US Post Office-Goshen
Also known as: Goshen Post Office
Why it's listed
Goshen's post office sits on the north side of Grand Street, near the downtown business district. Built in 1935-36 on the site of the St. Elmo Hotel, which burned in 1920, it is a five-bay, steel-frame building clad in brick, with a steep slate gable roof and an octagonal cupola with a copper dome. A three-bay pedimented central pavilion holds the entrance, which has round-arched openings and a denticulated broken pediment. Congress authorized the building in 1931 as part of a Depression-era public works program, and Samuel Plato won the construction contract under an $85,000 authorization. E. P. Valkenburgh, a consulting architect to the Supervising Architect of the Treasury, designed it in a refined Colonial Revival manner. Inside, the lobby keeps its terrazzo floors, wood wainscot and coved ceiling. A 1937 mural by Georgina Klitgaard, titled "The Running of the Hambletonian Stake," depicts harness racing at Good Time Park in Goshen.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact, representative example of federal Depression-era public works architecture in the Colonial Revival style, with finer detailing than many of New York State's more restrained post offices. It also holds a well-preserved 1937 mural by Georgina Klitgaard, painted for 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 88002527, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Grand St., Goshen |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002527 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | E. P. Valkenburgh, consulting architect; Samuel Plato, building contractor |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, well maintained and retaining a high degree of integrity inside and out; still used as a post office. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.40218, -74.32584 (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 88002527.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1563370
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.