U.S. Post Office and Court House

U.S. Post Office and Court House

The U.S. Post Office and Court House occupies a city block in downtown Newark. The program of the building accommodates two functions: court rooms on the upper floors and post office in the lower floors. The whole complex is five and one half stories tall. It is finished on the exterior with Indiana limestone on masonry clad skeletal frame, while the roof is made of metal standing seam. As a civic institution, the style endorsed by federal authorities prescribed a Beaux-Arts formula which in this case was pared down due to budgetary restrictions brought about by the Depression. As a result, marble ornamentation on the interior was replaced by oak paneling. The corridors and vestibule are vaulted while on the third floor the corridors confluence under a two-story tall dome.

1935

extant

The building was finished in 1935. Renovations have taken place in 1966, 1974, 1976, 1977, and 1979. They were carried out by GSA (General Services Administration) and Grad Partnership.

Engelmann, Brian M. "US Post Office and Court House" NJIT Digital Archive of Newark Architecture (2011). PDF file.

Gordon, Mark W., and Anthony Schuman, editors. Newark Landmark Treasures: A Guide to the Landmark Buildings, Parks, Public Art & Historic Districts in New Jersey’s Metropolis. Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee, 2016, p. 24.

"New Federal Building at Newark, NJ". Architectural Record 71. (1932): 295.


National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Post Office and Court House, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

Classical Revival