US Post Office-Freeport
Also known as: Freeport Post Office
Why it's listed
Freeport's post office, at 132 Merrick Road, is a two-story brick building trimmed with limestone, designed in the Colonial Revival style and completed in 1933. Its brickwork is laid in Flemish bond, and its projecting entrance pavilion has three round-arched openings with fanlights, paired Composite columns and a balustrade. Inside, the lobby has marble floors, terra-cotta walls and a barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling. It was one of 136 new post offices and extensions planned in New York State under a 1931 amendment to the Public Buildings Act of 1926, a Depression-era public works effort. The New York firm Tachau & Vought designed it as consulting architects to the Treasury's Supervising Architect, and it is the only post office in the state known to be their work. The lobby also holds two murals by William Gropper, "Air Mail" and "Suburban Post in Winter," painted in 1936 and installed in 1938 through the Treasury Relief Art Project. A small 1974-5 addition on the east side is not historic.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an outstanding example of 1930s Depression-era federal architecture in the Colonial Revival style. It is the only New York State post office known to be designed by Tachau & Vought, consulting architects to the Supervising Architect of the Treasury. It also contains two 1930s murals by William Gropper, commissioned by the Treasury Relief Art Project.
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 88002517, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 132 Merrick Rd., Freeport |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002517 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1932-3; 1936) |
| Architect / builder | Tachau and Vought, Consulting Architects; built by John J. Hearn Construction Company of New York |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in good condition, and retaining integrity on the exterior and interior despite some alterations; it is publicly owned and used for government purposes. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.65366, -73.58575 (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 88002517.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890953
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.