The Charles R. Jonas Federal Building, also known as the United States Post Office and Courthouse, is an historic structure located at 401 West Trade Street, in Charlotte, North Carolina, which has served at various times as a

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (in case citations, W.D.N.C.) is a federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina. Appeals from the Western District of North Carolina are take ...

,Federal Judicial Center Historic Federal Courthouses page on the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building
and a United States post office. Designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect under

James A. Wetmore James Alfonso Wetmore (November 1863 – March 14, 1940) was an American lawyer and administrator, best known as the Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department from 1915 through 1933. ...

, it was completed in 1915; the building was renamed in honor of long-serving North Carolina Congressman

Charles R. Jonas Charles Raper Jonas (December 9, 1904 – September 28, 1988) was a U.S. Representative from North Carolina for ten terms (1953–1973). At the time of his election in 1952, he became the first United States Republican Party, Republican to repres ...

, and was transferred to the city in exchange for land in the fall of 2005, and has been leased back to the federal government for continued use.

History

The Charles R. Jonas Federal Building is located on a site important to the history of Charlotte, and is one of the few historic structures remaining in the Central Business District. The first branch of the U.S. Mint had been built on the northeast section of the site in 1836, and in 1891, a Post Office facility was built on the southwest portion of the site. The space between the two buildings was converted to a park/plaza. In 1913 the Mint functions were discontinued (the building eventually becoming the Mint Museum) and the 1891 post office building was torn down. In 1915 the first portion of what would later become the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building, a new post office, was built on the site of the older one. In 1934 an addition to the original Post Office was completed on the site of the Mint. The addition tripled the size of the original and changed the orientation of the main facade and entry of the building to West Trade Street at the southeast. The site of the Federal building has historically been used for U.S. government buildings. That use continues today as the site of the Jonas Federal Building where the 1915-1934 building remains a symbol of the Federal presence in Charlotte. It is, in fact, the busiest statutory location for holding Federal Court in the Western District of North Carolina. Although the settlement of Charlotte dates from the colonial period, it is very much a symbol of the "new South". It has become one of the nation's most important financial and marketing centers. As a result of this, the Central Business District is now largely given over to commercial enterprises housed in new buildings. Therefore, in addition to representing the Federal government in Charlotte, the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building is one of the few historic structures remaining in the Central Business District.

Architectural description

The building is a two-story Neoclassical limestone structure. The main elevation (northeast) faces West Trade Street. It features a full-length colonnade, with a projecting central temple-front pavilion. On either side of the central pavilion are colonnades divided into eight bays. Massive, monolithic

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order w ...

support an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

with

denticulated This page is a glossary of architecture. A B C The Caryatid Porch of the Athen ...

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

. Each of the three entry doors has an elaborate limestone surround featuring fluted engaged pilasters which support a decorative cornice. There are two secondary entrances with decorative limestone surrounds set within the flanking colonnades. The southeast elevation is the main elevation of the original 1915 building and features two entries, one at either end. The entry doors are set within projecting corner pavilions. The decorative door surrounds feature fluted engaged pilasters which support a classical cornice. Flanking each entry door are original

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

wall-mounted

lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

s. The central pavilion of the elevation is expressed as nine bays delineated by engaged Corinthian pilasters. The denticulated cornice and unembellished frieze are present on the southeast, northwest, and northeast. The northwest elevation reflects the design of the southeast elevation though there are no main entry doors here. The central portion of the facade is divided into nine bays delineated by engaged pilasters. Due to the slope of the site, basement windows are above grade on this elevation. The southwest elevation features a distinctive original copper-clad

loading dock A loading dock or loading bay is an area of a building where goods vehicles (usually road or rail) are loaded and unloaded. They are commonly found on commercial and industrial buildings, and warehouses in particular. Loading docks may be exterio ...

. Significant interior spaces include the main lobby and the ceremonial courtroom on the second floor. The L-shaped lobby, once a Post Office sales area, retains its original marble floors, wainscot, pilasters, light fixtures and ornamental plaster ceiling. The 1930s courtroom features wood paneling and carved door surround. An effort has been made to retain original woodwork in the second floor office spaces.

Attribution

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Federal buildings in the United States Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Renaissance Revival architecture in North Carolina Neoclassical architecture in North Carolina Federal courthouses in the United States Courthouses in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Charlotte, North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Buildings and structures completed in 1915 United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina