Cedar Falls Post Office

The former Cedar Falls Post Office was the first federal government building in the city. Erected in 1918, it represents the status the city had achieved by then as an important and prosperous economic center. The building is also a good example of Classical Revival architecture. It features a Flemish bond brick exterior, a limestone belt course, an arched entryway flanked by arched windows on either side, and decorative inset panels and roundels. Now occupied by a bike repair shop, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. and served as a post office until 1961.

The first post office in Cedar Falls was established sometime before 1861 when, by that time, it was located in a store on Main Street. The store's owner, Andrew Mullarky, was the third postmaster. The store also served as the first Black Hawk County Courthouse. It is unclear whether the post office remained in the store building in the coming years but it did remain in the business district. It eventually moved to 121-125 Main Street and remained there until the present building opened in 1918.

Congress approved the funding for the new post office in 1916. That year, the post office receipts in Cedar Falls amounted to nearly $41,000, which placed it in the "first class" category and was more than enough to justify the construction of a federal post office. During and after it was built, city leaders and promoters asserted that the new post office was a measure of the city's prosperity.

Post office operations moved to a new facility in 1961 that is still in use today. All of the mail sorting equipment was removed from the 1918 building, which was next used as additional office space for city hall. It was also used as a school and storage space. Over the years, the building has largely remained unaltered appears much as it did originally. The bike shop moved to the post office building in 1917.

"History." Bike Tech. Accessed September 3, 2021. https://www.biketechcf.com/articles/history-pg123.htm.

Williams, David. "Cedar Falls Post Office." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. March 8, 2016. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/d713d612-035c-4d04-bfe6-a420608b992a.