Iowa Falls Post Office

Located across the street from Estes Park, the post office in Iowa Falls has been one of the leading landmarks in the city for over a century. Built in 1914, the building's Classical Revival architecture is typical of many public buildings, but the structure is uniqus as few post offices in communities of this size incorporated such a large portico. The portico consists of Doric columns, a pediment, and three arched openings, one of which contains the main entrance. Above the arches are decorative garlands. The pediment also contains decorative garlands as well as a cartouche. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Post Office has operated continuously since its completion.

In the early 20th century, the U.S. government started to erect buildings for the specific purpose of housing federal courts and post offices in county seat communities. Iowa Falls is not the county seat (the town of Eldora is) but it was prosperous enough in the early 1900s to warrant such a substantial investment by the federal government. A federal agency called the Office of the Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury oversaw the construction of the Post Office, which is also referred to as the Federal Building. The agency, which was in charge of designing federal buildings between the early 1850s to 1939, was led by Oscar Wenderoth at the time the Post Office was built. The building not only represented the federal government, it also symbolized the city's status as a thriving, growing, stable community.

Naumann, Molly Myers. "Federal Building (U.S. Post Office)." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 5, 1994. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IA/93000955.pdf.