{"nrhp_refnum":"86001346","name":"US Post Office-Medford Main","other_names":["Medford Main Post Office"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"20 Forest St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Medford","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.419127391000075,"lon":-71.10946711999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-06-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick, steel-frame post office at 20 Forest Street near Medford Square in downtown Medford, Massachusetts, completed in December 1936 and dedicated in September 1937.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a representative Public Works Administration-era federal building, reflecting 1930s priorities of economy, efficiency and functionalism in its L-shaped form, local brick, standardized six-area plan and side-street siting. It is also described as a regional Greek Revival-influenced adaptation of classical design, and as a product of the U.S. Supervisory Architect's office. It was Medford's first federal building and houses a mural by Henry Billings.","narrative":"Medford's Main Post Office at 20 Forest Street is a brick, steel-frame federal building finished in December 1936 and dedicated in September 1937. Its L-shaped form has a seven-bay front with a projecting, pedimented central entrance, marble trim and tall multi-pane windows set in recessed panels. Inside, a two-story lobby has terrazzo floors and marble wainscot, and murals by Henry Billings depict the town's rum and shipbuilding trade. The building reflects Public Works Administration policies of the 1930s, with a standardized six-area plan, local brick and a side-street site chosen for efficient mail handling. Its design draws on the Greek Revival forms popular in New England in the 1830s and 1840s. Arthur L. Blakeslee, a Medford native, served as chief architect under Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon. It was the city's first federal building, brought central mail handling to Medford, and provided jobs during the Depression as part of a local building program that included City Hall.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Arthur L. Blakeslee, Chief Architect; Edmund J. Rappoli, Contractor","architectural_style":"Classical Revival (regional Greek Revival expression)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in very good or excellent condition and occupied as a government post office; some alterations noted, including replaced doors, service counters and lighting.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.776783-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/7956/63795646/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001346.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001346/57ebdf86e0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001346/57ebdf86e0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MedfordMA_PostOffice.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MedfordMA_PostOffice.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795646","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office%E2%80%93Medford_Main","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7891158"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/us-post-office-medford-main-86001346/"}