{"nrhp_refnum":"86001378","name":"US Post Office Garage","other_names":["Vehicle Maintenance Facility"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"135 A St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"South Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.34346666300007,"lon":-71.05327724599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-06-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, trapezoidal poured-concrete vehicle maintenance garage at 135 \"A\" Street in South Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, built 1940-41 for the U.S. Post Office to a design by consulting architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a rare Boston-area example of the International style, even though it was less than fifty years old when nominated. Its functional planning, scored concrete panels, steel sash windows and exposed ramp and elevator reflect the federal government's move from classical tradition toward modernism. It is also a landmark in an industrial district of older brick buildings.","narrative":"Built in 1940-41 at 135 \"A\" Street in South Boston, this two-story garage served the U.S. Post Office as a vehicle maintenance and operations facility. Its trapezoidal concrete form has scored walls suggesting panels, streamlined curved corners, and large steel-sash windows with wire glass. The vehicle entrance is marked by sweeping curves and gilded aluminum lettering, the only applied ornament. A two-car ramp and a vehicle elevator with a tall penthouse are left visible as design elements. Gilbert Stanley Underwood, a West Coast modernist who consulted on federal projects, was the architect, and Grande & Volpe, Inc. was the contractor. The building was listed as a rare Boston-area example of the International style, reflecting a federal shift away from classical design toward a modern, functional approach. Alterations include a 1983 coat of yellow paint, some sealed skylights, added doors and fire stairs, and removal of a central column and island near 1960. It remains in postal use.","period_of_significance":"1940-1941","architect_builder":"Gilbert Stanley Underwood, consulting architect; Grande & Volpe, Inc., contractor","architectural_style":"International style (streamlined)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a Postal Service vehicle maintenance facility; described as in very good condition, painted bright yellow in 1983, with some alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.047745-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/7966/63796693/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86001378.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001378/b5315c9479-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001378/b5315c9479-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Post_Office_Garage_Site_South_Boston_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jameslwoodward</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Post_Office_Garage_Site_South_Boston_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796693","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office_Garage","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7891074"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/us-post-office-garage-86001378/"}