Sitka United States Post Office and Court House

The Sitka U.S. Post Office and Court House, also known as the Sitka Post Office and now serving as Sitka City Hall, is a Moderne style building located at 100 Lincoln Street in the center of Sitka, Alaska. One of eight Federal buildings constructed in the Alaska Territory in the 1930s, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[1]

Sitka U.S. Post Office and Court House
Alaska Heritage Resources Survey
Sitka United States Post Office and Court House is located in Downtown Sitka
Sitka United States Post Office and Court House
Sitka United States Post Office and Court House is located in Alaska
Sitka United States Post Office and Court House
Location100 Lincoln Street, Sitka, Alaska
Coordinates57°02′56″N 135°20′19″W / 57.04899°N 135.33855°W / 57.04899; -135.33855
Arealess than one acre
Built1938
Built byJ.B. Warrack Company
ArchitectGilbert Stanley Underwood
Architectural styleModern Movement, Moderne, Art Deco
NRHP reference No.97001584[1]
AHRS No.SIT-313
Added to NRHPDecember 31, 1997

It is a poured-concrete structure that is rectangular in shape, set on a raised basement. The reduced-width second level gives the building the appearance of having wings on either side. The building was historically accessed through an entry on the first floor, about 10 feet above street level, and accessed via symmetrically placed stairways. Its main entrance has since been relocated to the basement level. The main block is divided into five bays, each of which has slightly recessed windows, with a decorative panel between the first and second levels.[2]

The building housed a number of federal offices, and housed the Sitka Public Library as well between 1938 and 1943. The post office took over the entire first floor in 1963, and was moved in 1986 to a location outside the city center, despite public protests. The building then sat vacant until the city took it over for use as city hall in 1993.[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. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Linda Millard and Amanda Welsh (August 18, 1997). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Sitka U.S. Post Office and Court House / Sitka Post Office / Sitka City Hall / AHRS Site No. SIT-313". National Park Service. and Accompanying four photos, exterior and interior, from 1940 and 1997 (see photo captions page 14 of text document)
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