US Post Office-Depew
Also known as: Depew Post Office
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Why it's listed
This one-story, five-bay brick post office on Warsaw Street in Depew, Erie County, was built in 1938-9 during the Great Depression, when the federal government expanded post office construction to offset unemployment. The site was bought for $5,000 in October 1938, and Mutual Construction Company of New York City built it under a $45,990 contract. Designed under Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon, it has red brick walls laid in common bond, a copper-clad hipped roof, and three recessed central bays divided by limestone pilasters beneath a plain limestone frieze. That treatment gives a Colonial Revival building a Greek Revival character and links it to six other nearly identical New York post offices. Inside, the lobby was altered in the 1980s but keeps terrazzo flooring and some marble wainscoting. Above the postmaster's office hangs the 1941 mural "Beginning the Day" by Anne Poor, commissioned through the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. The building is valued for its architecture and its art.
Significance in brief: It is an intact example of Depression-era federal architecture in a simplified Colonial Revival style with Greek Revival references, and is one of seven nearly identical post offices built in New York State between 1935 and 1942. It also holds a well-preserved 1941 mural by Anne Poor, 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 88002481, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Warsaw St., Depew |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002481 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1938-9; 1941) |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, emphasizing Greek Revival precedents |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and well maintained; the exterior retains a high degree of integrity, while the interior lobby was considerably altered in the early 1980s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.90394, -78.68996 (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 88002481.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890937
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.