Nomination for US Post Office--Lexington 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 MAY | 2 1986 INVENTOR Y -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED 6-26-86 FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS 2 3 NAME HISTORIC United States Post Office AND/OR COMMON Lexington Main Post Office LOCATION STREET & NUMBER 1661 Massachusetts Avenue CITY.

TOWN Lexington STATE Massachusetts 02173 CLASSIFICATION NLA VICINITY OF CODE 0615 N/ ANOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Seventh Congressional District COUNTY CODE Middlesex 017 CATEGORY DISTRICT XBUILDING(S) -STRUCTURE SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP XPUBLIC PRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION N/A IN PROCESS _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 Field Real Estate and Building 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 Cambridge Registry of Deeds, Cambridge Courthouse 203 Cambridge Street CITY. TOWN Cambridge 6 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS STATE Massachusetts 02140 TITLE None DATE _FEDERAL STATE COUNTY _LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS CITY. TOWN STATE 7 DESCRIPTION -EXCELLENT X GooD (exterior) XFAIr (interior) CONDITION _DETERIORATED _RUINS CHECK ONE _UNALTERED XALTERED CHECK ONE XORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE_ _UNEXPOSED DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

_PHYSICAL APPEARANCE_ The Post Office is on the front portion of the site with the vehicle maneuvering area to its rear accessed from Grant Street. The east side of the lot is bounded by a driveway for the town offices. The site is land- scaped with lawn and shrubs. Prominent features include a pitched roof, wood cupola, and a strong architectural entrance. A 1964 addition wraps the rear two-thirds of the building, changing the original symmetrical plans and elevation into one of asymmetry. The lobby was completely remodeled at this time; it no longer possesses the robust quality of the original 1930's landcratted interior. In plan, the building is fronted with a public lobby, ehind which is the Postmaster's office, workroom, mail vestibule, anc platform. Four low granite steps and a deep landing create the main approach.

They are framed by wrought-iron railings which terminate with a lamppost. The original building rests on a granite base topped with a band of ashlar granite stones. The public area of the building is marked by its asphalt shingled gable room (formerly of slate), five bays by two bays, with an added metal rain diverter above the entry doors and a wood cupola behind. The rest of the building is topped by a flat roof and parapet wall. The Brevite 81l5 and intets ti elevations are red brick laid in Flemish bond with a wood entablature and The wood entablature surrounds the entire structure with a plain frieze and denticulated cornice. The wood cupola, square in plan, has fixed metal louvers and metal weathervane. The front (south) elevation consists of the original five-bay building with a two-bay addition added to the east, recessed two bays from the original surface.

The original building uses flat projecting brick pilasters to distinguish a three-bay entry from the outer bays; these pilasters also mark the corners of the old portion. All windows are wood frame, double-hung with 12/12 light; the original building has recessed brick panels below. The brick arched entrance, in a simple Georgian Style, has fluted engaged wood columns with a wood base and capitals flanking the double doors and rectangular fanlight above; the columns support a plain entablature. In the tympanum is a stucco and wood panel set behind a cast aluminum eagle with half-spread wings. Within the gabled ends are half-circular, wood framed windows. The addition has a poured concrete base and continues the ashlar granite band from the original part. The north elevation contains the covered mail platform.

The side elevations are similar in detail to the front of the building, The flat pilasters of the original building end abruptly at the new section. One enters the building into the public lobby, separated into two sections by a plaster, glass, and wood partitions. The lobby, which now occupies the entire length of the original building, has a three bay postal box area to the west and lockable service area to the east. The floor consists of terrazzo panels with a black marble border; the walls have an off-white marble wainscot and window sills with a black marble base and NPS Form 10-900-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 LEXINGTON MAIN POST OFFICE Item number 7 Page 2 plaster walls above.

The ceiling is of suspended acoustical tiles. The Postmaster's office, once occupying the first bay along the front elevation, is now accessed through a small hallway connecting to the box area. The service area consists of two large aluminum-framed service counters with a marble-like Formica base. _ALTERATIONS Alterations include the 1964 addition and lobby/Postmaster's office renovations, the roof addition of a metal rain diverter, and the covering of a skylight in the workroom _ART_ A gold painted wood frame surrounds the heavy canvas mural hung above the doors of the lobby partition, on the service area side. Entitled "The Arrival of Paul Revere in Lexington, April 19, 1775," it was painted by Aiden Lassell Ripley of Lexington. The former location of the mural was over the Postmaster's office door to the west end of the original lobby. It is in excellent condition.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD _PREHISTORIC 1400-1499 - 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X300-1899 _1900- _ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC AGRICULTURE ARCHITECTURE XART -COMMERCE -COMMUNICATIONS AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW _COMMUNITY PLANNING _LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE -CONSERVATION -LLAW -ECONOMICS -LITERATURE _EDUCATION _MILITARY LENGINEERING _MUSIC -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _PHILOSOPHY -INDUSTRY -POLITICS/GOVERNMENT -INVENTION Construction began: 1937 SPECIFIC DATES Dedication: Nov. 28, 1938 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Statement of significance

Addition: 1964 _RELIGION _SCIENCE _SCULPTURE _SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _THEATER -TRANSPORTATION -OTHER (SPECIEVI LouIs A. Simon, Sup. Architect BUILDER/ARCHITECT Sandros & Co., Contractor Harold M. Turiello, Architect for Addition Although less than 50 years old, the Lexington Main Post Office merits inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places as an example of the type of standardized construction and design advocated by the Public Works Administration (PWA) during the 1930's. Built in 1938, it is located in a transitional area between commercial and residential districts in Lexington Center. Its modest, domestic scale and red brick, white stone trimmed exterior treatments render their building compatible with residential and low-rise commercial buildings in the area.

Lexington's historical associations with the early British and American skirmishes of the American Revolution evidently dictated the choice of Colonial Revival for their building's style. It was designed within the office of supervising architect Louis A. Simon. Standardized construction procedure following a seven-area plan typical of 1930's post office buildings, is one of the key features of this building. This structure was started in late 1937. The cornerstone was laid on May 20, 1938 and only seven months later it was dedicated on November 28, 1938. Construction costs totalled $65,000. The cornerstone reads "Henry Morgenthau Jr., Secretary of the Treasury; James A. Farley, Postmaster General; Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect; Neal Melmick, Supervising Engineer, 1937." This building is a product of the office of U.S. Supervising Architect Louis A. Simon.

During his tenure (1933-1941), emphasis was placed on streamlined construction so as to bring economic benefits to a community during the Depression. Louis Adolf Simon was born in 1870 in Boston. He attended M.I.I. and entered private practice in Washington, D.C. in 1894. He began work in the office of the U.S. Treasury Supervising Architect in 1896. He served as the chief architect in their office from 1905-1933. From 1933 until his death in 1941, he was the U.S. Supervising Architect. He was responsible for numerous U.S. Post Offices, customs houses and courthouses. During his years as Supervising Architect 406 Post Offices were designed in his department. In addition he designed the Federal Building at the New York World's Fair of 1939-40. This building contains a well-executed mural depicting Paul Revere's alerting the town folk of Lexington to the coming of the British.

It is a product of the section of Fine Arts of the U.S. Treasury Department. It was painted by Aiden Lassel Ripley of Lexington. Born in Wakefield, Ripley 9

The rest of the file

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

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES "Lexington Minute-Man", Vol. LXVII, No. 51, December 1, 1938; 5-19-38; 5-26-38; 11-24-38 History of Post Office Construction 1900-1940, July, 1982 Iexington Historic Resources Survey, Ann Grady and Nancy Seasholer (section of 1920;s and 30;s residential development) 10 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY _ UTM REFERENCES 0.895 A[1,9] L3|1,6/9,6,5 1417 10+1/5,9,0/ ZONE EASTING NORTHING "ZONE EASTING NORTHING NORTHING e LuLedLele VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION East to West - 142.0' along Massachusetts Avenue South to North - 282' along side lot line West to East - 139.4' along rear lot line North to South - 284.3' along Grant Street LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE 11 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 12 CERTIFICATION OF NOMINATION STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER RECOMMENDATION YESX NO NONE vallue demaçe 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 sigrificange is _State X Local. FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE SIGNATURE TITLE Realty Specialist, Senior DATE May 9, 1986 FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED INTHENATIONAL REGISTER DATE DIRECTOR.

OFFICE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION 6/20/86 ATTEST: DATE KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER GPO 899-214 UMD NU. IU24-UU10 10-31-84 (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Lexington Main Post Office Item number 8 For NPS use only recelved date entered Page 2 studied at the School of Museum of Fine Arts, and received a Paige Travelling Fellowship and Logan prize and medal. He is represented in a number of American museums and painted a mural in the Winchester Public Library. He is known for his series of 14 paintings which constitutes a cycle depicting the life of Paul Revere - this work was commissioned by the New England Corporation.

The construction of the Lexington Main Post Office provided a boost to the local economy during the last years of the Depression. Lexington, however, did not suffer as severely as other eastern Massachusetts communities during the financial crisis of the 1930's. By the mid 1930's Lexington was well on its way to becoming an affluent "bedroom suburb" of Boston. During the 1920's several housing developments were constructed on former farmland. The Lexington Main Post Office was needed to serve these new residential enclaves. Farming of all kinds, including dairies and a profitable flower industry conducted in green houses scattered across the town provided jobs for local residents.

- BOSTON AND:MAINE RAILROAD OVERPASS 139.4 Edison Way (one way)---- Transformer Area TRE 284.3' 282.0' Parking 2 Story Brick Colonial Revival Town Offices 2 Story Brick Colonial Issac Harris Memorial Bld'g (meeting hall) 1 Story Concrete/Stucco Rusticated Electric Company GRAN Driveway Driveway 1 Story Brick Retail New 2 Story Wood Mix-Use Arcade Building 142.0' MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE Cobblestone Driveway Both are 2 Story Wood Frame Retail/Residences WALLIS COURT 1 - Post Office Boxes Lobby 2 - Service Lobby - Postmaster's Office - Workroom (original/added) - Mail Vestibule - Mail Platform 7 - Vehicle Area UNITED STATES POST OFFICE - LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS Pierces Bridge Gredt Meudou's 179 East Lexington + Radio To. Whisperir hak Ten (Arirgtoy Reseroir 86001377 Less than 50 yrs.

WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Substantive leview U.S. Post Office--Lexington Main Middlesex County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Asample Reviewer's comments: Lrequest see attached theek appeal Working No. MAY | 2 1986 Fed. Reg. Date: 4 23/8 Date Due:5/13/86 6/26/86 Action: 6-26-86 _RETURN- REJECT Federal Agency: - US PS ZNR decision Recom./Criterja_ Accept A+C Reviewer Discipline. Arch. ack Sestory Date 1-10-86 _ 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 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 Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completéness YAM 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 Review Comments USPO--Lexington Main, Middlesex County, MA Almost 50 years old, the 1937 United States Post Office at exceptional historical and artistic significance for its lobby mural entitled "The Arrival of Paul Revere in Lexington, April 19, 1775" created in 1940 by acclaimed Lassell Ripley under the auspices of the Treasury Department's Public Art programs of the 1930s-40s.

The mural depicting Paul Revere's revolutionary ride is an important regional representative of artwork installed in Federal buildings during the 1930s and 40s in an effort the bring art to the public and to visually immortalize significant historical events. mural is listed in the Park and Markowitz, Democratic Vistas Appendix: Section Murals and Sculpture by State). Additionally, the Post Office is an intact, locally significant, although modest, representative of the Georgian Revival Style. UNITED STATES POST OFFICE Lexington Post Office LEXINGTON MAIN POST OFFICE Lexington, MA David R. Hooker Earl R. Flansburgh and Associates May 1983 Front elevation UNITED STATES POST OFFICE Lexington Post Office LEXINGTON MAIN POST OFFICE Lexington, MA David R. Hooker Earl R. Flansburgh and Associates May 1983 Front elevation.

Left view ELEEEI DÔ ENTER Lexington post Office LEXINGTON MAIN POST OFFICE Lexington, MA David R. Hooker Ear1 R. Flansburgh and Associates May 1983 Front elevation. Right view # # # # - L Lexington Post Office 1661 Mass Ave Lexington, MA LEXINGTON MAIN POST OFFICE Lexington, MA David R. Hooker Ear1 R. Flansburgh and Associates May 1983 Mural -- UNITED FIELD REAL ESTATE AND BUILDINGS OFFICE P.O. Box 324 Lexington, MA 02173-0324 August 19, 1985 The Hanorable Robert M. Hutchinson, Jr. Town Manager, Town of Lexington Town Office Building 1625 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 02173 Dear Town Manager Hutchinson: The U.S. Postal Servic in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Officer in Boston has evaluated the Main Post Office in Lexington 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 takingformal action, appreciate receiving your concurrence. If you concur 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 UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE 75 L'Enfant Plaza, SV Vashington, D 20260 May 9, 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 1661 Massachusetts Avenue, Middlesex County, Lexington, Massachusetts. If You have questions concerning this nomination, please call me at 202/268-3107. Sincerely, Enclosure MAY | 2 1986