Federal Building and Courthouse
Also known as: U.S. Post Office
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Why it's listed
Gainesville's Federal Building and Courthouse combines two white marble structures on the edge of the downtown shopping district. The original Post Office, built in 1909 and 1910 at Washington and Green Streets, was designed under Supervising Architect James Knox Taylor and features arched openings, Ionic columns, a dentiled cornice and a balustrade. A four-story addition facing Spring Street was completed in 1936 and repeats the Classical Revival style, with carved stringcourses and a terra-cotta tiled entrance foyer. The building was one of the few downtown structures to survive the tornado of April 6, 1936, and is now counted among the town's oldest buildings. A statue of Colonel C. C. Sanders once stood at the corner, but the tornado broke it apart. The courtroom holds oak woodwork and a hallway oil painting by Daniel Boza. After the post office moved out in 1967, the building was renovated for federal offices and courts.
Significance in brief: The building survived the April 6, 1936 tornado that nearly destroyed downtown Gainesville, making it one of the town's oldest buildings, especially the original Post Office section. Its Classical Revival style makes it one of the most architecturally significant public buildings in the city.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74000684, listed January 24, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 126 Washington St., Gainesville |
|---|---|
| County | Hall County |
| Listed | January 24, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000684 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century; completed 1910, addition completed 1936 |
| Architect / builder | James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect for the Treasury Department; Allan C. Burdick, superintendent of construction; a New York contractor |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition; renovated after the postal service left in 1967 and now houses about fifteen federal agencies and courts. The third floor of the Post Office section was closed off. |
| Within district | Gainesville Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.29982, -83.82601 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74000684.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16891247
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.