U.S. General Post Office | |
New York City Landmark No. 0232
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| Location | 8th Ave. between 31st and 33rd Sts., New York, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′04″N 73°59′43″W / 40.75111°N 73.99528°W |
| Area | 8 acres |
| Built | 1911–1914 |
| Architect | McKim, Mead, and White |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 73002257[1] |
| NYSRHP No. | 06101.000007[2] |
| NYCL No. | 0232 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 29, 1973 |
| Designated NYSRHP | June 23, 1980[2] |
| Designated NYCL | May 17, 1966 |
The James A. Farley Building (formerly Pennsylvania Terminal and the U.S. General Post Office) is a mixed-use structure in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, which formerly served as the city's main United States Postal Service (USPS) branch. Designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Beaux-Arts style, the structure was built between 1911 and 1914, with an annex constructed between 1932 and 1935. The Farley Building, at 421 Eighth Avenue between 31st Street and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, faces Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden to the east.
The main facade of the Farley Building (over 8th Avenue) features a Corinthian colonnade finishing at a pavilion on each end. The imposing design was meant to match that of the original Pennsylvania Station across the street. An entablature above the colonnade bears the United States Postal Service creed: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." The colonnade's inner ceiling is decorated with the crests or emblems of ten major nations that existed at the building's completion. The remaining three facades have a similar but simpler design.
The James A. Farley Building was known as the Pennsylvania Terminal until 1918, when it was renamed the General Post Office Building. The building was made a New York City designated landmark in 1966 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was officially renamed in 1982 in honor of James Farley who was the nation's 53rd postmaster general and served from 1933 to 1940. The building was sold to the New York government in 2006. The interior space that once housed the main mail sorting room now houses the Moynihan Train Hall since 2021. Office space in the building was leased to Meta in 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nriswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2023.