US Post Office-Waverly
Also known as: Waverly Post Office
Why it's listed
Built between December 1936 and October 1937, this post office on Waverly Street in Waverly, Tioga County, is a one-story, five-bay building with a steel frame and buff brick walls under a flat roof edged in stone coping. Its center section is faced in vertically scalloped limestone, a feature that sets it apart from most 1930s New York post offices. The design is a stripped-down Colonial Revival, with Art Deco and Moderne touches such as bare surfaces and no cornice. Louis A. Simon's Treasury office produced the plans, and the same design was nearly repeated at Suffern, New York. Congress authorized the building in 1931 as part of Depression-era public works, and it replaced three two-story houses. Inside, the lobby keeps its tile floor and wainscoting, dark woodwork and narrow teller windows. Above the postmaster's office door hangs a 1939 canvas mural by Musa McKim, "Spanish Hill and the Early Inhabitants of the Vicinity." The building remains in use and retains most of its original character.
Significance in brief: The building is an intact example of federal architecture produced by Depression-era public works programs. Its austere Colonial Revival design also shows Art Deco and Moderne influences, including a central entrance of vertically scalloped limestone. It also holds a well-preserved 1939 mural by Musa McKim, commissioned by 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 88002444, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 434--348 Waverly St., Waverly |
|---|---|
| County | Tioga County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002444 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; William F. Sutter of Nescopeck, Pennsylvania, general contractor |
| Architectural style | Austere Colonial Revival with Art Deco and Moderne influences |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in government use as a post office; described as well maintained and retaining most of its original integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.00214, -76.54015 (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 88002444.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14707574
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.