US Post Office-Amsterdam
Also known as: Amsterdam Post Office
Why it's listed
Located in Amsterdam's commercial and civic center at Church and Federal Streets, this post office was built in 1935-36 by Ring Construction Company at a cost of $171,920. It replaced an earlier 1910-11 post office that was inconveniently sited away from the business district. Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect of the Treasury, designed it in the Colonial Revival style. The two-and-one-half-story red brick building is laid in Flemish bond and has one-story side wings, a three-arch limestone loggia, brick quoins, limestone roundels and a truncated gable roof with Chinese Chippendale railings. Its decoration is more elaborate than most 1930s post offices in New York State. Inside, the lobby has been largely altered, but the terrazzo floor and marble baseboard remain. Two murals by Henry Schnakenberg, installed in 1939 under the Treasury's Section of Fine Arts, depict a canal packet boat and Sir William Johnson meeting with local Indians.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is an outstanding Colonial Revival public building and a very fine example of the moderate-size post offices built in small American cities during the 1930s. It is distinguished by unusually exuberant decoration, including a parapeted gable roof, ridge railings and limestone detail. It also holds two well-preserved 1939 murals by Henry Schnakenberg.
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 88002451, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 12--16 Church St., Amsterdam |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002451 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1935-6; 1939) |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; built by Ring Construction Company |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Exterior retains a high degree of integrity; interior lobby substantially altered except the terrazzo floor and marble baseboard. Murals are in good condition, restored in the 1970s. Property is listed as occupied and in government use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.93716, -74.19143 (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 88002451.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890904
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.