{"nrhp_refnum":"86003439","name":"US Post Office-Wakefield Main","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"321 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wakefield","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.503601496000044,"lon":-71.16950790599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-10-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and limestone post office at 321 Main Street, Wakefield, Massachusetts, at the corner of Yale Avenue. It was built in 1936, dedicated in January 1937, and designed by architect Edward M. Bridge.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is locally significant for its link to the Federal Government's Depression-era efforts to relieve unemployment and stimulate the economy through public construction. It is also presented as a fine example of Classical Revival federal architecture and of the work of Boston architect Edward M. Bridge, whose design harmonizes with its neighbors.","narrative":"Built in 1936 and dedicated in January 1937, the Wakefield Main Post Office sits on Main Street at Yale Avenue, between the Beebe Public Library and the YMCA. Boston architect Edward M. Bridge designed it under the Treasury's Supervising Architect, and A.J. Long Construction Co. built it. The front facade has a three-bay limestone center entrance with paired Doric columns and a pediment, flanked by Flemish bond brick bays, limestone pilasters and a Tuscan entablature. Marble reliefs of Washington and Franklin by Fortunato Tarquinio decorate the front. A 1969 rear addition more than doubled the building's size, and aluminum doors replaced the original bronze-framed ones in 1972. The building was listed for its connection to Depression-era federal efforts to ease unemployment through construction, and for its Classical Revival design, which gives a bold federal presence while unifying the neighborhood. Its site, the former Yale-Stearns homestead, had earlier ties to local postmasters.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Edward M. Bridge, Architect; A.J. Long Construction Co.","architectural_style":"Neo-Classic / Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Marked occupied and in excellent condition, with altered features including a 1969 rear addition and 1972 replacement entrance doors.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.482546-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/7955/63795588/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86003439.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003439/68f1cdd8f9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003439/68f1cdd8f9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Main_Post_Office,_Wakefield_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Main_Post_Office,_Wakefield_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795588","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office%E2%80%93Wakefield_Main","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7891179"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/us-post-office-wakefield-main-86003439/"}