear section, faced with Indiana Limestone. It was built in 1928-1930.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an excellent example of Beaux-Arts Classicism modified by Art Deco influence and that its interior and exterior features are largely intact. It also cites the architect's design as influential on later federal buildings, and the site's earlier uses as a Moravian graveyard, a Revolutionary War Continental Army warehouse, and the Lancasterian School.","narrative":"Built between 1928 and 1930 on a corner in downtown Lancaster, this two-story limestone federal building was designed by James A. Wetmore, then Acting Supervising Architect, and constructed by Algernon Blair of Montgomery, Alabama, at a cost of about $375,000 excluding land. Its main front on West Chestnut Street has fifteen bays, Tuscan pilasters, a modified Doric cornice, carved wreaths, and two projecting pavilions with carved doorways. The interior retains carved mahogany counter woodwork and a northeast staircase. The site had earlier served as a Moravian graveyard from about 1746 to 1821, a Continental Army warehouse built in 1777-1778, and the Lancasterian School, which was demolished in 1928. The building was dedicated on January 11, 1930. It is regarded as an excellent example of its style and as a model for later federal post offices.","period_of_significance":"1900-1930","architect_builder":"James A. Wetmore (architect); Algernon Blair (builder)","architectural_style":"Beaux-Arts Classicism modified by Art Deco influence","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.356041-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/81000545.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000545/72d0031b98-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000545/72d0031b98-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Post_Office_Lancaster_PA.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Post_Office_Lancaster_PA.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"01000956","name":"Lancaster City Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/lancaster-city-historic-district-01000956/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996109","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office_(Lancaster,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7890988"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lancaster-county/u-s-post-office-81000545/"}