US Post Office--Somerville Main

DATE_ _PHYSICAL APPEARANCE_ The building and its grounds are in very good condition, with the exception of the construction involved in front of it. The Post Office occupies most of the site, leaving a small vehicle manuevering area to its rear, with access on Bonner Avenue. The site is landscaped with lawn, shrubs, and several small trees. The building is of steel construction with a brick exterior laid in a Flemish bond. In plan, a small vestibule has side entrances to stairs leading to a public lobby flanked by the Postmaster's office to the right and workroom space to the left. Behind the service screen is the workroom with the mail vestibule and platform in the rear.

Three wide granite stairs leading to eight smaller steps, with wrought-iron railings and bronze lamps on Newel posts, create the main approach. The front (south) elevation is a five-bay structure with a projecting one-bay entrance portion. The building features a granite base, brick entablature, and limestone quoins, denticulated cornice, and detailing. The windows are double-hung with wood sash, 15/15 light with 1imestone architrave, projecting dentils, and infill coffered panel below. The entry features a limestone arch with shaped keystone and inset fanlight. The replacement aluminum and glass doors are framed by fluted wood pilasters that support a simple entablature below a broken pediment with full rosettes and finial.

Above is a simple limestone cyma reversa and recta marking the brick entablature. This section is topped by a small gable roof reaching back to the building's hipped slate roof, leaving a brick pediment with denticulated molding and a centered oculus window with limestone keystone repeated every ninty degrees. Within the base are small arched openings containing windows for basement level government offices.

Edmund J. Rappoli, Contractor Built in 1935-1936, The Somerville Main Post Office building is located at the foot of Prospect Hill. Along with the nearby police and fire stations, it ranks among the more architecturally distinguished buildings in Union Square, an area dominated by buildings with 20th century commercial treatments. Architecturally this structure is significant as a reflection of 1930's Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) policies in post office construction and design. The P.W.A. endeavored to "provide modest, practical post offices instead of monumental edifices." Its compact, boxy form, brick materials, minimal ornamentation and 7-area plan are features of more efficient and standardized post oftice building design.

That the Colonial Revival style rather than the more frequently used Classical Revival style was chosen for this building's design probably represents an historical reference to a Revolutionary War skirmish that occurred near this site. In an effort to bolster the local economy, local brick rather than an expensive imported stone was chosen for their buildings facing. The marshland and sandy soils of the Union Square area yielded a fine grade Silica. During the 19th century clay pits were dug throughout the area and brickyards ranked among the largest mid 19th century industries near Union Square - by the 1930's only a few brickyards were still in existence in Somerville.

Overtime the Somerville Main Post Office's site has been associated with community focal points such as the Prospect Hill School, the Somerville Boys' Club and a branch of the Somerville Library. Congressman Arthur D. Healy is credited with securing funds to build the Somerville Main Post Office building. He endeavored to replace inadequate facilities which handled mail to Medford as well as Somerville. Healy was also responsi- ble for obtaining a separate post office for Medford in 1936/37.