US Post Office-Frankfort
Also known as: Frankfort Post Office
Why it's listed
Frankfort's post office, at 130 East Main Street, is a one-story brick building completed in June 1941 after construction began in November 1940. Samuel Plato was the general contractor, and the design came from the Office of the Supervising Architect under Louis A. Simon. A taller central pavilion with angled corners sits between two recessed wings, and the exterior has English-bond red brick, cast-stone trim, a slate hip roof and a segmentally arched entrance with a cast-metal eagle in the transom. The style is a very plain Colonial Revival with hints of Art Deco and Moderne. Identical designs were built in Middleport and Lake George, and a close variant in Westhampton Beach. Inside, the L-shaped lobby keeps its terrazzo floors, marble wainscot and oak trim. Above the postmaster's office door is an abstract wood relief titled "Growth," carved by Albert Wein in 1942 for the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. The building is valued as an intact example of Depression-era federal construction.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact, representative example of federal Depression-era public works architecture, built in a simplified Colonial Revival style with modernistic touches. It is one of three virtually identical Simon-designed post offices from 1940-41, with Middleport and Lake George. It also holds a 1942 wood relief by Albert Wein, commissioned through 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 88002512, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E. Main St., Frankfort |
|---|---|
| County | Herkimer County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002512 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1940-1942 |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Samuel Plato, general contractor |
| Architectural style | Extremely simplified Colonial Revival, with Art Deco and Moderne influences |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and well maintained; the building retains a high degree of integrity inside and out. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.03841, -75.07044 (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 88002512.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890952
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.