US Post Office-Dolgeville
Also known as: Dolgeville Post Office
Why it's listed
Dolgeville's post office at 41 South Main Street is a one-story brick building completed in January 1940 and dedicated that July. Authorized in 1931 as part of a federal public buildings program meant to counter Depression unemployment, it was built for $90,000 to a design from the Treasury's Supervising Architect office under Louis A. Simon. The front section has a slate hipped roof, limestone trim and a central entrance framed by recessed bays and plain pilasters. A rear workroom section has a flat roof. The design is one of seven nearly identical post offices built in New York State between 1935 and 1942, and it leans on Greek Revival forms within a restrained Colonial Revival approach. Inside, the lobby retains wood, marble and terrazzo details and a 1940 true fresco, "Underground Railroad," by James Michael Newell. It depicts freedom seekers arriving at a local station on the Brockett farm. The building remains well preserved.
Significance in brief: It is an intact example of Depression-era federal public works architecture, in a simplified Colonial Revival design with Greek Revival references. It is one of seven virtually identical post offices built in New York State between 1935 and 1942. It also contains a 1940 fresco mural, "Underground Railroad," by James Michael Newell, made 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 88002486, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 41 S. Main St., Dolgeville |
|---|---|
| County | Herkimer County |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002486 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1939-40 |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; William A. Sutter of Nescopeck, Pennsylvania (construction contractor) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (simplified, with Greek Revival precedents) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition and occupied, retaining a high degree of integrity inside and out; it is a government-owned post office. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.10043, -74.77238 (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 88002486.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14707558
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.