Old Post Office Building History
The United States Post Office Building was constructed during the Taft Administration, fifty one years after Oregon had been admitted as a state of the Union in 1859. The supervising architect was James Knox Taylor. Construction began during the summer of 1909, and the building was completed and opened for business on the 20th day of October, 1910. It was built for $75,000.
The building was initially scheduled to be completed by July 10, 1910, but much delay was due to the late delivery of materials. One of the delays in meeting the opening deadline was due to the failure of the Post Office Administration to approve the sample of the terrazzo flooring which was submitted by the contractors. The flooring consisted of a mixture of concrete and marble chips. The report from Washington was to the effect that the sample did not contain the correct proportion of concrete and marble. Consequently, new samples were sent and construction of the building, once again, was on its way. Three months from the due date of completion, the Post Office Building was open for business.
The completed project revealed to Baker County residents a two-story, brick building in the second empire style or in the tradition of the American Renaissance. The structure was set on a foundation of granite stone, and it had a full basement. The basement was of granite which came from the Baker County quarries and the upper part of the building was of terra cotta, which came from Indiana.
The exterior of the building was stone and buff-colored brick. The central entry bay on the west was flanked by cast iron light posts and pilasters. The low, hip roof had three dormers on its west side. The roof was largely hidden by a stone facade at the roof level.
The main entrance was on Dewey Avenue, and several steps led up to the popular revolving door. There was another entrance on Bridge Street. The lobby was finished in oak and the walls in white stucco. The flooring was of the controversial terrazzo. At the south end of the lobby were the registry and money order windows, while the general delivery window was directly in front of the main entrance. To the left of the Bridge Street entrance was a door leading to the private office of the postmaster, and to the right was a stairway to the basement. The working room for the distribution of the mail was large, well lighted and well ventilated. At the southeast corner of the building was a door where the mail was delivered to and from the trains and a brick driveway surrounded the building. There were two large vaults, one for the money order department and another for the general mailing department.
In the basement was a lounging room and bathroom with showers for the mail carriers. The heating apparatus was also in the basement and consumed 73 tons of coal per year.
The weather observer had rooms on the second floor, and the observatory instruments were located on the roof.
An interesting feature of the building was a small room which enabled the inspectors to overlook the workroom from which the clerks at work could be observed without their knowledge. The inspector had a pass key to the building and could enter the small room unobserved. The theory behind this was to give the inspector an idea of the employees' habits and manner in which they worked and to observe the normal way in which work was performed.
The Post Office Department and BLM Department moved from the building to the new Post Office Building on September 11, 1968. This left the Forest Service, which occupied the third floor, the only occupants of the building until May, 1971, at which time the Forest Service vacated the building and moved to the new Post Office. The building was virtually left vacant from 1971 (it was, however, used for storage purposes) until December 27, 1982, when the restoration of the building was completed and it became the home of the law firm of Coughlin & Leuenberger.
The lobby space retains the original terrazzo flooring with marble borders and classically detailed wood trim. Much of the original oak wood trim throughout the building has been refinished as have the wood floors on the rear of the building. The light fixtures throughout the building are of original vintage.
The slits which the inspectors used to view the employees can still be seen south of the arched brick planter area on the mezzanine.
The windows on the west side of the building are the original windows which were installed when the building was built. The exterior of the building has been left as initially constructed including the cast iron light posts and pilasters and the bowed front steps.
The building, as it stands today is much the same as when it was erected, except for the addition on the east side which was completed in approximately 1936. It has stood intact for over one-half of Oregon's history as a state of the Union.
The Post Office Department and BLM Department moved from the building to the new Post Office Building on September 11, 1968. This left the Forest Service, which occupied the third floor, the only occupants of the building until May, 1971, at which time the Forest Service vacated the building and moved to the new Post Office. The building was virtually left vacant from 1971 (it was, however, used for storage purposes) until December 27, 1982, when the restoration of the building was completed and it became the home of the law firm of Coughlin & Leuenberger.
The lobby space retains the original terrazzo flooring with marble borders and classically detailed wood trim. Much of the original oak wood trim throughout the building has been refinished as have the wood floors on the rear of the building. The light fixtures throughout the building are of original vintage.
The slits which the inspectors used to view the employees can still be seen south of the arched brick planter area on the mezzanine.
The windows on the west side of the building are the original windows which were installed when the building was built. The exterior of the building has been left as initially constructed including the cast iron light posts and pilasters and the bowed front steps.
The building, as it stands today is much the same as when it was erected, except for the addition on the east side which was completed in approximately 1936. It has stood intact for over one-half of Oregon's history as a state of the Union.
