St. Johns Post Office (Portland, Oregon)

Last updated
U.S. Post Office – St. Johns Station
Portland Historic Landmark [1]
St Johns Station North View.jpg
The St. Johns Station in 2006
Portland map.png
Red pog.svg
USA Oregon location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location8720 N. Ivanhoe Street
Portland, Oregon
Coordinates 45°35′25″N122°45′24″W / 45.590326°N 122.756608°W / 45.590326; -122.756608 Coordinates: 45°35′25″N122°45′24″W / 45.590326°N 122.756608°W / 45.590326; -122.756608
Area0.46 acres (0.19 ha) [2]
Built1933
Architect Francis Marion Stokes
Architectural style Georgian
MPS Significant US Post Offices in Oregon 1900–1941 TR [3]
NRHP reference No. 85000543
Added to NRHPMarch 4, 1985

The St. Johns Post Office is a historic building located in the Cathedral Park neighborhood near St. Johns, Portland, Oregon, United States.

Contents

History

The Post Office Department acquired the building site in 1931, and construction was completed in 1933. [2] The building was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [3] It was purchased 1991 to become the Portland Baháʼí Center. [4]

Architecture

The St. Johns Post Office is an example of a small community post office constructed in the 20th Century Georgian style (also Colonial Revival-style) typical of Depression Era federal architecture. The building exhibits classical symmetry and proportion, yet is a transitional building in that it lacks the archaeological detail of classically inspired federal architecture of the Beaux-Arts tradition. The building's Georgian style is suggested in the detailing of the arched Palladian windows and termination of the facade with a molded frieze and cornice. [2]

The building is also unique among small Oregon post offices in that it was designed by a local architect, Francis Marion Stokes, [2] who designed several architecturally prominent buildings in the Portland area, several of which are included in the city's historic resource inventory.

Art

The building's lobby features two murals with both a local and state significance. They are titled "Development of St. Johns" and were completed in 1936 by John Ballator under the auspices of the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture. The murals depict the development of the neighborhood with significant historical events and prominent citizens. Ballator was an artist from Topeka who was born in Portland in 1909. He attended the University of Oregon and the Yale School of Fine Arts. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Architecture of Portland, Oregon

Portland architecture includes a number of notable buildings, a wide range of styles, and a few notable pioneering architects.

Pioneer Courthouse Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Pioneer Courthouse is a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, United States. Built beginning in 1869, the structure is the oldest federal building in the Pacific Northwest, and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. Along with Pioneer Courthouse Square, it serves as the center of downtown Portland. It is also known as the Pioneer Post Office because a popular downtown Portland post office was, until 2005, located inside. The courthouse is one of four primary locations where the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit hears oral arguments. It also houses the chambers of the Portland-based judges on the Ninth Circuit.

Francis Marion Stokes Fourplex Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Francis Marion Stokes Fourplex is a historic residential building located in the Northwest district of Portland, Oregon, United States.

Francis Marion Stokes was an American architect famous for his works in the Portland, Oregon, area. Francis and his father, William R. Stokes, formed two generations of a Portland design and architectural tradition lasting for over 80 years, from 1882 though the 1960s. The combined design work of the Stokes family had a major impact on the architecture of Portland.

Sovereign Hotel (Portland, Oregon) Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Sovereign Hotel was a Portland, Oregon, hotel built in 1923. The nine-story building was added to the United States' National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1981. Part of the building houses a portion of the Oregon Historical Society's Oregon History Center.

Imperial Hotel (Portland, Oregon) Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland, historically known as the Imperial Hotel and also as The Plaza Hotel, is a historic hotel building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. It was completed in 1894 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as "Imperial Hotel". Since 2015, the building has been in use as the Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland, and prior to then it had been known as the Hotel Vintage Plaza since 1991.

United States Post Office (New Rochelle, New York) United States historic place

The main U.S. Post Office in New Rochelle is located at 255 North Avenue, at the intersection of North Avenue and Huguenot St., in the city of New Rochelle in Westchester County, New York. The facility currently serves the 10801, 10803 and 10805 ZIP Codes, covering portions of New Rochelle and neighboring Pelham and Pelham Manor.

William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and United States Courthouse United States historic place

The William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, also and formerly known as Old U.S. Post Office and Federal Building, is a courthouse in Macon, Georgia of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Completed in 1908, it initially served as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, until the creation of the Middle District in 1926. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972 as "Old U.S. Post Office and Federal Building", and also is included in the NRHP-listed Macon Historic District. It was renamed in honor of district court judge William Augustus Bootle in 1998.

Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building United States historic place

The Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building, also known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a historic Renaissance Revival style courthouse located in the Fairlie-Poplar district of Downtown Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia. It is the courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse United States historic place

The Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, formerly known as the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office and as the Federal Building, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, located in Indianapolis. It is a distinguished example of Beaux-Arts architecture, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Constructed from 1902 to 1905, the United States District Court for the District of Indiana met here until it was subdivided in 1928; the United States Circuit Court for the District of Indiana met here until that court was abolished in 1912. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "U.S. Courthouse and Post Office" in 1974. The courthouse was renamed in honor of Senator Birch Bayh in 2003.

Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse is a federal courthouse located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1933, it previously housed the United States District Court for the District of Oregon until the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse opened in 1997. The Renaissance Revival courthouse currently is used by commercial tenants and formerly housed a U.S. Postal Service branch. In 1979, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places as U.S. Courthouse.

United States Customhouse (Portland, Oregon) Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The U.S. Customhouse is a historic custom house in Portland in Multnomah County, Oregon. It was constructed to house offices of the United States Customs Service. It was built in 1898–1901 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is currently used as the Portland, Oregon location for WeWork, a coworking space provider.

Downtown Athens Historic District United States historic place

The Downtown Athens Historic District is a historic area in the Downtown Athens neighborhood of Athens, Georgia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Its boundaries were revised twice, in 1984 and 2006, and additional documentation was filed in 2006.

Troy Laundry Building (Portland, Oregon) Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Troy Laundry Building, located at 1025 Southeast Pine St. in Portland, Oregon, was designed by Ellis F. Lawrence in the early 1900s. It is considered a mixture of Colonial, Egyptian, and Renaissance Revival architecture. It is known for its large windows, tall brick walls, and decorative brickwork.

Houghtaling & Dougan

Houghtaling & Dougan was an American architectural firm based in Oregon. It was a partnership of Chester A. Houghtaling and Luther Lee Dougan. A number of their works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

United States Post Office (Arlington, Virginia) United States historic place

US Post Office-Arlington is a historic post office building located in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. It was designed and built in 1937, and is one of a number of post offices designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department under Louis A. Simon. The building is a one-story, pentagonal shaped brick building in the Georgian Revival style. Atop the entrance portico is a dome that rises above the buildings flat roof and is supported by four fluted limestone piers. The interior features murals by Auriel Bessemer picturing Indians on Analostan Island, Captain John Smith and the Indians, tobacco picking by the Lee mansion, Robert E. Lee receiving his Confederate commission in Richmond, a picnic at Great Falls, polo players at Fort Myer, and a contemporary harvest at an apple orchard.

Liberty Theater (Astoria, Oregon) United States historic place

The Liberty Theater is a historic vaudeville theater and cinema in Astoria, Oregon, United States. The whole commercial building of which the theater is the major occupant is also known as the Astor Building, especially in the context of historic preservation.

U.S. Post Office-Portland Main United States historic place

The Portland Main Post Office is located at 125 Forest Avenue in the Parkside neighborhood of Portland, Maine. The building in which it is located, now shared with other businesses, was built in 1932 to a design by noted Maine architects John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens and enlarged in 1967. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 for its Colonial Revival architecture.

References

  1. Portland Historic Landmarks Commission (July 2010), Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon (XLS), retrieved September 27, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kolva, H. J. (August 31, 1984), National Register of Historic Places Inventory — Nomination Form for Federal Properties: U.S. Post Office (St. John's Station) (PDF), retrieved May 30, 2017.
  3. 1 2 National Park Service (March 15, 1985), Weekly announcement of National Register of Historic Places actions (PDF), p. 29, retrieved May 30, 2017.
  4. Portland Baháʼí Center (n.d.), Portland Baháʼí History, archived from the original on November 1, 2016, retrieved May 30, 2017.