US Post Office-Watkins Glen
Also known as: Watkins Glen 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
Built between 1934 and December 1935, this red brick post office at 600 North Franklin Street serves the village of Watkins Glen. It is a one-story, steel-frame building with a flat roof, stone coping, and a projecting three-bay central entrance flanked by large steel-sash windows. Its design is a restrained Colonial Revival, with Art Deco-inspired touches such as a stylized egg-and-dart beltcourse, fluted coping, and stone capitals on brick piers. Original Grecian-style iron lampposts still flank the entrance steps, and the lobby keeps terrazzo floors and plaster and wood details. Congress authorized the building in 1931 as part of Depression-era public works, and construction began after the Van Allen property was acquired in 1934. The design came from the office of Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon, and Agostini Brothers held the construction contract. It is valued as an intact example of standardized federal post office design in New York State during the 1930s.
Significance in brief: It is argued to be an intact representative example of federal Depression-era public works architecture in New York State. Its design is a simplified Colonial Revival with Art Deco-inspired ornament, reflecting the standardized post office designs of Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon. The building has been well maintained and retains most of its original integrity.
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 88002443, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 600 N. Franklin St., Watkins Glen |
|---|---|
| County | Schuyler County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002443 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1934-5 |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Agostini Brothers (construction contract) |
| Architectural style | Simplified Colonial Revival with Art Deco-inspired detail |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in good condition, and still publicly owned and used as a post office; exterior integrity is described as high. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37915, -76.87231 (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 88002443.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891060
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.