US Post Office-Rockville Centre
Also known as: Rockville Centre Post Office
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Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Rockville Centre's post office at 250 Merrick Road is a one-story brick building with limestone trim, designed in 1936 and completed in 1937-8 as part of the federal public works effort during the Great Depression. William Dewey Foster, a consulting architect hired by the Treasury's Office of the Supervising Architect, produced the design, and the Conrado DeGroodt Corporation built it. Its raised five-bay central pavilion, hip roof with slate tiles and balanced windows reflect a pared-down Colonial Revival, while the plain facade, long windows and geometric lamps and railings recall Art Deco and International styles. Foster usually worked in a more traditional Colonial Revival, so this design was unusual among his ten New York State post offices. It may have influenced smaller post offices in Frankfort, Middleport, Lake George and Westhampton Beach. Inside, the lobby keeps original marble, plaster, metal and terrazzo, along with four shaped murals painted by Victor White in 1939 for the Treasury's Section of Fine Arts.
Significance in brief: The building is presented as an intact, representative example of federal architecture from the Depression-era public works program. Its design is a very refined, simplified Colonial Revival that also shows Art Deco and International style influences. It is an atypical work by Foster and may have influenced four smaller New York post offices. It also holds four 1939 murals by Victor White.
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 88002425, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 250 Merrick Rd., Rockville Centre |
|---|---|
| County | Nassau County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002425 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William Dewey Foster, Consulting Architect; built by Conrado DeGroodt Corporation |
| Architectural style | Simplified Colonial Revival with Art Deco and International style influences |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition and altered, with the exterior and interior retaining integrity; the form marks it as occupied. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.65610, -73.64626 (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 88002425.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891041
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.