The Postal Square Building, formerly the City Post Office, served as the main

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

for the city of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, from the building's completion in 1914 to 1986. It now houses the National Postal Museum, the

Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the government of the United States, U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics, labor economics and ...

, and offices of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. Architect Daniel Burnham designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style—the same style Burnham used for neighboring Washington Union Station. Construction for the Postal Square Building began in 1911 on a lot near the Capitol. Planning began with a 1901 proposal by the Senate Parks Commission. The commission called for three buildings to mark the northern end of the Capitol complex. While the first two buildings in the plan, Union Station and the Postal Square Building, were completed early in the 20th century, the 1901 plan would not be fully implemented until the completion of the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in 1992. A major renovation from 1929 to 1935 expanded the building for increased mail processing and service capacity. By the 1950s, renovations had removed many of the Beaux-Arts features of the building. The main hall and lobby area only showed traces of their former grandiose design with modernist elements replacing the Beaux-Arts style. The building received another major renovation in the early 1990s, during which the original appearance of the lobby and main hall area was restored. The National Postal Museum moved into the building in 1993 following the renovations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Capitol City Brewing Company also moved into the building during the 1990s. Capitol City Brewing Company closed in 2011 to make room for an expansion of the National Postal Museum. As of 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics had begun transitioning to office space in

Suitland, Maryland Suitland is a suburb of Washington, D.C., approximately one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Washington, D.C. Suitland is a census designated place (CDP), as of the 2020 census, its population was 25,839. Prior to 2010, it was part of the Suitland ...

, while most BLS employees continued to work from home as they had been doing since the start of the

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic.

Gallery

File:Dc city post office foyer habs 1989 sw entrance lobby.jpg, Southwest entrance lobby in 1989 showing some elements of the original design such as the columns and modified

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, al ...

ing File:Dc city post office main hall before restoration.jpg, The main hall and lobby area before the restoration; The ceiling has been lowered, and the hall narrowed. File:Postal Square Building from Columbus Circle HABS 1989.jpg, Postal Square Building (left) from Columbus Circle with Union Station to the right

References

{{Commons category 1914 establishments in Washington, D.C. Beaux-Arts architecture in Washington, D.C. Buildings of the United States government in Washington, D.C. Government buildings completed in 1914 Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.) Office buildings in Washington, D.C. Post office buildings in Washington, D.C.

Gallery

See also

References