US Post Office-Oxford
Also known as: Oxford Post Office
Why it's listed
Built in 1939-40 on South Washington Avenue in Oxford, New York, this red brick post office is a one-story, five-bay building with a slate hipped roof and a segmentally arched central entry topped by a cast-metal eagle. Brick corbelling and radiating voussoirs give the facade a restrained Colonial Revival character. It follows a standard design by Louis A. Simon of the Treasury Department and has four nearly identical counterparts elsewhere in the state, in Scotia, Akron, Middleburgh and Horseheads. Inside, the L-shaped lobby keeps its terrazzo floors, marble wainscoting, wood teller openings and a 1941 mural by Mordi Gassner, titled Family Reunion on Clark Island: Spring 1791. The mural shows the arrival of the Blackman family, early settlers of Oxford. The building was part of the federal construction program of the Great Depression, and it remains well maintained and largely unaltered inside and out. It also contributes to the Oxford Village Historic District.
Significance in brief: It is an intact example of Depression-era federal post office architecture in the Colonial Revival style, designed under Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon. It is one of five nearly identical post offices built in New York State between 1939 and 1941. It also holds a well-preserved 1941 mural by Mordi Gassner, commissioned by 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 88002392, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S. Washington Ave., Oxford |
|---|---|
| County | Chenango County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002392 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Smythe and Company, general contractors |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition and occupied, with a high degree of exterior and interior integrity; it remains a government-owned post office. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Oxford Village Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.44237, -75.59858 (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 88002392.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891020
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.