Old Post Office

The Post Office was designed in 1906 and completed in 1909 was originally the Ruston Post Office. It was the first building in Ruston of Indiana limestone. The renaissance architecture and Anglo-American theme gives the building its stately presence. The building was vacated in 1961 when a new post office was constructed and in 1963 was remodeled into a federal office building. The Lincoln Parish Police Jury acquired the building and used it for several parish agencies.

The City of Ruston acquired the old Federal Building/Post Office with the intent of establishing an arts center, including gallery and other facilities. In 2021, the City considered whether to continue with that plan or sell the building. In 2022, the building was given to the North Central Louisiana Arts Council for use as an arts center. That project could not find the funds to proceed so the City sold the building to private investors in 2024. Their plan is to renovate the building, returning the exterior to its original 1906 appearance and install a restaurant.

The original floor plan for the post office had the office of the post master in the southeast corner and adjoining it in the center of the south end was a room for valuable packages. The remainder of the first floor was a large room for sorting the mail. The customer boxes were on the east wall of this room and were accessed by the customers via a narrow lobby extending from the Post Master's office to the north wall. This lobby was entered by the east door from the Vienna Street side. A circular steel stairway extended from the basement to the attic. The basement contained a boiler, heating equipment and storage for coal. The attic was not used.

The building was vacated in 1961 when a new post office was constructed and in 1963 was remodeled into a federal office building by McInnis Bros. Inc. Contractors, Minden, Louisiana. The renovation created a conference room, a rest room, and three storage rooms in the basement. The first floor was partitioned into nine offices with two rest rooms.  Air conditioning machinery was placed in the previously unused attic. The renovation also included lowering the ceiling about three feet. The building now houses parish government offices.

The City of Ruston acquired the old Federal Building/Post Office with the intent of establishing an arts center, including gallery and other facilities. In 2021, the City considered whether to continue with that plan or sell the building. In 2022, the building was given to the North Central Louisiana Arts Council for use as an arts center.

The tall building immediately behind the Federal Building is the T. L. James Building constructed in 1926. The T. L. James Company constructed bridges, buildings, military camps, and thousands of miles of road across the South. The building's facade and first floor are virtually unchanged from the original design.

Harris, Wesley. Greetings from Ruston: A Post Card History of Ruston, Louisiana, November 4th 2010. Accessed December 20th 2021. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0966688937/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i7.

The Ruston Daily Leader, 10 Mar 1936, Page 1