US Post Office-Riverhead
Also known as: Riverhead Post Office
Why it's listed
Built in 1935 at 23 West Second Street, the Riverhead Post Office is a one-story, five-bay brick building on a steel frame, with a limestone watertable, flat roof and brick parapet. Its main facade centers on three recessed arched doorways with molded wood archivolts and fanlights, flanked by original wrought-iron lanterns, with brick quoins at the corners. Inside, the L-shaped lobby keeps its terrazzo floor, quarry tile wainscot, plaster cornice and original pendant lamps. The building was authorized by Congress in 1931 under a Public Buildings Act amendment meant to ease Depression unemployment. Graves-Quinn Corporation completed it in December 1935 for about $75,000. Its design came from the office of Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon, whose standardized Colonial Revival plans shaped many 1930s post offices in New York State. Riverhead's version is unusual because all three central bays serve as entrances. It was recognized as an intact example of that federal building program.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact, representative example of federal architecture built as part of Great Depression public works programs. Its simplified Colonial Revival design reflects the standardized post office designs of the 1930s. It is also unusual among similar post offices because all three central bays hold entrances rather than an entrance flanked by windows.
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 88002424, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 23 W. Second St., Riverhead |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002424 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1935 |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Graves-Quinn Corporation of New York City (construction contractor) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (modestly scaled, simplified version) |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in good condition; the form says it retains a high degree of integrity inside and out, and the postal service uses it. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Second and Ostrander Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.91837, -72.66350 (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 88002424.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891039
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.