US Post Office-Lancaster
Also known as: Lancaster Post Office
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Why it's listed
Built in 1938-9, this brick post office on Broadway sits in the center of Lancaster's business district, across from the 1940 Art Deco village hall. Designed under Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon, it is a modest Colonial Revival building with Flemish bond brickwork, limestone trim, a slate hip roof and an octagonal cupola. Three recessed central bays between plain limestone pilasters point to Greek Revival precedents, a feature shared with six nearly identical post offices in New York State. Congress authorized the building in 1931 as part of Depression-era public works, and the site was cleared and Broadway widened so the post office could stand near a new village hall. Inside, the lobby retains terrazzo floors, marble wainscoting and woodwork. A 1940 mural by Arthur Getz, "Early Commerce in the Erie Canal Region," hangs over the postmaster's office door. The exterior remains largely intact, while the interior has been somewhat altered.
Significance in brief: It is an intact representative example of federal Depression-era public works architecture, with simplified Colonial Revival design that alludes to Greek Revival forms. It is one of seven virtually identical post offices designed by Louis A. Simon in New York between 1935 and 1942. It also contains a 1940 mural by Arthur Getz 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 88002340, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5064 Broadway, Lancaster |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002340 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (simplified, emphasizing Greek Revival precedents) |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as well maintained, with a high degree of exterior integrity and somewhat altered interior lobby; listed as occupied and in government use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.90028, -78.67111 (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 88002340.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890987
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.