United States Post Office and Courthouse (Dallas, Texas)

Last updated
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse
Dallas - Post Office and Court House 01.jpg
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse
United States Post Office and Courthouse (Dallas, Texas)
General information
TypeFederal Government
Architectural style Renaissance Revival
Location400 North Ervay Street
Coordinates 32°47′01″N96°47′53″W / 32.783728°N 96.798164°W / 32.783728; -96.798164
Completed1930
Technical details
Floor count5
Design and construction
Architect(s)W.B. Hayes and Office of the Supervising Architect
Awards and prizes

The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse is an historic post office and courthouse building located at 400 North Ervay Street in the City Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). The historic building retains an operating post office on the ground level with apartments on upper floors.

Contents

History

A new federal building was conceived to replace the "Old" Post Office and Federal Building five blocks to the south (later replaced by the Mercantile National Bank Building). A site at Ervay, Federal, St. Paul, and Bryan was chosen, and $50,000 was allocated by the U.S. Congress. The sum was later raised to $2,300,000 for . [1] Construction began in 1929 and the building opened in November 1930. [2]

The building served as the home for 40 Federal bureaus and agencies, two United States District Courts and two District Judges. As the Federal Government's presence in Dallas grew over 310,000 square feet (29,000 m2) were leased in surrounding buildings to house larger agencies. The U.S. District and Circuit Courts moved to the new Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse in 1971, following the departure of the Post Office regional headquarters in the same year. [3]

In 1984 the U.S. Postal Service selected Woodbine Development Corp. to renovate the historic building and build a 34-story office tower behind and above the building. The addition would have included a 700,000-square-foot (65,000 m2) office building and 900-car underground parking garage along with retail, restaurant and office facilities. [4] The project never came to fruition.

The structure was later renovated for the Postal Service by BRW Architects and Turner Construction. Work included the creation of a parking facility in the basement, restoration and renovation of the exterior facade and interior public spaces, a complete overhaul of MEP systems, upgrading of lighting, installation of a fire sprinkler system, and all necessary modifications to meet today's ADA accessibility criteria. All renovation work was conducted in close association with historic preservation authorities at national, state and local levels. [5]

In 2002 a developer launched unsuccessful plans to convert all but the ground floor into 91 loft apartments, at a cost of $14 million, to be called the Lofts at Thanksgiving Square. [6] In 2011 redevelopment commenced, and the upper levels were converted to 78 residential units. Original public spaces were restored for common use and a rooftop terrace was added to the building. U.S. Postal Service remains a tenant on the ground floor.

Architecture

The substantial building spans the length of Bryan Street and was constructed in a Renaissance Revival style popular with the U.S. Treasury Department. The steel-framed structure contains 5 floors plus one basement level and is clad in Indiana limestone. Soon after opening, the exterior design was criticized for being a disappointment and too simple, lacking any ornamentation. On upper floors, seemingly out of place, are colored terra cotta spandrels picturing the history of mail transportation. The inside of the building contains an understated but impressive lobby with rows of window stations flanked by regional murals above the two entrance doorways. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Building (Dallas)</span> United States historic place

The Wilson Building is an historic 8-story building in the Main Street district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The building was completed in 1904 and patterned after the Palais Garnier in Paris, France. The historic structure fronts Main Street on the south, Ervay Street on the east, and Elm Street on the north. The Wilson building was the tallest structure in Dallas from 1904–1909 and was considered the premier commercial structure west of the Mississippi. The Wilson Building is situated across from the flagship Neiman Marcus Building and is adjacent to the Mercantile National Bank Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercantile National Bank Building</span> Skyscraper in Dallas, Texas

The Mercantile National Bank Building is a 31-story, 159.4 m (523 ft) skyscraper at 1800 Main Street in the Main Street district of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the former home of the Mercantile National Bank, which later became MCorp Bank. The design of the skyscraper features Moderne styling from the Art Deco era and was designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager. The building has a series of setbacks that is crowned by an ornamental four-sided clock along with a decorative weather spire. The Merc was the main element of a four-building complex that eventually spanned a full city block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titche–Goettinger Building</span> United States historic place

The Titche–Goettinger Building is one of Dallas' original broad-front department stores located along St. Paul Street between Main and Elm Street in downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). The structure currently houses apartments, retail space, and the Universities Center at Dallas. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places both individually and as a contributing property in the Dallas Downtown Historic District and is a Dallas Landmark as part of the Harwood Street Historic District. It is also located across the street from Main Street Garden Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Levin United States Courthouse</span> Courthouse in Detroit, Michigan

The Theodore Levin United States Courthouse is a large high-rise courthouse and office building located at 231 West Lafayette Boulevard in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The structure occupies an entire block, girdled by Shelby Street (east), Washington Boulevard (west), West Fort Street (south), and West Lafayette Boulevard (north). The building is named after the late Theodore Levin, a lawyer and United States District Court judge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praetorian Building</span> Commercial offices in Dallas, Texas

The Praetorian Building, also known as Stone Place Tower, was a 15-story, 58 m (190 ft) high-rise constructed in 1909 at Main Street and Stone Street in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It was regarded the first skyscraper in Texas and the first skyscraper in the Southwestern United States. It was among the first skyscrapers built in the entire Western United States, following the 1885 Lumber Exchange Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota and other taller towers in Minneapolis, San Francisco, Omaha, and Kansas City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomochichi Federal Building and United States Court House</span> United States historic place

The Tomochichi Federal Building and United States Court House is a court house of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia located in Savannah, Georgia. It was built between 1894 and 1899, and substantially enlarged in 1932. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as Federal Building and U.S. Court House, and was renamed in honor of the Creek Indian leader Tomochichi in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Building (Port Huron, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, Port Huron, Michigan is a historic courthouse and federal office building located at Port Huron in St. Clair County, Michigan. It is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office, Courthouse, and Custom House (Spokane, Washington)</span> United States historic place

The Federal Building and U.S. Post Office, Spokane, Washington is a historic post office, courthouse, and custom house building at Spokane in Spokane County, Washington. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Building and Post Office (Brooklyn)</span> United States historic place

The Federal Building and Post Office is a historic main post office, courthouse, and Federal office building at 271-301 Cadman Plaza East in the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The original building was the Brooklyn General Post Office, and is now the Downtown Brooklyn Station, and the north addition is the courthouse for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York, and is across the street from and in the jurisdiction of the main courthouse of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the Theodore Roosevelt United States Courthouse. It also houses offices for the United States Attorney, In 2009, the United States Congress renamed the building the Conrad B. Duberstein United States Bankruptcy Courthouse, after chief bankruptcy judge Conrad B. Duberstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William O. Douglas Federal Building</span> Historic building in Washington, United States

The William O. Douglas Federal Building is a historic post office, courthouse, and federal office building located at Yakima in Yakima County, Washington. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Renamed in 1978, it was previously known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, and is listed under that name in the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laredo United States Post Office, Court House and Custom House</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse is a historic government building located in Laredo in Webb County, Texas. It previously served as a custom house and a courthouse for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. It continues to serve as a post office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Customhouse (Houston)</span> Historic building in Houston, Texas, U.S.

The United States Customhouse is a historic custom house located at Houston in Harris County, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse is a Beaux Arts-style building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. It is a courthouse for the Western District of Pennsylvania, a United States district court. Until 2015, the building was known as the US Post Office and Courthouse-Pittsburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">211 North Ervay</span> Office in Dallas, Texas

211 North Ervay is a high rise located at 211 North Ervay Street in the City Center District of Dallas, Texas, United States. The building rises 250 feet and contains 18 floors of office space. The colorful building of modernist design is situated on a prominent city corner and adjacent to Thanks-Giving Square.

505 North Ervay, also known as the Reserve Loan Life Building, was a mid-rise skyscraper located in the City Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. Originally an office building, it was part of the First Baptist Church campus until the building was imploded on June 29, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse, formerly known as the Amarillo U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas built in Amarillo, Texas in 1937. It reflects Art Deco architecture and Moderne architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. In addition to its continuous use as a courthouse, it has served as a post office, as a customhouse, and as a government office building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office and Courthouse (Texarkana)</span> United States historic place

The United States Post Office and Courthouse, also known as Texarkana U.S. Post Office and Federal Building and as Texarkana U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is located on State Line Avenue in Texarkana, straddling the border between Arkansas and Texas. It is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

The Durward G. Hall Federal Building and United States Courthouse is an historic building located in Joplin, Missouri. Completed in 1904 and added to in 1936, the courthouse was constructed during a time of initial growth for the City of Joplin, following several years of civic effort to obtain a Federal Post Office and Courthouse. Originally constructed to house a U.S. Post Office, Federal Court Room and offices for various public agencies, today it stands as a well-preserved example of the neo-classical revival style popular in Federal buildings of the period. The building served as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri from 1904 to 1999. It is named for U.S. Representative Durward Gorham Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk, Virginia. Built in 1932, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, reflecting Art Deco architecture. Historically it served as a courthouse and additionally as a post office.

References

  1. "Federal Building Goes Five Full Stories." The Dallas Morning News. March 4, 1930.
  2. "Uncle Sam Opens for New Business in New Headquarters." The Dallas Morning News. November 18, 1930.
  3. "U.S. Courts, Aides Move Into New Federal Building." The Dallas Morning News. June 21, 1971.
  4. Donna Steph Hansard. "WOODBINE SELECTED FOR PROJECT Dallas developer to undertake post office renovation." The Dallas Morning News 31 October 1984, HOME FINAL, BUSINESS: 4d. NewsBank. Web. 24 February 2010.
  5. "Downtown Dallas Post Office". www.brwarch.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20.
  6. "Dallas Public Library - Site Map".
  7. 'New Postoffice Building Lacks Notable Exterior." The Dallas Morning News. December 14, 1930.