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U.S. Post Office & Federal Building

Introduction

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Built in 1931, the U.S. Post Office & Federal Building was Lewistown's first post office erected by the federal government. It was also the only major building erected in city during the 1930s. In terms of architecture, it is an excellent example of the Beaux-Arts style, featuring a red brick and white terra cotta facade, and an impressive Neoclassical main entrance with a triangular pediment supported by fluted pilasters (columns) topped with Ionic capitals. Building the post office was a significant achievement for the city in the midst of the Great Depression.

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The U.S. Post Office & Federal Building was built in 1931. It is an excellent example of Beaux-Arts architecture.

The U.S. Post Office & Federal Building was built in 1931. It is an excellent example of Beaux-Arts architecture.

Backstory and Context

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Although the Great Depression began in 1929, Montana had been experiencing economic difficulties since the early 1920s as a result of drought and low grain prices. Lewistown grew significantly in the 1910s but the population decreased to around 5,300 in 1930. The construction of the post office, then, was big boost to civic pride and represented the successful collaboration between local civic groups and politicians and the federal government. As evidence for this pride, around 2,000 people—more than a third of the city's population—attended the building's cornerstone ceremony. It has continuously operated as a post office and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. 

Sources

Kolva, H.J. "Lewistown Federal Building & Post Office." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. March 14, 1986. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/86000684_text.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LewistownMT_USPO.jpg

Additional Information