US Post Office-Little Valley
Also known as: Little Valley Post Office
Why it's listed
Located on the south side of Main Street in Little Valley's small business district, this post office is a symmetrical one-story brick building with a stone watertable, slate hip roof and a cupola topped by a weathervane. Its central entrance has fluted Doric columns, a blind fanlight with a cast aluminum eagle, and original iron railings and lamps. Inside, the L-shaped lobby keeps its marble dado, terrazzo floors, oak paneling and original teller openings. Built in 1941-2 after five small commercial buildings were cleared, it followed a standard design by Louis A. Simon of the Treasury Department. Thirteen nearly identical post offices were built in New York State from this pattern, and Little Valley is the only one with a hip roof. It was recognized as an intact example of Depression-era federal architecture in a simplified Colonial Revival style, which became the favored manner for post offices in the 1920s and 1930s.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact, representative example of federal public works architecture from the Great Depression era, in simplified Colonial Revival style. Its design was used for thirteen nearly identical post offices in New York State, the largest group of related post offices in the state. Little Valley is the only one of the thirteen with a hip roof instead of a gable roof.
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 88002344, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 115 Main St., Little Valley |
|---|---|
| County | Cattaraugus County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002344 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1941-2 |
| Architect / builder | Treasury Department; Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; building contract let to Anaconda Foundation and Construction Company of New York City |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in good condition; retains a very high degree of exterior and interior integrity, with only modern lighting and removed metal grilles above the screenline. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.24919, -78.79831 (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 88002344.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890994
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.