US Post Office-Whitinsville Main
Why it's listed
Standing at the eastern gateway to the village center of Whitinsville, in Northbridge, Massachusetts, this post office at 58 Church Street was designed in 1937 by the Office of the Supervising Architect under Louis A. Simon and completed in 1938. Blauner Construction Company built it for just under $50,000, hiring many local subcontractors and workers during the Depression. The one-story brick building has a hipped slate roof topped by an octagonal cupola and an oversized cast stone entrance with four pilasters, a bolder treatment than the Art Deco or Moderne styles of nearby post offices. Inside, the lobby keeps its terrazzo floors, marble edging and birch trim. A 1939 bas-relief sculpture titled Blacksmith Shop by Milton Horn, funded through the Section of Fine Arts, decorates the lobby. The building is valued for its link to federal work-relief construction and for its Colonial Revival design beside Memorial Park and the Whitinsville Historic District.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its association with Depression-era federal efforts to relieve unemployment and stimulate the economy through rapid construction of government buildings. It is also valued as a locally distinctive example of Colonial Revival design by the Office of the Supervising Architect. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship, and is considered significant despite being less than fifty years old.
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 86003433, listed October 15, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 58 Church St., Northbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | October 15, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86003433 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Blauner Construction Co. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as the post office; the lobby is described as largely unaltered and the landscaping as meticulously maintained. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Whitinsville Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.11083, -71.66270 (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 86003433.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891180
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.