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Sturdy craftsmanship shows in the Church St. Post Office
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From the outside, the Church Street Post Office appears stout and modest at the corner of Church and Vesey Streets. But details like the giant, squared-and-stylized eagles perched seven floors up on its Indiana-limestone façade signal what's inside: a haven of art deco-era designs that have earned it a spot on the National Historic Landmark register, not to mention many a "wow" from its visitors.
The Church Street Post Office opened in 1937. Its solid craftsmanship has transcended decades of wear and tear, as well as the impacts of both the 1993 and 2001 attacks on its neighbor the World Trade Center (WTC). On September 11, 2001, the building withstood the collapse of the twin towers and 7 WTC. In fact, it suffered surprisingly limited damage other than blown-out windows and a foot-thick coating of dust and debris, even despite scattered fires and the activation of emergency sprinklers inside.
"There was little damage to the actual structure," says Robert Selsam, spokesperson for the building's management company, Boston Properties. "It's a very sturdy building."
Selsam was in charge of the building's decade-long renovation through most of the 1990s. Calling it a "complete modernization," his team updated the electrical, plumbing, elevator, and central air-conditioning and heating systems and was launching the final phase of work on the building's main post office floor in September 2001.
Since then, his company's mission shifted from renovation to restoration, involving the replacement of more than 800 windows, along with walls and flooring that harbored contaminants such as mold, asbestos, and lead dust. Three years and several million dollars later, the Church Street Post Office reopened on August 2, 2004.
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| Black marble columns topped by silver stars adorn the lobby |
The fine work of the building's original designer, Lewis A. Simon, is present in virtually every corner of the main floor. Simon was the supervising architect of the Treasury Department in the 1930s, when the New Deal was on the table and designs were simple and classic, especially for federal buildings like post offices.
Stars are among the main recurring details adorning the building. They protrude like silver badges of national pride from the original steel entryways on the post office's north and south ends and the ceiling and black-and-green marble columns inside. The entrances' ceilings follow suit. Their translucent panels are decorated with an art deco version of the "Great Seal" of the United States -- the eagle image seen on the back of a dollar bill.
Beneath the grand ceiling and columns are solid marble walls and an almost pristine marble-and-granite terrazzo floor. "If you look at that interior floor you'd swear it was brand new," Selsam says. "It looks like it was set and polished yesterday, but that terrazzo is over 70 years old."
The building's metalwork is the backbone of its design. Similar to the chrome-and-steel style of the Chrysler Building, the main floor's chandeliers, sconce lights, service windows, doors, and vent covers all feature the pale, somewhat dulled silver metal crafted for architectural continuity throughout.
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| Colorful, polished terrazzo floors make for grand entrances |
As for the work that takes place within the building, the U.S. Postal Service is back in full swing -- with 325 employees on four floors -- after temporarily shifting operations to Farley Post Office on 8th Avenue and 33rd Street following September 11. In addition to processing mail for the seven downtown zip codes, including two for the WTC that are still technically active, the building houses a postal store, manned shipping windows, and new, 24-hour self-service shipping stations complete with scales and postage-label printers.
On the building's other 10 floors, Boston Properties continues to build out space for new tenants, which now include the New York City Housing Authority and, eventually, the state Department of Health and the Public Service Commission.
"We're very happy to be back there," says Patricia McGovern, a spokesperson for the postal service. "It's a little bit bittersweet for the reason we originally had to shut down. But we're happy to contribute to the rebuilding of downtown, and the customers sure seem happy to be back there."
The Church Street Post Office is located at 90 Church Street, between Vesey and Barclay Streets. Click here to read more and view photos from the renovation.
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