Nomination for US Post Office--Salem 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 RECEIVEO APR 30 1986 INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED (0 - 4- 6G FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS 1 NAME HISTORIC United States Post Office AND/OR COMMON Salem Main Post Office LOCATION STREET & NUMBER 2 Margin Street CITY.

TOWN Salem STATE Massachusetts 01970 CLASSIFICATION N/A VICINITY OF CODE 1110 N/A.__NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Sixth Congressional District COUNTY Essex 009 CATEGORY DISTRICT *BUILDING(S) STRUCTURE _SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP _PRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION N/AN PROCESS -BEING CONSIDERED STATUS - OCCUPIED -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 Field 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 CITY. TOWN Salem REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS STATE Massachusetts 01970 TITLE None DATE - FEDERAL -STATE - COUNTY _LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN STATE 7 DESCRIPTION CONDITION X EXCELLENT GOOD -FAIR DETERIORATED _RUINS _UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE _UNALTERED X ALTERED CHECK ONE XORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE. DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

_PHYSICAL APPEARANCE_ The Salem Post Office is at the southern end of a very dramatic and bustling downtown area on Margin Street. The building and its corner property are in excellent condition. It is centered on the site, with a grand stairway and lawn before it and a vehicle maneuvering area to its rear. The site is landscaped with lawn, shrubs, and trees. A detailed wrought-iron fence with hollow ornamental posts protects the Norman Street side of the property. This two-story edifice of steel frame construction functions as both the Post Office and federal building. The building is of red brick laid in a Flemish bond with a cross-gabled roof over the public two-story block. In plan, there is an original vestibule and public lobby flanked by the Postmaster's Office and work space, with the workroom, mail vestibule, and platform' beyond.

Ten wide granite steps with wrought-iron railings mark the main entry. The front (east) elevation is a thirteen-bay composition with a five-bay central projecting entrance portion. This area is topped by a brick tympanum with a granite raking cornice and a bronze frame oculus window with terra-cotta festooned ornament. A plain granite entablature with denticulated cornicing surrounds the structure. The second floor consists of a series of wood-frame, double-hung windows with 12/12 light and granite sills. The entrance portico is emphasized by a series of brick pilasters with Ionic terra-cotta bases and caps suggesting a hexastyle portico. A brick ledge defines the second floor level.

The first floor end bays have NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Salem Post Office Item number 7 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Page 2 recessed arched panels above the projecting brick base and granite base course containing double-hung, arched windows with granite sills. The first floor of the entry has three deeply recessed arched openings with paired replacement aluminum and glass doors. These are framed by engaged wood columns supporting a plain wood entablature with modillions and cornicing. The north and south elevations are similar to the front facade, including the gabled end details and window usage.

The north elevation has a large granite balustraded balcony and a recessed Palladian window with a granite entablature and keystone breaking the brick ledge to denote an inside stairwell. The rear (west) elevation contains the mail platform. One enters the building through a wide vestibule with a wired glass ceiling, bronze beams, walls of polished plate glass with bronze and wood framing, a marble base and pilasters, and verde antique marble flooring. It is highlighted with a notched cast bronze entablature and hollow columns with continuous fluting which frames three sets of inner brass doors that open to the public lobby. This one-story space has a high vaulted plaster ceiling, plaster walls and denticulated cornicing, pilasters, caps, and trim work of St. Genevieve golden red marble, flooring and borders of verde antique marble, and Westfield green marble stools.

Beneath the stools are solid bronze-faced radiator grilles. The service screen has three counters, two bays of general mail slots, a door to the workroom, and three customer boxes; above are large wood and glass paneled pivoting windows. The far right bay is a lobby for the Superintendent of Mail and Asst. Postmaster's offices, an elevator, and a set of marble stairs to the federal offices. Flat marble pilasters, entablature, and lintel frame the Postmaster's door. (-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Salem Post Office Item number / Exp.

10-31-84 For NPS use only recelved date entered Page 3 _ALTERATIONS_ The left lobby wall replaces original service windows with a poorly handcrafted display case and window, left of the vestibule is an unsightly "newsstand" of plywood and glass, the vaulted ceiling has new recessed down lights while the aluminum chandeliers are copies of the original brass fixtures, and the passenger elevator replaced a set of stairs.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD PREHISTORIC 1400-1499 1500-1599 -1600-1699 - 1700-1799 -1800-1899 X 1900- AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW _ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC XCOMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE -RELIGION ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION -LAW _SCIENCE AGRICULTURE XARCHITECTURE _ECONOMICS _LITERATURE SCULPTURE _EDUCATION _MILITARY -SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN ART -ENGINEERING _MUSIC _THEATER _COMMERCE -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT -PHILOSOPHY -TRANSPORTATION _COMMUNICATIONS -INDUSTRY _POLITICS/GOVERNMENT -OTHER (SPECIEVI _INVENTION SPECIFIC DATES Groundbreaking: July 19, 1932 Smith & Walker, Architects Dedication: July 31, 1933BUILDER/ARCHITECT James A. Wetmore, Sup. Architect STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Statement of significance

Touls B. Cadarto a Sons, butider Prominently sited overlooking Ripley Plaza in downtown Salem, their building is a handsome two-story brick cross gable structure (with one story ell). It fulfills the function of U.S. Post Office branch as well as federal office building. Built in 1932-1933, its designs were provided by the Salem based architectural firm of Smith and Walker. Architecturally it is significant as the finest example of a Colonial Revival civic building in Salem. Furthermore, it represents a radical departure from Secretary of the Treasurer McAdoo's 1915 classification of buildings.

Under this system (still in operation before the Supervising Architect's office was placed within the Public Works Administration in 1933), post offices of a scale as grand as Salem's Post Office would be categorized as Type A Buildings in their category; however, were faced with marble or brick - brick was used in smaller scale, Type C post offices. In this case, brick reinforced with granite, was employed to meet North Shore weather conditions. The "bond" of the walls feature what is called the "Harvard Effect", so called because it was a technique first used at Harvard University. This technique involves bonding granite over a brick surface. Chelmsford quarries provided the granite material. Compatibility with extant masonry, late 18th and early 19th century structures in the city may have been another reason for the choice of brick.

Stylistically this building is Georgian in terms of form : its five bay pedimented central pavillion is flanked by four bay wings. Windows on the tirst floor exhibit an arched, multi-pane Palladian-like sensibility, while standard multi-pane rectangular windor appear on the second floor. Ornamentations (in the Adamesque style) is limited to the pediments of the cross and side gables. Before the Salem Post Office was constructed, 51 buildings occupied this site. Judging by photographs taken at the time of demolition, at least a dozen of the structures were of considerable age, including the old Ruck House which dates to c. 1650. It was "considered to be the oldest house in Salem at that time." One time this Post Office site had been the location of "Knockers Hole", an enclave of 17th century ship's carpenters and the old Salem Depot.

It is presently part of Salem's central business district. The Salem Main Post Office was constructed at a cost of $3,000,000.00. In April of 1930, Congress approved an appropriation of $360,000.00 for the building and the site. Razing of existing structures began in August of 1931. Ground was broken on July 19, 1932. The cornerstone was laid on September 21, 1932. It reads "Ogden L. Mills, Secretary of the Treasury; Smith and Walker, Architects; James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervisory Architect, 1932.

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES The Salem Evening News", - 9/20/33 p. 5; 7-29-33 p. 4; 7-31-33 p. 6; 7-25-33 p. 1 & 9; 1-4-33 p. 1 History of Post Office Construction 1900-1940, July, 1982 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY UTM REFERENCES 0.875 AL19 L32716,0,9 ZONE EASTING 14,619,3184,01 NORTHING Lu LLLuLeLILu VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION South to North - 150' along Margin Street Curving at Northeast corner - 50' between Norman and Margin Streets East to West - 175' along Norman Street North to South - 170' along rear elevation West to East - 185' along Gedney 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 CITY OR TOWN 44 Adams Street Braintree DATE September 23, 1985 TELEPHONE (617) 848-1545 STATE Massachusetts 02184 CERTIFICATION OF NOMINATION STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER RECOMMENDATION YES X NO NONE 1 almace 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 _ FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE Sational _State X _Local. entt TITLE DATE 4/14/86 FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER ratuckAndus DIRECTOR.

OFFICE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ATTEST: DATE 6/4/86 DATE KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 899-214 Exp. 10-31-84 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form For NPS use only recelved date entered Continuation sheet Salem Main Post Office Item number 8 Page 2 The plans for this building were drawn by Robert W. Hadley of Captain Phillip Horton Smith's office (Smith and Walker - information on their firm is sketchy - apparently the firm moved to Boston at some point after 1935). It was constructed by Louis B. Cadarlo. At the time of its dedication this Post Office/Federal Building was praised for its lavish appointed and innovative features. The lobby, for example, featured verde antique marble floors, westfield green stools and pilasters, capitals and trim work of St.

Genevieve Golden red marble. Five "colonial chandeliers" were hung from the ceiling. Innovative features in this building included "the latest patent coal burning boilers", special vaults for records, a "swing room" for off-duty employees ("complete with fans, water coolers and steel furniture), bank-like stamp clerk cages and the latest stamp equipment." The construction of the Salem Main Post Office at the height of the Depression provided jobs for the city's unemployed workers. During the 1930'5 in Salem, general federal fundings and appropriations for sewers, schools, and city maintenance provided work for the unemployed. Unemployment insurance was becoming a burden to local mills and the city's lamp industry was threatened by cheap imports. In 1933 the Salem Leather Company which employed 300-400 people was considering moving to Danvers.

In addition to Post Office facilities, this building houses the offices of the IRS i and Public Health Service - all rooms were eventually occupied by Federal agencies. The Salem Main Post Office building continues to be an important focal point in downtown Salem. 3-1/2 Story Brick and Limestone 6 Story Brick Housing Norman Street 175' -- 1031-2" New England Telephone ,O01 3 6 .0-,ItT 5 Margin Street 1851 Gedney Street 1 Story Brick Commercial 1 Story Brick Commercial United States Post Office - Salem, Massachusetts Vestibule Public Lobby Postmaster Work Room Platform Loadina Parking Washington Street VASO Form - 17 "R" June 1984 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Substantive Review 86001211 U. S. Post Office--Salem Main Essex County MASSACHUSETTS Working No. APR 3 0 1986 Fed. Reg.

Date: 2/387 Date Due: 5/3U16 - 6/14/86 Action: LACCEPT - 5-4-86 - resubmission _RETURN - nomination by person or local government REJECT - owner objection Federal Agency: - V.S.P.3 - appeal Substantive Review: *sample -request Lappeal -NR decision Reviewer's comments: aiinely detailed, well-preserved outstanding ekample eclentic Coconial Nevival Sstyle curc'brulding in bocal context. Recom./Criteria accept c Reviewer Saurse Discipline Auchikestural Wessory Date_6-3-8Le - 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 Jruins unexposed Check one J unaltered - 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 9v summary paragraph completenesS301 0 E A9A 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 UNITED STATESPOST OFFICE SALEM MAIN POST OFFICE Salem, MA Dennis Griggs Sullivan Design Group, Inc. July 1983 Front elevation Salem Post Office Salem Post Office SALEM MAIN POST OFFICE Salem, MA Dennis Griggs Sullivan Design Group, Inc. July 1983 Front elevation.

Right view Service IndOW l'assporls Claims Inquiry Box Call-General Deliver Service wIndoW E TO LEFT OFFICES TO BIGNT POSTEASTEL BOOW 104 838 101305 1436 S678 204 VETERAR ADBIS AGENT BCOSS IN BABOS 0S AVOIBE SUS00S 201 Salem Post Office SALEM MAIN POST OFFICE Salem, MA Dennis Griggs Sullivan Design Group, Inc. July 1983 Lobby SALEM MAIN POST OFFICE Salem, MA Dennis Griggs Sullivan Design Group, Inc. July 1983 Front elevation. Left view Salem Post Office Salem post Office SALEM MAIN POST OFFICE Salem, MA Dennis Griggs Sullivan Design Group, Inc. July 1983 Lobby Grove Cêm Büxtone 26s Hill EABOL FOx ate Rive Farnswort Seeglit.

Jr Hieh 8e Cubrart Old South Danvers High Sch Petei Point Golf Course,o reenlay emete ORCHARD Narmony Cemetery Park SAL Golf Course HIGHLAND PARK Pire Sta Musoum ree ver BM15- Hhtii Lobster Tuck BROCkS Pt BEVERI HARBO Coltins ida Fla FOR Salem Commor SchMaftim HistorieSie Detby iWhärt oLt Long Pt Playground Cove LPalmer Spalmer SPRTE COLLFGE Pt *-Pickering MARBLEHEAD SALEM HARBOR CORP BDy Whait em terrd LATES POSTA U.S.MAIL ** UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE Real Estate and Buildings Department 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20260-6400 April 23, 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 2 Margin Street, Essex County, Salem, Massachusetts 01970.

If you have any guestions concerning this nomination, please call me at 202/268-3107. Sincerely, mucraelr.xunstadt John S.. Sorenson Realty Specialist, Senior Realty Management Division Office of Real Estate Enclosure APR 3 0 1986 JATES POS FIELD REAL ESTATE AND BUILDINGS OFFICE P.O. Box 324 Laxington, MA 021730324 August 20, 1985 The Honorable Anthony Salvo Mayor, City of Salem Salem City Hall Washington Street Salem, MA 01970 Dear Mayor Salvo: The U.S. Postal Service in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Officer in Boston has evaluated the Main Post Office in Salem and has determined it is significant from 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 ooncur with our proposed action, kindly return a signed copy of this letter in the enclosed envelope. Sincerely, Gregory Gilleland General Manager Concur: Enclosures JPC/1jr