United States Post Office, post office in Poughkeepsie, New York
The United States Post Office is a post office building in Poughkeepsie clad in rough fieldstone and shaped by Colonial Revival style. The building has a wide lobby with stone floors and soft wall colors, tall windows, and a solid structure that occupies a prominent corner in the downtown area.
The building was constructed between 1937 and 1939 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who personally intervened in the design to reflect Dutch settler homes. Work employed around five hundred laborers and was inaugurated when Roosevelt himself laid the cornerstone, marking Poughkeepsie's 250th anniversary celebration.
The building's name reflects its function, and its design with rough stone deliberately echoes the Dutch settler homes of the region. The five murals in the lobby tell stories from local history and tie the building to the community's sense of its own past.
The post office sits at the corner of Market and Mansion Streets downtown and is easily accessible by public transit. The interior is well-organized with wide corridors, and the entrance is straightforward to find, so visitors can navigate without difficulty.
Roosevelt himself laid the cornerstone in 1937, which became a significant event during the city's 250th anniversary celebrations. The building later inspired similar building projects in neighboring towns along the Hudson River and even influenced the design of the local newspaper office.
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