Lakeland Federal Building

Construction of the Federal Building in Lakeland, Florida started in 1917 and was completed in 1919. The one-story Georgian Revival style building, designed by James A. Wetmore, then Acting Supervising Architect of the Treasury, was the City of Lakeland’s first free-standing post office. After serving as the city’s Post Office for several decades, the building later housed various federal offices, including those of a U.S. Senator. Significant alterations include a large 1931 addition that doubled the building’s size and an extensive remodeling of the interior in 1978. The City of Lakeland has owned the building since 2005, when it was transferred through the Historic Surplus Property Program. The City invested over $1 million in a historically sensitive exterior restoration, which was completed in 2015. Although plans are ongoing for rehabilitation into offices and restaurants, the building is currently vacant.