United States Post Office (Goshen, New York)

The U.S. Post Office Goshen is the local branch of the United States Postal Service, serving the Town of Goshen in Orange County of New York, United States. It has the zip code 10924 and is located on the Grand Street in the center of the Village of Goshen. The building is a brick building in the Colonial Revival, which was completed in 1936.

The building was designed by E. P. Valkenburgh designed and is smaller than most other post offices that were created in the style of Colonial revival during the New Deal in the state. The variety of ornaments is unusual for such a small post office. In the front lobby of the building is a wall painting depicting the Historic Track, an important landmark in Goshen. The work of Georgina Klitgaard was controversial at the time of completion of the post office. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1989.

Building

In the building there is a one and a half storey steel-framed building, which has three bays to the longer side of five and on the short side and most of the land on the north side of Grand Street in the section fills between Canal Street and Main Street. The facade is in block association. The foundation is run with the exception of stone carvings at the entrance with moldings.

A three yokes of time reaching, only slightly projecting entrance pavilion is surrounded by pilasters. This wear a simple entablature and a finely serrated triangular pediment with a cast iron eagle and below the inscription " UNITED STATES POST OFFICE GOSHEN NEW YORK" bronze on the tympanum. He is flanked by two windows with cast iron mounts and lanterns of the same material. The front windows are slightly curved and edged with bricks. The steep pitched roof is slated and on the ridge sits an octagonal dome with vents, a copper roof and a weather vane. Under the eaves is a decorative cornice.

Inside the vestibule in the original timber expansion is obtained. Through the porch leads into the lobby, the floor is a terrazzo. The walls are covered with vertically extending wooden paneling on which trim sit. They range up to the vaulted ceiling from graded wood panels.

The original lighting was replaced by fluorescent lamps, otherwise the customer service desk and cashier are intact, with the exception that a switch has been replaced by mailboxes from bronze. Klitgaards 1.7 × 3.4 m large mural "The Running of the Hambletonian Stake " is a trotting race is on the nearby racecourse and is located on the eastern wall.

Aesthetics

The building is smaller than most of the other small post offices that were created in the style of Colonial Revival in the time of the Great Depression in New York. The design, which was used in Goshen, was apparently not used elsewhere in the state again; it differs from the draft Suffern, Waverly and Catskill, which were built in the Hudson Valley the same time.

However, the building shares some features with other post offices in this style, such as the post offices in Dobbs Ferry and Hudson Falls, which also have steep pitched roofs, gable ends with ornaments and classically inspired inputs.

History

Goshens first post office was opened shortly after independence. Over the years it has operated in various buildings in the Village. The current building was one of many post offices, whose construction was decided by the Congress of the United States in a supplementary law of 1931 to the Public Buildings Act of 1926, when the scope of the original program has been expanded to address the growing unemployment due to the global economic crisis. The funds for the building were approved in 1934. For the construction of 85,000 U.S. dollars ( 1934) were approved.

The chosen building site was located next to the former of the Erie Railroad Station - now the police station. The site was vacant after 1920 is burned there located Elmo Hotel. In November 1934 it was expropriated by the Treasury Department, which included the U.S. mail at that time. Samuel Plato was tasked with the construction of the new Post Office; The building was completed in early 1936.

Klitgaards mural was added until the following year. Murals in post offices should focus on the local history and contemporary life, the art department of the Treasury Department, however, was against the intention of the artist to represent the race track, because the trotting was an inappropriate topic for public art and instructed them to a to paint local scenery. However, local residents continued to support strongly the intention of the artist and finally agreed the ministry.

Since its completion, the building was several times changed slightly, mainly in the rear of the building interior. 1978, a wheelchair ramp at the front was grown.