Cornerstone reads:
A.W. Mellon
Secretary of the Treasury
James A Wetmore
Acting Supervising Architect
1930
From the GSA website:
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"The Federal Building, located at 319 S. Lamine Street, occupies half a city block in downtown Sedalia, Missouri. The two-story building is situated between Massachusetts Avenue to the south, and between a public alley and Fourth Street to the west and east repectively. The Building was originally constructed in 1930 as the U.S. Post Office that was to replace the obsolete Post Office at 2nd and Lamine Street dating to 1891. The principal housing needs for the new building were postal activities to accomodate the enormous increase in postal receipts the City of Sedalia experienced in the 1920. Studies determined that the existing 1891 post office was antiquated, congested, and not a good candidate for expansion or an addition. As early as 1927, it was decided that a new building to house the post office on the first floor and a few outside activities on either the first or second floors should be provided.1 Sedalia began as a rough frontier town in the new west in 1860 and blossomed in to the "Queen City of the Prairies" upon the arrival of the railroad. In the 1930s and 1940s Sedalia was the sixth largest city in Missouri. Its central location on the main line of the Missouri Pacific and Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroads made it an attractive community in which to establish a home or business. Sedalia's business enterprises and population were rapidly expanding in the early and mid-twentieth century. Existing Federal facilities, particularly the post office, could not accomodate the city's enormous growth.
Investigation into an appropriate site for the new post office began in 1928, with nine sites originally contending for the new buliding.2 The site selected for the new post office was originally occupied by the LeGrand Hotel, accommodating 30 guests in a bulding that dated to 1890. The building was reported to be "very much out of repair and structurally unsafe."3 With the selection of the Lamine Street site it was hoped that ". . . it would in a manner form a group of public buldings. This group would compramise only two buildings at resent, theother one being the Court House."4 The site acquired measured 120' x 269.52', ample for the proposed 8000 square foot Post Office building. The building was originally designed to face Lamine Street rather than the Forth Street because of the width and the prominence of the street.5
The site for the new Post Office in Sedalia was purchased in 1929 for $29,000. The total cost for the buliding construction was to be limited to $170,000.6 The original contract was dated August 30, 1930 for a bond approved amount of $144,855,000. Various additions and deductions provided for a final contract amount of $120,954,340. This contract provided for the erection of the new building approximately 80' by 106' in plan, with a full basement, one story postal work room, and the remaining spaces in the building were occupied by offices. The base of the building was to be Indiana limestone, with a terra cotta superstructure for the two-story main structure, light colored rough faced brick for the one story portion of the building; a composition tile roof on both the lower and upper roof section with copper flashings.7
Originally the second floor was to hold five offices, the largest room was to be used for holding Civil Service examinations. Numerous letters and memorandums document confusion regarding the use of space in the building and the lack of an office for the "important office of Assistant Postmaster."8 Additionally, as Sedalia has been a domicile for thirty years for a Post Office Inspector, the room allotted for his purposes "is insufficient for the needs of this service."9 The post office inspector's room was shown to be 15 x 15 feet with access to the lookout galleries. However, "in those cities where an inspector is domiciled and usually employed, the room should be approximately 480 square feet in size and in no case less than 360 feet. It should be provided with toilet, lavatory and shower-bath facilities."10 A room 17' x 17' feet was to be used by the Internal Revenue Service. The other two rooms were to be used by the Army recruiting officer and a representative of the Argiculture Department.
The building was constructed under the aegis of James a Wetmore (1863-1940). Wetmore served as the acting Supervising Architect for the Treasury from 1915 to 1933. During his tenure as the Supervising Architect, Wetmore was responsible for the passage of the 1926 Public Buildings Act which fostered the construction of $300,000,000 Federal Triangle project and other important Federal buldings across the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s. As Supervising Architect, Wetmore is credited with overseeing construction of more than 2,00 post offices and other Federal buildings across the country. Wetmore, originally from Bath, New York, moved to Washington in 1885 and began in 49-year career with the Federal Government. Wetmore served in the capacity of Acting Supervising Architect for over nineteen years, although offered the official title of Supervising Architect several times. It appears that while Wetmore typically contracted with local design architects for Federal buildings constructed during this period, Wetmore and his office were primarily respinsible for the design and the construction of the Sedalia Federal Building.
The original contractors selected were Kellogg and Anderson of Taylor, Texas with the day to day responsibilities charged to Olmstead of Junction City, Missouri.
Local press heralded the official opening and dedication of Sedalia's new post office in July, 1931. "The new building is an attractive one. The front of the structure us of cream-colored terra cotta, the back hollow tile face brick of the same color, matching the terra cotta. . . The lobby is a beautiful place with its marble columns, floors, its bronze and brass trimmings. . . A modern ventilating system us installed throughout, whuch is fist class as is all the plumbing."11
As originally designed, the building's interior featured lavish ornamental finishes particularly in the postal lobby. Rich materials included marble columns and floors and decorative finishes included ornamental metal and marble post service counters and screens. The building was vacated by the Post Office by 1969. A major remodeling and conversionto office use by Sammons and Buller, Architects occurred in 1969, at which time all the ornamental finishes in the building were removed or covered by new materials and dropped acoustical tile ceilings. The building is currently used entirely for office purposes with the Social Security Administration occupying the entire first floor. House of Representatives member Ike Skeleton and Veteran's Affairs Department occupy offices on the second floor. According to our site visit and a review of research and documentation it appears the the Sedalia Federal Building would be determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. In the case of the Sedalia Federal Building, the strongest criterion to the explored for National Register eligibility would be criterion C: The embodiment of distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or that represents the work of a master, or that possesses high artistic values, or that represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction. The building holds significance for its association with the important commissions and tenure of Supervising Architect James A. Wetmore, and as a good example of Second Renaissance Revival Federal architecture."
From the National Register application:
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"Federal Building, 1930, Classical Revival, James A. Wetmore/architect.
Irregular plan, two stories, limestone foundation with cornerstone, terra cotta and brick walls, hip roof, terra cotta trim. This building has five bays divided by paired fluted Corinthian pilasters with the center three bays projecting slightly. The center bay has aluminum frame tinted glass replacement 1-light double doors with a 3-light transom and a larger round arch transom set in a round arch surround with Corinthian "capitals" as imposts for the arch; egg-and-dart and reed archivolt moldings. The flanking two bays have replacement tinted three-part sash and round arch transoms set in similar round arch surrounds as the center entry. A blind balustrade is in the spandrel area. Granite steps extend across the center three bays with stone pedestals and metal railings; two basement sash flank the steps. The north and south end bays have similar window detailing with a recessed spandrel panel. The first story has a full classical entablature with three-part architrave, plain frieze with "FEDERAL BUILDING" in applied metal letters and two foliated patera over the end two pilasters, and a cornice with dentils. The second story is shorter with the center bays divided by plain paneled "Doric" pilasters. The window openings are square with hit-and-miss tinted replacement sash set in foliated surrounds with plain circle decorations. The north and south end bays are similar with plain molded surrounds. The building is capped by a smaller full entablature with plain architrave, frieze, and molded cornice. The parapet has five open balustrade sections, one per bay; a hip roof is set behind the parapet with a single center 6-light segmental dormer in front. The Fourth Street elevation main block has three bays with a center replacement aluminum frame tinted glass door with sidelights and transom set in a simple round arch molded terra cotta surround; concrete steps run to the west side with a concrete handicap ramp to the east. Flanking replacement tinted glass sash have similar round arch surrounds and spandrel panels. The main entablature returns along the first story. The second story has single, double, and single sash with surrounds similar to the main facade end bays; the secondary entablature and parapet return also. A one-story yellow brick (5-course common bond) wing extends to the east slightly recessed from the main block. A single slit window is to the west, adjacent to the main block. The wing has four bays with similar round arch window openings executed in brick. The foundation continues with four basement sash. Terra cotta quoins make the transition between the main block and the brick wing; the terra cotta main entablature continues. The north elevation is similar to the south elevation without the entrance; instead, the center bay has a window with a blind balustrade in the spandrel area. Three basement sash with window wells. The rear (east) elevation returns the main round arch window group for one bay on both the north and south ends. Two lower brick additions are in the center with handicap ramp and delivery door access. The rear of the main building block second story is brick with terra cotta quoins on the north and south edges. A tall square chimney is to the north with concrete coping and four louver vents. The building is set in a landscaped lot with a parking area to the east and an alley to the north. It is on the northeast corner of S. Lamine Avenue and E. Fourth Street."