The United States Post Office is a former post office building at 310 Greenwich Avenue in downtown
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...
. Built in 1915, it is a good example of Classical Revival architecture, with a distinctive plan predating the Postal Service's standardization of buildings. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1986.
It was included in the
Greenwich Municipal Center Historic District
The Greenwich Avenue Historic District is a historic district representing the commercial and civic historical development of the downtown area of the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. The district was listed on the National Register of Histori ...
which was listed in 1988,
and is also included in the
Greenwich Avenue Historic District
The Greenwich Avenue Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district representing the commercial and civic historical development of the Greenwich (CDP), Connecticut, downtown area of the town of Greenwich, Connectic ...
.
The building is now in commercial retail use.
Description and history
Greenwich's former post office occupies a prominent triangular site between Greenwich Avenue and Arch Street, with a small public park housing a war memorial in front of it. The building is a single-story masonry structure, with a steel frame finished in brick and stone. The main facade faces the intersection, consisting of a curved wall with a recessed entry area. The recess is supported by six Corinthian columns, and is topped by a parapet with balustraded elements.
The building, completed in 1915, appears to be one of the last of an era of post office design where government buildings were individually designed and were "intended as monuments to bring Federal ideas and sophisticated architecture to small communities." Other post offices, later, were standardized.
[ and ]
The building was acquired by the company Restoration Hardware (now
RH) and extensively altered in 2014. The exterior post office facade remains the same. However, the interior is completely renovated to accommodate a two-story, high-value merchandise store. Moreover, Restoration Hardware expanded the rear of the building to make larger gallery space and patio space for customers.
See also
*
*
List of United States post offices
Several United States post offices are individually notable and have operated under the authority of the United States Post Office Department (1792–1971) or of the United States Postal Service (since 1971). Notable U.S. post offices include in ...
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Neoclassical architecture in Connecticut
Government buildings completed in 1915
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
Buildings and structures in Greenwich, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut