US Post Office-Whitehall
Also known as: Whitehall Post Office
Why it's listed
Whitehall's post office is a modest one-story building at 88 Broadway, near the Champlain Canal and the railroad. Completed in 1938 to designs from the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury under Louis A. Simon, it is clad in red brick with a slate gable roof, boxed wood cornice, recessed window panels and a small cupola. Its three-bay front with a side entrance sets it apart from the more common five-bay, center-entrance post offices. The same design was used at Painted Post. Inside, the lobby has marble wainscot, a terrazzo floor and original lockboxes. Above the entrance hangs Axel Horn's 1939 mural, Settlement of Skenesborough, which shows early settlers trying to build a campfire; the Section of Fine Arts rejected Horn's first idea, a scene with Captain Skene, as too controversial. The building represents Depression-era federal construction, simplified Colonial Revival design and the New Deal art program, and it retains much of its original character.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an intact, representative example of the small Colonial Revival federal buildings erected as Depression-era public works. Its three-bay, side-entrance design is among the smallest post office designs built in New York State before 1942. It also holds a well-preserved 1939 mural by Axel Horn, commissioned through 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 88002447, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 88 Broadway, Whitehall |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002447 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1937- |
| Architect / builder | Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect, Treasury Department; contract awarded to Sofarelli Brothers of Jamaica, New York |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in good condition; retains a high degree of exterior and interior integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.55353, -73.40403 (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 88002447.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891065
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.