1940 - Spearfish Post Office (Old) - Spearfish, South Dakota - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

The single-story Spearfish Post Office (Old) building was constructed in 1940 as the new federal postal facility for the town of Spearfish. In 1941, a number of offices were added on the ground floor (basement) to house various federal programs. 

The basic organization and ornamentation is typical of the Class C variety of post office designed for small towns. It is an excellent example of the simplified Classical style of architecture employed on many small post offices during the Depression. 

The building has not been moved. Initial alterations include the construction of the ground floor offices. Subsequent alterations include modifications in the window bay area to allow for the installation of additional postal boxes, the modification to the interior entrance vestibule for weatherproofing, and the installation of a wheelchair-accessible ramp. 

The Spearfish Post Office (Old) was vacated as a postal facility in late 1997.

Spearfish Post Office (Old)

In 1940 this post office opened for the use of the citizens of Spearfish. It was built in an architectural style that was used in many small towns.  There were also offices in the basement to house federal programs such as the Extension Service.  From 1930 to to 1942 the federal government greatly expanded its public building programs.  The style of the Spearfish post office was described as Class C, for a "second class city," which was defined by the volume of postal receipts.  The Class C post offices were brick buildings with wood doors and windows and very simple forms of ornamentation.  In 1937, $75,000 was allocated for all expenses surrounding construction of the post office.  Programs to employ artists were part of the national recovery effort during the depression.  Marion Overby of Los Angeles was commissioned to do a sculpture for the interior of the building.  After consulting the mayor for ideas, she titled her work "Fish Story."  The sculpture still hangs on the wall of the lobby.  The post office closed at this location in 1997.

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