US Post Office-Delmar
Also known as: Delmar Post Office
Why it's listed
Delmar's post office, at 357 Delaware Avenue, is a symmetrical one-story brick building completed in 1939-40. It has a stone watertable, a slate gable roof at the front, twelve-over-twelve windows and a central entrance framed by fluted Doric columns beneath a blind fanlight with a cast aluminum eagle. The design came from the office of Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon and was repeated for thirteen nearly identical post offices across New York State. Delmar is the only one built without a rooftop cupola. Loucks & Clarke Corporation of Wallingford, Connecticut, served as general contractor. Inside, an L-shaped lobby has marble, plaster and wood details, a terrazzo floor and a 1940 mural by Sol Wilson titled "The Indian Ladder," which shows visitors at a landmark in nearby Thatcher Park. The building was listed as an intact example of Depression-era federal Colonial Revival architecture and for its well-preserved mural. A 1959 rear addition is considered non-historic.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact example of Colonial Revival federal architecture built during the Great Depression public works programs. Its design was used for thirteen nearly identical post offices in New York State, the largest related group in the state, and Delmar is the only one built without a rooftop cupola. It also holds a well-preserved 1940 mural by Sol Wilson, "The Indian Ladder," commissioned through the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts.
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 88002480, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 357 Delaware Ave., Delmar |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002480 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1939-40 |
| Architect / builder | Treasury Department; Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Loucks & Clarke Corporation of Wallingford, Connecticut, general contractors |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good, with a high degree of integrity on the exterior and interior. A four-bay rear addition from 1959 is considered non-historic. The form lists the property as occupied. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.62292, -73.83200 (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 88002480.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1363699
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.