Nomination for US Post Office--Beverly Main

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-306 (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES RECEIVED APR 3 0 1986 INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED 6-4-6G FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS NAME HISTORIC United States Post Office AND/OR COMMON Beverly Main Post Office LOCATION STREET & NUMBER 161 Rantoul Street CITY. TOWN Beverly STATE Massachusetts 01915.

CLASSIFICATION N/A VICINITY OF CODE 0100 N/NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Sixth Congressional District COUNTY CODE Essex 009 CATEGORY _DISTRICT XBUILDING(S) -STRUCTURE SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP XPUBLIC -PRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION N/AIN PROCESSR -BEING CONSIDERED STATUS XOCCUPIED -UNOCCUPIED _WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE XYES: RESTRICTED - YES: UNRESTRICTED _NO PRESENT USE -AGRICULTURE -MUSEUM _COMMERCIAL PARK -EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENCE _ENTERTAINMENT -RELIGIOUS XGOVERNMENT _SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL _TRANSPORTATION MILITARY _OTHER: AGENCY REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS: (If applicable) New England Real Estate and Buildings Office STREET & NUMBER 1050 Waltham Street CITY. TOWN Lexington N/A VICINITY OF LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION STATE Massachusetts 02173 COURTHOUSE.

REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC STREET & NUMBER Registry of Deeds, Salem Probate Courthouse 36 Federal Street CIY.TOWN Salem STATE Massachusetts 01970 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE None DATE _FEDERAL _STATE COUNTY - LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN STATE 7 DESCRIPTION XEXCELLENT _GOOD -FAIR CONDITIONC -DETERIORATED _RUINS _UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE _UNALTERED XALTERED CHECK ONE XORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

_LOCAL CONTEXT_ The Beverly Post Office is located several blocks southwest of the city's commercial district on Rantoul Street, between Broadway Street and Railroad Avenue. Its site gently slopes down from the front elevation towards Odell Park, a landscaped city block across the street. On the park's opposite side, facing the post office, is the railroad station. Adjacent to the building are small retail and variety shops, two car dealerships, and an apartment block. It appears that urban development projected in 1910 did not materialize, leaving the office within this low-grade commercial area. _PHYSICAL APPREARANCE_ This Ohio sandstone building and its corner lot are in very good condition. The Post Office is centered on the front portion of the site with sided vehicle maneuvering areas accessible to the side streets.

The site is landscaped with lawn and shrubs; the back half is surrounded by a chain-link fence. In plan, the building has a public lobby flanked by the Assistant Postmaster's office to the right and a secondary entry to the left, leading to the Postmaster's office. Behind is the workroom with the mail vestibule and platform off to the left. Thirteen wide granite steps, with granite wing walls featuring iron lampposts, mark the main entry. The front (northwest) elevation is a nine-bay structure with a seven-bay centered lobby pavilion. Six Tuscan columns support the loggia's unornamented entablature with denticulated cornice, which surround the entire original structure. The portico's soffit consists of a series of sandstone beams with recessed infill plaster panels; each panel contains a spherical fixture while the center panel supports an oversized cylindrical brass and glass lantern.

The recessed lobby wall employs careful alignment of large casement windows separated by sandstone pilasters. The replacement aluminum doors are set below a bowed wood lintel. Flanking the loggia are single bays containing a blind panel with smaller festooned panel above. Recessed end wings contain one wood framed, double-hung, 9/9 light window with flat projecting lintels, stone sills and decorative consoles. A solid sandstone parapet caps the main portico with rectangular panels repeating the window and column rhythm below. The front elevation is topped with three wood-trimmed, fixed sash dormers projecting from the now shingled gable roof. The ridge tower has an open octangonal wood balustrade with urns and an open wood columned belfry with parquetry ceiling, topped by a gold-leaf, copper cupola.

The northeast and southwest side elevations are similar in appearance to the front facade. A flat roof covers the flanking end: bays below the gavled end and its arched attic window. A secondary entry is on the northeast side; it has a granite stairway, flanking torch lights, bowed lintel, and small window above. The rear elevation, once denoted NPS Form10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Continuation sheet BEVERLY MAIN POST OFFICE Item number 7 Page 2 by five recessed bay panels with raised pilaster portico delivery entry, was replaced in 1935 with a buff-colored brick extension with quoins, a sandstone entablature, and large double-hung windows.

The mail platform is on the northeast side and truck docks are to the southwest. One enters from Rantoul Street through an oak revolving door shell into the two-story high public lobby. It has a vaulted plaster ceiling with coffers and cornicing, a terrazzo floor with a thin band of Genesee light green marble and wide one of Victoria pink Tennessee marble, a green brocadillo marble wainscot and base, plaster walls, marble stools, and flat plaster pilasters with marble pedestals framing each bay. The service screen contains three service counters, mail slots, and three bays of boxes. Above each is a large pivoting oak frame and glass panel window. The left side has an oak and glass partition separating the lobby from the Postmaster's vestibule (and side entry). This space has a plaster domed ceiling, oak wood revolving door shell, and highly carved arched door trimming.

ALTERATIONS - In addition to the 1935 extension, the service screen functions have been switched and two skylights in the workroom and a high vaulted area on the work side of the service screen have been covered over. Revolving doors were installed sometime between original construction and alteration dates.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW PREHISTORIC -ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC COMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE 1400-1499 ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION -LAW 1500-1599 AGRICULTURE -_ECONOMICS -LITERATURE 1600-1699 XARCHITECTURE -EDUCATION _MILITARY -1700-1799 ART -ENGINEERING _MUSIC _1800-1899 _COMMERCE -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT -PHILOSOPHY X1900- -COMMUNICATIONS -INDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT -INVENTION -RELIGION SCIENCE _SCULPTURE -SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _THEATER TRANSPORTATION -OTHER (SPECIEVI Construction Began: Oct. 1910 James Knox Taylor - Architect SPECIFIC DATES Dedication: July 12, 1912 BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECTHenry Merritt Wallis - Builder STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Overlooking 0dell Park and the railroad station, the Beverly Main Post Office building is an important landmark in Beverly. Built in 1910-1911, it is architecturally significant as a Federal Government building representative of the early 20th Century construction and design tenents of the U.S. Treasury Department. In addition, it is significant as one of the later works of James Knox Taylor's tenure as U.S. Supervising Architect (1897-1912). Individualism of design, high quality materials and symbolic content were the hallmarks of Post Offices built during the Taylor years. James Knox Taylor (1857-?) was born in Knoxville, Illinois. He attended M.I.T. from 1877-1879. During the 1880's and 1890's he was employed in private practice in New York, St. Paul and Philadelphia.

In 1895 he began work as a draftsman in the office of the U.S. Supervising Architect in Washington, D.C. He was appointed Supervisory Architect in 1897. During his tenure the number of buildings under Treasury Department control increased from 399 in 1899 to 1,126 in 1912. Most of the Post Offices outside major cities after 1904 were designed within the Treasury Department. Examples of Taylor's works included U.S. Government buildings at the Trans Mississippi Exhibition (1897) and Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904-05). Taylor's Boston area post offices included buildings at Brockton, Ma (1898), Fitchburg, MA (1901), Lawrence, MA (1905), and Chelsea, MA (1912). After 1912, Taylor became the Director of the Department of Architecture at M.I.T.

Stylistically, the Beverly Main Post Office is an unusual,highly successful marriage of Classical tradition with the Colonial Revival (Georgian) style. Its main facade is dominated by a monumental Turcan columned loggia. The cupola topped gable roof with its three Colonial Revival dormers strikes a domestic note which contrasts with the formation of the main facade. It was stated in the Beverly Evening Times (7/13/1912) that the "Beverly Post Office was designed especially for Beverly and is the first of this type - a one story building with pitch roof to be built by the U.S. Government. The norm for this type of building was generally one story with a flat roof." Constructed of Ohio Sanditone with a Chelmsford granite base, this buildings' material illustrates Taylor's advocacy of employing only high quality materials in Post Office construction.

After 1915, when government building design became less individual and more economical and standardized, greater efforts were made to utilize local building materials rather than expensive imported stone. The lobby for this building was furnished with marble wainscotting, plaster cornices and a marble floor bordered with pink and green marble. The Beverly Main Post Office represents the "return to classicism" advocated by James Knox Taylor. The ascendancy of classicism in architecture was a national trend

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES History of Post Office Construction July 1900-1940, July 1982 "Beverly Evening Times", July 13, 1912 - May 20, 1911 - pages 1, 3, 6; May 22, 1911 Beverly Main Post Office - Who's was Who in America - James Knox Taylor - pgs.

1 5 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY UTM REFERENCES 0.526 AL1,9 | |3 1415|21810 14,711,210,3,5J ZONE EASTING NORTHING LiliLud TONE TASTIN NORTHIN -uLhiLdbiiLu VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION North to Southwest, 185' along Rantoul Street Vorthwest to Southeast, 110' along Railroad Avenue Southwest to Norht, 40' from Railroad Avenue along rear lot line Northwest to East, 36.4' along Railroad Avenue Southwest to Northeast, 148.76 along rear lot line East to Northwest, 141' along Broadway Street LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE Steven M. Smith, Project Manager ORGANIZATION SULLIVAN DESIGN GROUP, INC.

STREET & NUMBER 44 Adams Street CITY OR TOWN Braintree DATE September 24, 1985 TELEPHONE (617) 848-1545 STATE Massachusetts 02184 CERTIFICATION OF NOMINATION STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER RECOMMENDATION YES_X NO Vdluu Ialmace STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE In compliance with Executive Order 11593, I hereby nominate this property to the National Register, certifying that the State Historic Preservation Officer has been allowed 90 days in which to present the nomination to the State Review Board and to evaluate its significance. The evaluated level of significance is. _State ALocal. FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE TITLE DATE 4/15/66 FOR NPS USE ONLY EREBY CERT)FY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER atridetndins DIRECTOR.

OFFICE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ATTEST: DATE 6/4/86 DATE KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 899-214 NPS form 10:00a (3-62) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Exp. 10-31-84" Continuation sheet Beverly Main Post Office Item number 8 Page 2 with roots in the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. Both Classical and Colonial Revival design was utilized in Federal government buildings to "express classical and democratic ideals and to symbolize power, organization and constitutionalization." The contract for the Beverly Main Post office was awarded in September, 1910. The Foster building, a three story wooden structure, was removed from the site.

cornerstone was laid May 20, 1911; it reads "Franklin MacVeagh, Secretary of the Treasury; James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect, MCMX." It was officially dedicated on July 12, 1912. Congressman Augustus P. Gardner is credited with introducing the bill to provide further purchase of the site and erection of the building on January 12, 1903. The appropriation for the Beverly Post Office was $20,000.00 for the land and $75,000.00 for the building. The Beverly Main Post Office building was constructed during prosperous times in Beverly. Congressman Gardner noted that "when [this Post Office] is completed, it will be sufficiently large to care for the increase in business of Beverly with a population of 75,000 people." Its construction apparently provided jobs for workers associated with Beverly's seasonal shipbuilding trades.

In 1911, 173 building permits were issued in Beverly with a total construction value of $950,000.00. In addition, newspaper articles deemed the financial outlook as "good" for shoe manufactures, an important local industry. In 1935, a buff colored brick extension was added to this building under the auspices of the Public Works Administration (P.W.A.). PARKING RESIDENCE RETAIL GAS VARIETY WAREHOUSE APARTMENT BUILDING 148.76' 36.4% 40' 141' 110' BROAD 185' RANTOUL STREET PARKING ODELL PARK UNITED STATES POST OFFICE - BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS PARKING 1- Public Lobby 2- Postmaster's Office 3- Asst. Postmaster 4- Superintendent of Mail 5- Workroom 6- Mail Platform AUTO BODY SHOP AUTOMOBILE DEALER RETAIL RETAIL OFFICE N ASO Form - 17 R" June 198 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 86001210 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET U.S.

Post Office-Beverly Main Essex County MASSACHUSETTS SubstanEiva Hevien resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: K sample Lrequest Lappeal Reviewer's comments: puxeresting cocally. signujicant ekample - academic cclecticsm exccuted in ombination of Classical + Colonial Revival modes. Working No. APR 3 0 1986 Fed. Reg. Date: 2/3/87 3/30/16= 6/17/86 Action: KACCEPT - 6-4-86 -RETURN _ REJECT Federal Agency: - U.S.P.S. -NR decision Recom./Criteria accept ( Reviewer - aroase Wistory Date. - see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _ technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7.

Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one J unaltered J altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one -original site moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect summary paragraph completenesel 0 E clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: _national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other Maps - Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed Date Phone: Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Beverly Post Office BEVERLY MAIN POST OFFICE Beverly, MA David R. Hooker Earl R. Flansburgh and Assoc. August 1982 Front elevation Beverly Post Office BEVERLY MAIN POST OFFICE Beverly, MA David R. Hooker Earl R. Flansburgh and Assoc. August 1982 Front elevation. Left view BEVERLY MAIN POST OFFICE Beverly, MA David R. Hooker Earl R. Flansburgh and Assoc. August 1982 Front elevation. Right view Beverly Post Office BEVERLY MAIN POST OFFICE Beverly, MA David R. Hooker Earl R. Flansburgh and Assoc.

August 1982 Lobby Beverly Post Office L060 N'COMANT BEKGIAN GROVE $ch AINTERCHAN Porter Por Oran dio Towers e (WMLO) NTERCHAI Danys Waters 'Bnai Brith: Cem Rive Gheisea Cem Ist Jogenh - Schnvorty Seeglit -Jr Hieh 8e BODYAST YATA Liorar 1 3pmi 0ld Soutt Sch Villiam 0 BM 186 TARY osters Pt- Danvers GolkSourse Petei Point Golt Course,o CSrMasys Cemetéry Bates Greenlawn Cemetery Fenwic High Sch O1 /Harmony Grow Cemetery A9 IROSXON Morg Paik Hid Pumg thre PINTERCHANGE N9 JNTERCHAN : 4715 BMA 87 St Cem RO RD River St Johna Sch Memorial High Sch Winelow Golf Course High Sch lospi Shoe Pond BM 244 Pleyground Briaco Ir High Scl (MARBLEHEAD NORTH) 6869 11I SE BM: 144 Prospe Yashinzton TGreen Bass Salters Rive Kernwood Park 32'30 aM15 - Hi ? Lobster Rocks Pt BEVERLY -4711 HARBOR iFort Lee North BOSTON BM Collins Bentley Tidat Sei Ffat -OR Satem pieak 14710 20 Salem Common x.

-Salem Termina 3 What (Hall Sch Matitime Mat Hisfporiesite TERD 4709 GATES POSTA = U.S.MAIL ***** UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE Real Estate and Buildings Department 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20260-6400 April 24, 1986 Ms. Carol D. Shull Chief of Registration National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Department of Interior Washington, D.C. 20240-1002 Dear Ms. Shull: The Postal Service hereby submits a nomination for the post office located at 161 Rantoul Street, Essex County, Beverly, Massachusetts 01915. If you have any questions concerning this nomination, please call me at 202/268-3107. Sincerely, mechaels.Kunstadt pon Jonn S. Sorenson Realty Specialist, Senior Realty Management Division Office of Real Estate Enclosure APR 30 1986 FIELD REAL ESTATE AND BUILDINGS OFFICE P.O. Bax 324 Laxington. MA 02173-032 August 19, 1965 The Honorable F.

John Manahan ayor, City of Beverl everly City Hal 191 Cabot Street Beverly, MA 01915 Dear Mayor Monahan: The U.S. Postal Service in oonjunction with the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Officer in Boston has evaluated the Main Post Office in Beverly and has determined it is significant fron an historical viewpoint. In view of the above evaluation, the U.S. Postal Service intends to nominate this building to the National Register of Historic Places. We would, prior to our taking formal action, appreciate receiving your concurrence. If you concur with our proposed action, kindly retur a signed copy of this letter in the enclosed envelope. Sincerely, Gregory Gilleland General Manager Concur: Enclosures JPC/1jr