{"nrhp_refnum":"86001343","name":"US Post Office-Central Square","other_names":["Central Square Post Office","Cambridge \"Branch A\" Post Office"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"770 Massachusetts Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.36628415000007,"lon":-71.10599647599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-06-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A federally owned post office at 770 Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, begun in 1933 and dedicated June 25, 1935. It has a two-story public block and a larger one-story work wing, designed by J.D. Leland & Co. with Charles R. Greco as collaborating architect.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building blends Classical tradition with Art Deco styling in a streamlined, stripped-classical design. It also notes that its construction boosted Cambridge's economy during the Depression, providing 150 permanent jobs. It was the first permanent home of the city's postal service.","narrative":"Built between 1933 and 1935 at 770 Massachusetts Avenue, the Cambridge Main Post Office, also called the \"A Branch,\" gave the city's postal service its first permanent home. Designed by J.D. Leland & Co. with Charles R. Greco as collaborating architect, it has a two-story public block fronted by an eleven-bay granite facade, pilasters with a modified Greek key motif, black serpentine marble panels and seated figures on the parapet. A much larger one-story work wing with truck docks sits behind. The design joins Classical symmetry with Art Deco streamlining. It faces the Richardsonian Romanesque City Hall and contrasts sharply with it. Construction cost $1,000,000 and, during the Depression, provided about 150 permanent jobs, more than double the staff of the old Central Square office. Quincy granite was chosen as the facing. Interiors include a marble vestibule and a terrazzo-floored lobby with Greek-inspired ornament. Mail could for the first time be sorted and delivered from Cambridge rather than Boston.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"J.D. Leland & Co. and Charles P. Greco, Collaborating Architects; John Baven Co., Inc. - Contractors (1974 alterations)","architectural_style":"Classical tradition combined with Art Deco (stripped classicism)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and altered; alterations made in 1974. The form lists the status as occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:12:59.868329-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/90/7955/63795590/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001343.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001343/89b74e97d0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001343/89b74e97d0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Post_Office-Central_Square_-_770_Massachusetts_Avenue,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_3950.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Post_Office-Central_Square_-_770_Massachusetts_Avenue,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_3950.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"90000128","name":"Central Square Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/central-square-historic-district-90000128/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795590","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Merriman_Post_Office_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5133275"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/us-post-office-central-square-86001343/"}