Formerly: United States Custom House and Post Office Built: 1873-1884 Cost: $5,686,854.68 Designed by: Alfred B. Mullett Type: Mixed Use Stories: 4 Location: 815 Olive Street, Saint Louis, United States
Building Rating 80% of readers like the Old Post Office (Saint Louis).
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Description by United States General Services Administration T he U.S. Custom House and Post Office, now known as the Old Post Office, occupies an entire city block in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The building is bounded by Olive Street on the south, Locust Street on the north, Eighth Street on the east and Ninth Street on the west. Construction on this building began in 1873 and the building was formally dedicated on the March 14, 1884. Construction costs were reported at $5,686,854.68. Originally built to house all Federal offices in the growing city, the building has served as a U.S. Post Office, Custom House, U.S. Courthouse, and Subtreasury (one of only 3 in the country). It has also housed departments such as Steamboat, Lighthouse, and Post Office Inspection Offices, offices of the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Corps of Engineers, military recruiting offices, and congressmen's offices.
In its time, the St. Louis Custom House and Post Office was a significant example of the development of structural design, mechanical and electrical systems, and vertical and horizontal transportation of persons and mail. Built in the post-Civil War era of capitalism, growth, and extravagant elegance, the building is important for three reasons: it serves as an excellent example of the Second Empire style, which was very popular immediately following the Civil War; its original construction details are noteworthy as they represent late 19th Century technologies; and it represents the vanishing type of Federal architecture in a substantial state of preservation.
The St. Louis Custom House and Post Office was designed and its construction realized by the office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department. Three Supervising Architects oversaw the development of the building: Alfred B. Mullett (May 1866 to December 1874), William C. Potter (January 1875 to July 13, 1876), and James G. Hill (August 11, 1876 to September 22, 1883). While the building was primarily designed by Mullett, some changes were made by Hill, such as the addition of the oeil-de-boeuf (round) windows on the dome, the redesign of the cupola, and the addition of the moat and cast-iron railing. In the years following the Civil War, the Second Empire style was employed by the federal government to the extent that it has been referred to as "General Grant Architecture." The design refects a solid and reassuring image that the government felt necessary to project after the devastating war between the states. In his speech at the dedication ceremonies, General William T. Sherman described the building as "... a symbol not only of the business sense of the republic, but an emblem of power, an evidence of the kindness of the government of the United States."
The construction system relied upon the most up-to-date technologies involving cast and wrought iron. Wrought iron I-beams rest on masonry and cast-iron columns support solid concrete floors. These were "fire-proofed" by shallow brick arches supported from the lower flanges of the I-beams. This modern concept was boldly expressed in the visual design of all floors, and in contrast to the classical details of the cast-iron columns and plaster cornice moldings. The original heating and ventilating system for the building was an innovative integrated double system of gravity hot water and gravity air flow. The sophisticated scheme was designed to function in both summer and winter. The principles of the system were based on the then contemporary concepts of Lewis W. Leeds as identified in his "Lectures on Ventilation" (1868). This publication received professional praise with its straight-forward attempt to describe air motion with an emphasis on the importance of fresh air.
As mentioned above, the Second Empire style of architecture was employed by the government in the construction of many large and costly buildings. Five custom houses and post offices were designed and built by the Supervising Architect of the Treasury during this period. The buildings, located in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis were completed from 1880 through 1885. However, the St. Louis Custom House and Post Office is the only extant structure. The only other remaining major Second Empire style governmental building dating from this period is the State, War and Navy Building in Washington, D.C., now renamed the Executive Office Building.
One of the most prominent and well-known elements of the building is the Daniel Chester French sculpture "America at War and Peace" which was originally located on the dome above the main entrance on Olive Street. The original marble sculpture group has been restored and is now located on the first floor level in the interior of the building. It has been replaced on the exterior by a moulded replica.
The building, declared surplus property by the federal government in 1957, was being abandoned in the mid-1960's. The last tenant, a postal sub-station, moved out on July 18, 1975. With the threat of potential demolition, the 1976 Public Building Cooperative Use Act was passed that permitted revenue producing activities to take place in federal buildings. This act paved the way for adaptive reuse possibilities. In January of 1976, the General Services Administration published a "Preliminary Feasibility Study for Restoration of U.S. Custom House (Old Post Office), St. Louis, Missouri" to determine the extent to which it could feasibly be adapted to accommodate new building functions. In August of 1979, the GSA published an Historic Structures Report analyzing the building's historical significance in terms of its design, construction, and modifications. A $16,000,000 rehabilitation was completed in 1982 which converted the building into a mixed-use facility shared between federal offices and private commercial establishments.
January, 2008 - Ownership of this building is transferred from the federal government to the State of Missouri.
