US Post Office-Jamaica Main
Also known as: Jamaica Main Post Office
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
Jamaica's main post office, at 88-40 164th Street in Queens, is a two-story Colonial Revival building completed in 1932-34. Its Old Virginia red brick walls, laid in Flemish bond, rise from a gray granite base and are trimmed in white marble. A four-column Ionic portico with a carved eagle pediment marks the entrance, and arched first-floor windows hold Gothic-style sash. Inside, the lobby is clad in golden St. Genevieve marble, with terrazzo floors and original bronze eagle lamps. The building was designed by Cross & Cross, a New York firm better known for houses, clubs and apartment buildings, and built by the Rego Building Corporation. It was one of the first post offices designed by a consulting architect under a 1930 amendment meant to ease architects' unemployment during the Depression. It is the largest post office in Queens County, built with $800,000 in federal funds after a five-year local effort, and it keeps most of its original form.
Significance in brief: It is architecturally significant as one of a small number of important New York State post offices of the 1930s designed by a prestigious private firm rather than the Treasury's Supervising Architect. It is one of two post offices in New York City by Cross & Cross and the largest post office in Queens. It retains much of its original form and serves as a symbol of the federal presence in Queens.
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 88002335, listed November 17, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 88-40 164th St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | November 17, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002335 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1932-34 |
| Architect / builder | Cross and Cross (architects); Rego Building Corporation (builder) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in government use as the Jamaica Main Post Office; the exterior retains almost complete integrity and the interior retains a high degree of integrity despite recent alterations. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 40.76124, -73.80182 (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 88002335.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7890979
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.