US Post Office-Fredonia
Also known as: Fredonia Post Office; See Also:Fredonia Commons Historic Dist
Why it's listed
Fredonia's post office at 21 Day Street is a one-story brick building completed in January 1936 after Congress authorized it in 1931 as part of Depression-era public works. Samuel Plato built it for $39,750 on the site of an early settler's frame home. The design came from the Treasury Department's Office of the Supervising Architect under Louis A. Simon and uses simplified Colonial Revival forms, including multi-paned sash, a gabled roof and a broken-arched pediment over the entrance. A projecting three-bay center and recessed end bays give the impression of a small Georgian pavilion with wings, which makes it one of the more unusual post office designs in the state. Inside, the lobby keeps its ceramic tile floors and wainscoting, metal grilles and screenline. A 1937 mural by Arnold Blanch, The Harvest, shows a local apple harvest. It was commissioned through the Treasury's Section of Fine Arts. The building is a contributing part of the Fredonia Commons Historic District.
Significance in brief: It is an intact example of the federal public-works architecture of the Great Depression, built in a simplified Colonial Revival style. Its massing, with a gabled three-bay center and recessed end bays, suggests a small Georgian pavilion with wings, which makes it an unusual post office design in New York State. It also contains a 1937 mural, The Harvest, by Arnold Blanch, painted for 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 88002515, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 21 Day St., Fredonia |
|---|---|
| County | Chautauqua County |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002515 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1935-6; 1937) |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; contractor Samuel Plato |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in good condition, and in government use; the building is described as well maintained and retaining a high degree of integrity inside and out. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Fredonia Commons Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.44115, -79.33228 (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 88002515.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890954
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.