United States Post Office (Camden, Maine)

The U.S. Post Office-Camden Main is the main post office of Camden, Maine. It is located at 28 Chestnut Street, in a Beaux Arts building designed by Oscar Wenderoth and completed in 1913. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 for its architecture.[1]

U.S. Post Office-Camden Main
United States Post Office (Camden, Maine) is located in Maine
United States Post Office (Camden, Maine)
Location28 Chestnut Street, Camden, Maine
Coordinates44°12′31″N 69°3′53″W / 44.20861°N 69.06472°W / 44.20861; -69.06472
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1913 (1913)
ArchitectOscar Wenderoth
Architectural styleBeaux Arts, Renaissance
Part ofChestnut Street Historic District (ID91000325)
NRHP reference No.86002960[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 25, 1986
Designated CPMarch 22, 1991

Description and history

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Camden's main post office is located at the southern end of its commercial downtown area, on the east side of Chestnut Street, with the town common across the street. It is a single-story masonry structure, built out of brick and granite. It has a low-pitch hip roof, with a projecting cornice. The front is seven bays wide, the center five projecting slightly, with pilasters at the corners of both the building and the projection. Windows are tall sash, set in granite-trimmed openings, with a decorative medallion above. The main entrance is at the center in a recess, with a series of low steps flanked by original iron globe lights. The interior public space has terrazzo marble flooring, plaster walls articulated by pilasters, and oak trim.[2]

The Camden Post Office was one of 33 post office buildings constructed in 1913 by the federal government, pursuant to the provisions of the Tarsney Act and a 1912 appropriation by Congress. It was an early design of Oscar Wenderoth, who had in 1912 been appointed to the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury Department. It is the town's only major example of Beaux Arts/Renaissance Revival architecture.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Richard P. DeCoste (1986). "NRHP nomination for US Post Office-Camden Main". National Park Service. Retrieved July 11, 2016. with photo from 1986