Construction began on the 10,000 sq. feet U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Norfolk, Nebraska in 1903 and it was completed in October 1904. Built at a cost of $100,000, it was designed by James Knox Taylor. It includes Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals architecture. It served as U.S. Post Office, Federal Court House, federal jail and marshal’s quarters. In 1930, a seamless addition was built on the north side to double the size of the building. The Post Office moved out in 1970 but it was still occupied by several federal agencies until 1974 when the building was vacated. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places that year.
In 1976, the building was purchased by private developers and converted it to office space. It has been named the McMill Building, the "McMill" deriving not from a person's name, but from the date in Roman numbers, MCMIII, above the west entrance.
~ some of today's original features (visit link) ~ • Marble and oak still enhance the entryway and open stairway that winds its way to the 3rd floor
• Stately 2nd floor courtroom, with its ceiling that reaches up through the 3rd floor, is wrapped in oak
• Decorative, 16-foot molded ceilings are still evident in areas of the building
• Wood doors with frosted glass windows, reminiscent of those from early-day school houses, still line the second and third floor hallways
• A conference table hides a hole in the floor where mail was dropped to the level below
• Attic reveals the evolution of construction from 1903 to 1931 (south half, with its wood beams and floor, like the hayloft in an old barn and north half built with steel and concrete)
• The original fire hoses hang in the hallways
• Several vaults are still used for client records
• Original construction included secret lookouts, where managers watched unsuspecting clerks to ensure honesty and the post office inspector walked in tunnels or “cat walks” built into the walls
• Over the entrance, “Old Abe,” the eagle, still hovers, as he has since 1903