US Post Office-Forest Hills Station
Also known as: Forest Hills Station
Why it's listed
Forest Hills Station is a one-story post office on Queens Boulevard in Queens, built in 1937-38 during the Depression-era federal building program. Consulting architect Lorimer A. Rich gave it a flat roof, smooth walls, asymmetrical massing and little ornament, drawing on the International style. Its reddish-brown facade uses extruded terra cotta, an innovation of the 1930s that was cheaper than the limestone first specified and was used on only a few other New York State post offices. Above the entrance is a terra cotta relief, "Spirit of Communication," by Sten Jacobsson, one of the Treasury Department's commissioned artworks for post offices; local residents protested the nudity of its figure. Most post offices of the decade were Colonial Revival, so this streamlined design is unusual and probably influenced the nearby Woodhaven Station. The exterior remains largely intact, while the lobby was altered but keeps its terrazzo floor and marble walls.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to be a distinguished and unusual federal building in a streamlined, modern design derived from the International style. It is also noted for its extruded terra cotta facades, a new building technology, and for Sten Jacobsson's terra cotta relief sculpture. It is considered one of the finest small-scale modernistic federal buildings in New York State.
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 88002503, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 106-28 Queens Blvd., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002503 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1937-38 |
| Architect / builder | Lorimer Rich (consulting architect); C.H. Johannsen & Co. of New Jersey, general contractors |
| Architectural style | International style (streamlined modern) |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as a post office; exterior retains a high degree of integrity, interior lobby partly altered, workroom and mailing platform expanded in 1965-66. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.72170, -73.84693 (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 88002503.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890948
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.