Formerly: United States Post Office Built: 1933-1934 Designed by: Marr and Holman Renovated: 2001 by Tuck Hinton Architects Type: Museum Location: 919 Broadway, Nashville, United States
A museum, an active postal facility, and an example of urban reuse – what more can we ask? This building was erected in classic 1930’s style, and has been so well restored that it looks brand new. Stepping inside when it’s quiet feels like the old cliché about stepping back in time. Usually, we don’t split hairs about the different styles that buildings are in, because in many cases, it’s subjective. But this building clearly shows the difference between Art Deco and Art Moderne. In an Art Deco building there would be more decoration (decoratif), more ornamentation, and more flourishes. This building is sleek with nice lines to make it feel fast, like the locomotives of the day that are the subject of so many vintage posters. But it’s not all stark raving speed. In an admission that it is still partially used as a postal facility, there are eagle sculptures flanking the top of the doorways. These, unfortunately, are not stylized to match the building. Instead, they are realistic to more closely match the government symbol. Still, they’re recessed enough not to do any visual harm.
The facade of this building is white Georgia marble with gray-pink Minnesota granite.
1984 - Added to the National Register of Historic Places.
1986 – The main post office moves out, and this becomes a local post office.
1998 – The federal government sells the building to the City of Nashville.
> There are a dozen icons in the building's interior grillwork. They are:
• An airplane
• A train
• A ship
• An automobile
• A microscope and test tubes
• A sickle and wheat
• The cogs of industry
• A printing press
• A plow
• An anvil and hammer
• A lamp and books
• A dolphin and propeller
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New York, United States
