US Post Office-Dansville
Also known as: Dansville Post Office
Why it's listed
Dansville's post office, at 100 Main Street, is a brick Colonial Revival building with limestone trim and a slate hip roof. Designed in 1932 by Rochester architect Charles A. Carpenter, working as a consulting architect to the Treasury Department's Supervising Architect, it was built by Rosen & Fischel and finished in July 1933. It was one of many New York post offices authorized to relieve Depression-era unemployment. Where most post offices of the era followed standardized plans, Carpenter had some design freedom. The nine-bay facade has a pedimented portico with slender limestone piers and brick arches, a swan's-neck pediment over the door, a modillioned cornice, a stepped balustraded parapet and blind arches above the windows. Inside, the large public lobby has marble wainscot, a checkerboard marble floor, shouldered wood window surrounds and original lockboxes. The government bought the site in 1932 for $40,000 and cleared the buildings on it. The building is valued as a refined example of its style.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a distinguished example of Colonial Revival public architecture in New York State. Unlike most post offices of the period, it was designed by a consulting architect rather than from a standardized Supervising Architect plan, allowing more design freedom. Its arcaded portico, stepped parapet, blind arches and limestone decoration are cited as sophisticated and unusual features.
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 88002476, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 100 Main St., Dansville |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002476 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1932-3 |
| Architect / builder | Charles A. Carpenter, Consulting Architect; built by Rosen & Fischel, building contractors |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (Georgian-inspired, Neo-Georgian elements) |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and the building is occupied; it is a federally owned post office with a modern mailing platform and rear wing. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Dansville Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.55980, -77.69411 (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 88002476.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890934
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.