US Post Office-New Rochelle
Also known as: New Rochelle Post Office
Why it's listed
This one-story post office at 225 North Avenue in New Rochelle, New York, was built between 1936 and 1938 as part of federal public building programs meant to relieve Depression-era unemployment. Frederick G. Frost designed it with Hart & Shape as associate architects. It was originally an Art Moderne building with terra-cotta walls, but the terra cotta was later replaced with orange-red brick, and the lobby was remodeled and partly subdivided. What remains most significant is a set of three murals painted by David Hutchinson and installed in 1940 through the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. The large central mural shows French Huguenots building log cabins, another depicts John Pell receiving payment for 6,000 acres, and a third shows a post rider bringing news of the Battle of Lexington. The central panel measures about six by thirty-three and a half feet, making the group unusually large for a post office. The murals are the basis for the listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant for its intact group of three Depression-era murals painted by David Hutchinson in 1940 under the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. The murals are notable for their large size and irregular shape, made to fit the lobby, and they show local history. The building itself lost much of its design and material integrity, so it is not nominated for architecture.
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 88002368, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 255 North Ave., New Rochelle |
|---|---|
| County | Westchester County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002368 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Frost; Hart & Shape, architects; David Hutchinson, artist |
| Architectural style | Art Moderne (as originally built) |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in good condition, in government use by the U.S. Postal Service. The exterior brick replaced the original terra-cotta, and the lobby has been altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.91147, -73.78177 (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 88002368.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7891006
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.