The post office in the 1950s?
In the 1930s, the Federal government built over 1,100 post offices, and many of them are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, to include this one. During the first ten years of President Franklin Roosevelt's administration, the government built three times the number of post offices it had built in the previous 50 years. Many of these post offices were built by the Public Works Administration, and while there was a strong desire to complete projects quickly, "the PWA also stressed the importance of high quality in order to ensure 'public works of an ensuring character and lasting benefits'," according to its 1939 report.
The Menasha post office was dedicated in July of 1933 and its facade still looks remarkably the same today. A handicap accessible ramp and an addition to the north side towards First Street are some of the outside improvements.
The post office in November, 2009.
Top photo courtesy of Appleton Post-Crescent, historical file.
Bottom photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
So sad. This wonderful building is sitting vacant as the US Post Office closed the Menasha building about two years ago. Tight monetary times and the use of the internet are changing many ways of life.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm showing my ignorance here, but how is the Post Office handling it mission in Menasha? Are they working out of the Neenah facility?
ReplyDelete