|
 Spearfish Post Office [Former] - Spearfish, South Dakota - 57783 Posted by:  BruceS
N 44° 29.310 W 103° 51.502
13T E 590775 N 4926765
Historic former post office building in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Waymark Code: WMQAZ4
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 01/25/2016
Views: 1
From the National Register Nomination form: 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.
Text of marker: 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.
After post office operations were move in 1997 the building was converted to commercial use. The building is in very good condition and current serves as a bank.
Type of structure:: Stand alone
re-enter Zip Code here:: 57783
Current Status:: Retired
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a log to an existing U.S. Post Office waymark, you will need to post a picture of the front of the building, with the name of the post office in the background if that is possible.
A description of your Post Office is required, such as when it was built, history, outstanding or unique features, population of the city or town, just do a quick internet search and find an interesting bit of information about the city or town and add it to the long description, to make it more interesting. Even just adding in the population of the area can give others an idea of how many people this post office serves. This description should be at least three sentences.
If your Post Office has any unusual or unique features that you feel others would enjoy viewing, additional pictures are always welcome.
Including your gps device in the picture is not necessary, but wouldn't be cause for disapproval, as long as all other details of your log are acceptable.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|
|