Martinsville Post Office - Martinsville, Indiana - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

The Martinsville Post Office is a rectangular, gable-sided brick building with flat-roofed wings on the north and south walls. A larger, later and matching addition is found on the south wing. The front three-bay (east) facade consists of a central entrance flanked by 12-over-12 double hung sash windows with limestone keystones and corner blocks. Each window is set into a recessed and arched brick-filled panel, as is the entrance. Elevated slightly above ground level and accessed by a flight of stairs, the replacement double doors are each steel framed with a single pane of glass. The entrance is topped by a limestone broken ogee pediment and framed by pieced limestone blocks. The north and south wings have a limestone cornice band; on the main building are found cornice returns. In the south wing is a limestone block dated 1935. The foundation is brick. The roof is asphalt.

Prior to 1935, the Martinsville Post Office was located at 10 North Jefferson, later the home of Newberry Department Store. At that time, the corner of Main and Washington Street was occupied by the former Mitchell Bank, which had become the Elks Lodge. Fred Finney, owner/editor of the Martinsville Democrat and city postmaster, campaigned for the construction of the current post office. Since 1937, the post office interior has featured a WPA Mural, "Arrival of the Mail", depicting sorrowful and gleeful recipients of news. Painted by Indianapolis artist Alan Tompkins, the nationally significant mural was restored in 1974 by Martinsville artist Antonius Raemakers, a Netherlands-born and -educated muralist. The painting had been water-damaged by earlier attempts to clean it and not by a post office fire as has been reported. Also in 1974, the Martinsville Post Office underwent remodelling and received the large rectangular south addition." - Historic District Nomination Form