US Post Office-Cortland
Also known as: Cortland Post Office
Why it's listed
Located at 88 Main Street in Cortland, this post office is a one-story limestone building with a raised granite foundation, a denticulated cornice and a paneled parapet. The southern five bays were built in 1913-15 to a design credited to Oscar Wenderoth, who served briefly as Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department. In 1940-41 seven bays and an identical three-bay entrance pavilion were added, producing an eleven-bay facade that looks unified. Inside, a monumental marble lobby was remodeled during that expansion. Its south end carries a painted wood relief, "Valley of the Seven Hills," made by Ryah Ludins in 1942-43 for the Treasury's Section of Fine Arts. The building is valued as a refined Neoclassical example that predates the plainer classicism of later federal post offices, and it complements the public and institutional buildings around it in the Tompkins Street/Main Street Historic District. Few New York post offices received such a large extension.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an outstanding example of a Neoclassical public building in New York State, reflecting the Treasury Department's early twentieth-century policy of individualized designs and fine materials. The 1940-41 extension nearly duplicated the original and is virtually indistinguishable from it. The lobby also holds a painted wood relief by Ryah Ludins, one of the last works commissioned by the Treasury'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 88002475, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 88 Main St., Cortland |
|---|---|
| County | Cortland County |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002475 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1913-5; 1940-1; 1942-3) |
| Architect / builder | Oscar Wenderoth, Supervising Architect |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in good condition, and owned by the public (United States Postal Service). The screenline was recently altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.59828, -76.18054 (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 88002475.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890933
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.