Washtenaw County Administration Building

Last updated
Main Street Post Office
MainStreetPostOfficeAnnArborMI.JPG
USA Michigan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location220 N. Main St., Ann Arbor, Michigan
Coordinates 42°16′58″N83°44′53″W / 42.28278°N 83.74806°W / 42.28278; -83.74806 (Main Street Post Office) Coordinates: 42°16′58″N83°44′53″W / 42.28278°N 83.74806°W / 42.28278; -83.74806 (Main Street Post Office)
Arealess than one acre
Built1906 (1906)
Built byC. Hoertz & Son; Rice Construction Co.
ArchitectFremont Ward, US Treasury Department
Architectural style Neoclassical, Second Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No. 78001512 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 22, 1978

The Washtenaw County Administration Building is a former post office located at 220 North Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The building is now owned by Washtenaw County, Michigan. [2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. [1]

Contents

History

In 1903, Congress authorized funds to construct this building to house the postal services for Ann Arbor. However, actual money was not appropriated until 1906. [3] The building site chosen was the site of Polhemus Livery Stable, which was razed to make room for the new post office. Plans for the new building were based on those drawn up by the staff at the US Treasury Department, and architect Fremont Ward supervised the construction. The builders C. Hoertz & Son of Grand Rapids, Michigan constructed the building. [4] The building was not completed until 1909. A small brick addition was constructed in 1928. In 1932-33, a more substantial addition was constructed by Rice Construction Co. of Chicago, matching the style of the original construction seamlessly.

The building served as Ann Arbor's main post office until 1959, when the post office on West Stadium Blvd took its place. It continued to serve as a branch post office until 1977, when the post office was moved to the new federal building on East Liberty Street. Washtenaw County then purchased the building. [4] It now houses administrative offices for Washtenaw County. [2]

Description

The Washtenaw County Administration Building is a single story rectangular building constructed of smooth gray limestone. The facade is symmetrical and divided into seven bays. Sculpted motifs decorate the facade. The original 1906 building was only five bays wide; the 1932 addition was carefully designed to seamlessly integrate both parts together. [3]

Related Research Articles

First National Bank Building (Ann Arbor, Michigan) United States historic place

The First National Bank Building, also known as the First National Building, is a Romanesque Revival building in Ann Arbor, Michigan designed by the local architectural firm of Fry and Kasurin. It stands at 201-205 South Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 24, 1982.

Unitarian Universalist Church (Ann Arbor, Michigan) United States historic place

The Unitarian Universalist Church is a historic church building at 100 N. State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Chelsea Commercial Historic District United States historic place

The Chelsea Commercial Historic District is a historic district located along both sides of Main Street from Orchard to North Street in Chelsea, Michigan; the district also includes the adjacent 100 blocks of Jackson, East Middle, and West Middle Streets, as well as structures on Park, East, and Orchard Streets. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

Gordon Hall (Dexter, Michigan) United States historic place

Gordon Hall, also known as the Judge Samuel W. Dexter House, is a private house located at 8341 Island Lake Road in Dexter, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The house is unique in Michigan for its balance, large scale, and massive hexastyle portico. The structure is also significant as the dwelling of Judge Samuel W. Dexter, a pioneering Michigan resident and land baron who had a substantial impact on early development of Washtenaw County and other sections of the state. The house was later owned by Dexter's granddaughter Katharine Dexter McCormick, a pioneering research scientist, suffragist, and philanthropist. In its early days, Gordon Hall hosted at least two, and possibly three United States presidents, and it was almost certainly a stop along the Underground Railroad.

Goodyear Block United States historic place

The Goodyear Block, also known as the Arbeiter Block is a commercial building located at 138 E. Main Street in Manchester, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Main Street Historic District (Milan, Michigan) United States historic place

The Main Street Historic District is a commercial historic district that includes structures located at 3-153 East Main Street, 1-41 West Main Street, and 8 Park Lane in Milan, Michigan. Although within Milan, the district spans the county line between Washtenaw County, Michigan and Monroe County, Michigan, containing structures within both counties. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Judge Robert S. Wilson House United States historic place

The Judge Robert S. Wilson House, also known as the Wilson-Wahr House, is a private house located at 126 North Division Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Orrin White House United States historic place

The Orrin White House, also known as the Orrin and Ann Thayer White House or the Robert Hodges Residence , is a private house located at 2940 Fuller Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Henry S. Frieze House United States historic place

The Henry S. Frieze House is a single family house located at 1547 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Northern Brewery United States historic place

The Northern Brewery is a former industrial building located at 1327 Jones Drive in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

William Anderson House United States historic place

The William Anderson House is a single-family home located at 2301 Packard Road in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Germania Building Complex United States historic place

The Germania Building Complex consists of two adjacent related buildings located at 119-123 West Washington Street and 209-211 Ashley Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Weinmann Block United States historic place

The Weinmann Block is a commercial building located at 219-223 East Washington Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Union Block (Saline, Michigan) United States historic place

The Union Block is a commercial building located at 100-110 East Michigan Avenue in Saline, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Nickels Arcade United States historic place

Nickels Arcade is a commercial building located at 326-330 South State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The building is notable as perhaps the only remaining example in Michigan of a free-standing commercial arcade building of a type that was popularized by the Cleveland Arcade.

Bell-Spalding House United States historic place

The Bell-Spalding House, also known as the Tuomy House, is a single-family home located at 2117 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Thomas Earl House (Ann Arbor, Michigan) United States historic place

The Thomas Earl House was built as a single-family home located at 415 North Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The house has been renovated to office space.

Kellogg-Warden House United States historic place

The Kellogg-Warden House is a single-family house located at 500 North Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It now houses the Washtenaw County Historical Society's Museum on Main Street.

Charles E. Chamberlain Federal Building & Post Office United States historic place

The Charles E. Chamberlain Federal Building & Post Office is a government building located at 315 West Allegan Street in Lansing, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as Federal Building.

Genesee County Courthouse (Michigan) United States historic place

The Genesee County Courthouse is a government building located at 920 South Saginaw Street in Flint, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 BUILDING INVENTORY (PDF), WASHTENAW COUNTY MICHIGAN, March 2012
  3. 1 2 Ernest O. Moore (October 3, 1977), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY- NOMINATION FORM: Main Street Post Office
  4. 1 2 "United States Post Office-1909, 1926". Ann Arbor District Library. Retrieved May 14, 2018.