Nomination for Plymouth Post Office Building

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) OMB No. 1024-0018 Expires 10-31-87 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries - complete applicable sections 1. Name For NPS use only received SEP 25 1986 date entered 00 231986 historic Plymouth Post Office Building and or common same 2. Location street & number 5 Main Street N/Anot for publication city, town Plymouth N/A vicinity of state Massachusetts 3.

Classification code 025 county Plymouth code 023 Category district Xbuilding(s) _ structure site object Ownership public X private both Public Acquisition in process N/A being considered Status A occupied unoccupied work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted yes: unrestricted no Present Use agriculture commercial educational entertainment government industrial military museum park - private residence religious - scientific _ transportation other: 4. Owner of Property name Leyden & Main Realty Trust, c/o The Grossman Companies, Inc. street & number P.O. Box 110 / 1266 Furnace Brook Parkway city, town Quincy N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Mass. 02269-1001 courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Plymouth County Registry of Deeds street & number P. O. Box 3535 city, town Plymouth state Mass. 02361 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys Inventory of the Historic Assets title of the Conmonwealth (#21) has this property been determined eligible? - yes X - no date 1967 - federal X state - county local depository for survey records Massachusetts Historical Commission, 80 Boylston Street city, Boston Massachusetts 7. Description Plymouth Post Office Building, Plymouth, Massachusetts Check one _ unaltered altered Check one original site moved Condition excellent X good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance

Description of the property

The former Plymouth Post Office is a Georgian Revival-style building that stands at the southeast corner of Main and Leyden Streets at the south end of Plymouth's central business district, two blocks west of Cape Cod Bay. Immediately east of the building is an area of freestanding 18th and | 19th century wood-frame houses, while areas north, west and south of the building consist of rows of two and .three-story commercial blocks, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Post Office building is a freestanding masonry structure that consists of a two-story central block (73 by 42 feet) flanked by symmetrical one-story wings on the building's north and south sides (15 by 42 feet each) and a one-story maiTroom wing (73 by 21 feet). The building is constructed of red brick laid up in Flemish bond (except atthe rear [east] elevation, which is laid up in common bond).

Windows and doorways are set in rectangular open ings that have flat-arched heads of gauged brick. With the exception of the stairs at the main (west) and side (north) entries, which are of dressed granite, all trimmings are of Bedford Indiana limestone from the quarry of Details throughout include ashlar foundation facings, decorative panels over window heads, belt courses, and dentilated cornices at the first-and second-story parapets. Sash throughout the building is wood-frame 6/6 with the exceptions of basement windows (two-pane casements), ma iTroom windows (8/8 with four-pane transoms), and steel casements at the second story of the east elevation.

The main facade (west elevation) is symmetrical, consisting of a two-story central block flanked by one-story wings; at its center is a shallow portico extending across seven bays and supported by eight limestone columns with papyrus and acanthus capitals. The cornice of the portico is decorated with bands of tongue-and-dart and dentil moldings. Set behind the portico are six windows that are surmounted by carved swag panels and an arched central entry with panelled wood double doors (the doors are 1984 replacements). Set above the portico are seven evenly spaced windows that are separated by brick pilasters; the central window is set in an eared limestone surround. The one-story wings flanking the facade each contain one window surmounted by an undecorated limestone panel.

The north elevation is asymmetrical, consisting of an entry in the westernmost baywith wood-frame double doors, each half of which contains twelve lights with a Tunette. A Timestone cornice separates the gable from the second story. The east end of the north elevation consists of two oversized windows NPS Form 10-900- (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Plymouth Post Office Building, Continuation sheet Plymouth,Massachusetts 7 Item number OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 1 Page The south elevation is a mirror image of the north elevation in massing, but contains apartially exposed basement with four evenly spaced windows, and four windows each at the first and second stories.

At the elevation's east end is a brick smoke-and-ventilation shaft that rises above the parapet to the height of the roof's ridge. The east elevation of the mailroom contains two oversized windows. The east (rear) elevation is more utilitarian in its finishes and design than the other three sides of the building. The first story consists of six oversized windows and abrick loading platform symmetrically arranged. The second story contains a central group of three steel casement windows flanked by foursmaller double-hung windows, all separated from each other by brick pilasters. Enclosing the central block of the building is a pitched roof consisting of steel trusses supporting a reinforced concrete deck; the deck is covered on the exterior by slates. dormers.

Rising from the center of the roof is a steel-frame cupola with wood At the facade At the facade, the roof has three pedimented facings that form pilasters, arched vents, and a domed roof. The roofs of the building's one-story sections are nearly flat and are covered with tar and gravel. Alterations to the former Plymouth Post Office building have been very minor. The main facade (west) and side (north) entries were altered in the 1950s or 1960s by the replacement of doors with aluminum and glass; in 1984 these were replaced by the new doors mentioned above, which were based on original construction drawings. Archaeo logy Although the building occupies most of the lot upon which it sits, its location is one of profound historic importance.

Leyden and Main Streets were the original public ways laid out within the Plimoth Plantation settlement of The Post Office's location at the southeast corner of that intersection places it squarely within the original settlement. Two factors suggest that archaeologicaldeposit relating to 17th century Plymouth may survive. Although the building has a full basement, the slope of the hill minimized the need for excavation on the east end of the building and may have caused little subsurface damage. The area behind the building is currently paved and used for parking and a loading dock. A retaining wall at the rear of the property suggests that this area has been filled in order to level it off.

the original ground surface in this area appears to have dropped off sharply toward Town Brook, filling is likely to have protected any 17th century, or even prehistoric, potential that survived the 19th century.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Significance Plymouth Post Office Building, Plymouth, Massachusetts Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 1800-1899 X 1900- Areas of SignificanceCheck and justify below -_. archeology-prehistoric community planning archeology-historic conservation - agriculture economics X architecture education art engineering commerce exploration/settlement communications industry invention Specific dates 1913-1914 landscape architecture.. religion law literature military music philosophy politics/government science sculpture social/ humanitarian theater transportation X other (specify) Community Development Builder/Architect Oscar Wenderoth, Supervising Architect Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

(in one paragraph) Built in 1913-1914 under the direction of Oscar Wenderoth, Supervising Architect for the Department of the Treasury, the former Plymouth Post Office building possesses integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, and setting as well as historical associations with the United States Postal Service's building program in the early 20th century. An imposing Georgian Revival-style institutional building distinctive in its use of decorative details on both the exterior and interior, the former Post Office fulfils Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places.

Characteristic of a large number of post offices that were built in small cities and centrally located towns nationwide during the early twentieth century, the Plymouth Post Office is a masonry structure consisting of a two-story central block that contains a main lobby and offices, and flanking one-story wings that contain mailrooms. Although the basic plan and scale of the building were determined by federal requirements established by the Department of the Treasury, and its high-quality decorative details (excepting lighting fixtures) were individually designed by architects working for th Treasury. (Lighting fixtures were the only decorative detail not overseen by federal Notable features include the English cross bond brickwork with window heads of gauged brick. A11 elevations are trimmed with Indiana Limestone from the quarry of John A. Rowe Cut Stone Company, Bedford, Indiana..

Carved stone details include swag panels, acanthus/papyrus capitals, and tongue-and-dart moldings, as we as molded belt courses. In addition, the building retains its original slate roof and a cupola constructed of steel but faced with wood in a variety of Georgian Revival motifs. The interior of the building retains architecturally significant finishes on the west side of the first story, where the main lobby extends the length of the structure. The lobby has ceramic tile floors and walls that are faced with several varieties of marble from the quarry of the Vermont Marble Company Architectural br Proctorsks and ietteringy of mew York. of Proctor, Vermont. Vaulted ceilings are of plaster, and details such as writing desks and lettering are made of cast bronze produced by the Gorham Bronze Company of New York.

At the north end of the lobby 1s the Postmaster's Office, which contains panelled window cases, panelled doors terrazzo floors in hallways, plaster walls, plaster ceilings, and Vermont marble walls in the lavatories. Originally planned to contain the offices of the United States Customs Office at Plymouth (second story) and a central mailroom for the Plymouth area (first story), the former Plymouth Post Office building was only partially occupied 9.

The rest of the file

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

Major Bibliographical References Original architectural plans, on file at Architectural Conservation Trust, for Massachusetts, 45 School Street, Boston, Mass. 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property less than one acre Quadrangle name Plymouth UT M References * LI 3671199 Zone Easting £61460,09 Northing cLL Quadrangle scale1" = 25,000' B Zone DLL FLLJ 1ILuL Easting Northing LLLL LLL GLU 1Lul Verbal boundary description and justification The nominated property includes only the lot on which the building stands; it is described in Plymouth Assessors' Records as parcel 92A on Map 20. List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state N/A code county code state code county code 11.

Form Prepared By Betsy Friedberg, Preservation Planner, Massachusetts Historical Commission, with name/title Kim Withers Brengle, Preservation Consultant, ACT for Massachusetts organization Massachusetts Historical Commission date July 1986 street & number 80 Boylston Street telephone (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston state Massachusetts 02116 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national -- state As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

State Historic Preservation Officer signature aume Taemage State Historic Preservation Officer title Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Conmission date 9/11/82 For NPS use only I hereby certify that thisproperty is included in the National Register Entered in the laus Koopor of the Mational Hostor National Registen date 10-23-86 Attest: date Chief of Registration GPO 911-399 NPS Form 10-800-8 (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Mistoric Places Inventory - Nomination Form Plymouth Post Office Building, Continuation sheet Plymouth, Massachusetts 8 Item number OMB Approval No.1024-0018 1 Page in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when postal sorting and other regional operations were moved to a new building outside Plymouth Center.

The building has recently undergone a certified historic rehabilitation and is now used for office and retail space. The need for construction of the former post office building in 1913-1914 reflects the doubling of Plymouth's population between 1870 and 1915. Industrial growth through the expansion of existing plants and the development of new products spurred a fourfold increase in Plymouth's foreign-born population at the beginning of the twentieth century. The nominated building stands at the south end of Plymouth's commercial district, in an area that contains 19th and early 20th century commercial row buildings along Main Street and a mixture of 18th and 19th century wood-frame residences on side streets immediately adjoining the post office. In general, the surrounding area is characterized by varied scale and materials as well as various periods of construction.

Commercial buildings in the area tend to be simole examples of late Victorian and early 20th century styles. Of its period, the former post office, together with a three-story Colonial Revival-style commercial building near the junction of Main and North Streets, are the most elaborate and well-preserved examples; of the two, the Post Office, with its symmetrical plan, carved limestone trimmings, and cupola is the finer and more carefully detailed. 86002926 WASO Form - 177 ('R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Plymouth Post Office Building Plymouth County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: -sample Reviewer's comments: Lrequest SEP 2 5 1986 Working No.. Fed. Reg.

Datex4/2/88 Date Due: /0/23/86 - 119/86 Fntered in Action: -LACCEPT 10-23-56 at10001 Register - RETURN _ REJECT- Federal Agency: . Lappeal -NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer Discipline 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 I no 7. Description Condition Jexcellent good fair deteriorated ruins 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 summary paragraph completeness 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 title date 13. Other -Maps -Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed...

Date - Phone: - GPO 918-450 Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Former Plymouth Post Office Building 5 Main Street Plymouth, Massachusetts Photographer: B. R. Pfeiffer November, 1984 Negative on file at A.C.T. for Massachusetts 45 School St. Boston, MA 02108 Photo Number 1 of 1 Facade (west) and north elevations taken with photographer facing southeast.