Beautiful Post Offices of the Past

The United States Post Office building in Augusta, Maine, was designed by Mifflin Bell. Built of masonry and granite, it is a rare example of Victorian-era architecture in Maine. When first opened in 1890, the Portland Transcript called 295 Water Street “one of the most picturesque public buildings that the government has bestowed upon any city in the Union.” Built of Hallowell granite and complete with a corner tower, Roman arches, a winding staircase, and 32,000 square feet of space, it was built in response to the growth of Augusta’s publishing industry. It served as the city’s main post office until the 1960s. The original building, a classic example of American architectural style Richardsonian Romanesque, was altered in 1910, making the tower the center point, then again in the mid-twentieth century, adding a south wing. Now known as The Olde Federal Building, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.