US Post Office-Lexington Main
Also known as: Lexington Main Post Office
Why it's listed
Lexington's main post office, at 1661 Massachusetts Avenue, is a red brick building laid in Flemish bond, with granite trim, a wood cornice, a pitched roof and a wood cupola. Construction began in late 1937 and it was dedicated on November 28, 1938, at a cost of $65,000. It was designed in the office of Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon, following a standardized plan typical of 1930s post offices, and its Colonial Revival styling reflects the town's Revolutionary War associations. A 1964 addition wraps the rear and replaced the symmetrical original plan with an asymmetrical one. The lobby was remodeled at that time. The lobby also holds a canvas mural, The Arrival of Paul Revere in Lexington, April 19, 1775, by Lexington artist Aiden Lassell Ripley, produced under the Treasury Department's art programs. Reviewers valued the building for its modest scale, its intact Georgian Revival character and the mural, even though it was less than fifty years old when listed.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an example of standardized Public Works Administration-era post office design of the 1930s, modest in scale and compatible with its surroundings. The review comments add significance for its lobby mural of Paul Revere's arrival in Lexington, painted by local artist Aiden Lassell Ripley for the Treasury Department's art programs, and for its intact Georgian Revival style.
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 86001377, listed June 26, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1661 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 26, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001377 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Sandros & Co., Contractor; Harold M. Turiello, Architect for 1964 addition |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (Georgian Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied, government use; exterior in good condition, interior fair. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.44706, -71.22513 (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 86001377.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891153
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.