National Register of Historic Places

US Post Office-Medford Main

Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
June 17, 1986
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
86001346

About this property

The US Post Office–Medford Main is a historic post office at 20 Forest Street in Medford, Massachusetts. Built in 1937, it is a fine example of construction work funded by the Public Works Administration, a jobs program of the 1930s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The main Medford Post Office is set on the west side of Forest Street, just north of the central business district's main intersection. The front portion of the building is a seven-bay brick structure, set on a high foundation. The central three bays project forward and upward, and are topped by a gabled roof with a modillioned marble pediment. The outer bays of the projection house tall windows, and the center one the entrance, which is reached via granite steps. The windows in the outer bays are set in recessed panels, with marble sills and lintels. The interior lobby space features terrazzo marble flooring, marble wainscoting, and dark woodwork. The service area, located to the right is topped by a mural depicting the city's historic shipbuilding and rum industries. The building's principal designing architect was Arthur Blakeslee, and it was built in 1937 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA), following that body's guidelines for design and construction. The building's location on a side street (as opposed to a more prominent corner or main street location) was an evolutionary step in the PWA's practices for post office location, allowing the mail handling area to be accessed from the side rather than the rear. National Register of Historic Places listings in Medford, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Location

20 Forest St.
Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.41913, -71.10947

Categories

ARTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

Wade, Jonathan, House
Industrial
0 mi
Bigelow Block
Industrial
0 mi
Manning, Joseph K., House
Industrial
0 mi
Hall, Isaac, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Medford Pipe Bridge
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Menotomy
1775Revolutionary War
2.4 mi
Skirmish at Menotomy (Arlington)
1775Revolutionary War
2.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was US Post Office-Medford Main listed on the National Register?

US Post Office-Medford Main was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 1986.

What type of historic resource is US Post Office-Medford Main?

US Post Office-Medford Main is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for US Post Office-Medford Main?

The period of significance for US Post Office-Medford Main is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near US Post Office-Medford Main?

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