Former U.S. Courthouse and Post Office - Cumberland, Maryland
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 39° 39.155 W 078° 45.766
17S E 691942 N 4391590
N Historic former U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, then police station and now senior center in Cumberland, Maryland.
Waymark Code: WMJFHT
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 11/11/2013
Views: 1
The Public Safety building was constructed between 1902 and 1904. Originally the building was constructed as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. The three story brick building with a monumental stone base is in a Classical Revival style. The facade is slightly projected and has four engaged Ionic columns on the second and third floors. The building was constructed during the era when James Knox Taylor was the supervising architect for the U.S Treasury Department and this building would be considered typical for buildings constructed during his tenure.
In 1934, the Federal government constructed a new post office and determined it no longer had a need for this building and the City of Cumberland obtained the building to serve as headquarters for the police department. The building was renamed at that time to "The Public Safety Building". Later the city converted the building for use as a senior citizen's center.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.