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Metropolitan Boston » Core Boston » Financial District » Post Office and Federal Courthouse Building

Post Office and Federal Courthouse Building

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1929–1931, Cram and Ferguson with James A. Wetmore. Congress St. at Post Office Sq.
  • Post Office and Federal Courthouse Building (Peter Vanderwarker or Antonina Smith)

The massiveness of this building could be a problem, but it is redeemed by its style. A paragon of Art Deco, the granite and limestone skyscraper is made noteworthy by ornamental details such as highly stylized flora and fauna, fasces, and eagles. Like all federal buildings in this category, the supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury, in this case, James A. Wetmore, oversaw the design. Local architects Cram and Ferguson were hired to design the exterior, unusual for its combination of granite and limestone. The building features certain elements characteristic of its time, especially the pronounced emphasis on verticality achieved through narrow bands of windows. The City of Boston acquired the building for court space after the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse (SB5) was constructed on Fan Pier.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Keith N. Morgan
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Data

What's Nearby

Angell Memorial Park
Winthrop Building (Carter Building)
Sovereign Bank (National Shawmut Bank)
Old South Meetinghouse
Old Corner Bookstore (Thomas Creese House) and Andrew Cunningham House and Shop

Citation

Keith N. Morgan, "Post Office and Federal Courthouse Building", [Boston, Massachusetts], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MA-01-FD1.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Massachusetts

Buildings of Massachusetts: Metropolitan Boston, Keith N. Morgan, with Richard M. Candee, Naomi Miller, Roger G. Reed, and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009, 64-64.

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