United States Post Office and Courthouse (Meridian, Mississippi)
Encyclopedia
The United States Post Office and Courthouse in Meridian, Mississippi
was built in 1933. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984. It is a three-story limestone building built in a classical Art Deco
style.
reported this dream had become a reality.
The new building was designed by architect William Martin Aiken. The $80,000 three-story structure was located at 8th Street and 22nd Avenue and housed not only the post office but the city's courthouse as well. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
met there until 1933, and the United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of Mississippi met there until that court was abolished in 1912. As the city grew, the building was used extensively. By 1899, the post office had five mail carriers and four in-house clerks. As demand increased, an addition was made to the east side of the building in 1911.
During the Great Depression
, the state government added a new Federal building to nearly every town of importance and gave financial aid to the builders. The new Meridian Post Office and Courthouse was one of these buildings, located at 9th Street and 21st Avenue and noted for its mass and proportion rather than for its detail. The district court moved to the present courthouse when it was built in 1933, and the old building was demolished sometime in the 1950s.
The 1933 courthouse was designed by architect James A. Wetmore in the Art Deco
style and is still in use by the District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The building's specific version of Art Deco is referred to as "simplified, or stripped, classical mode." Unlike decorative forms such as that of the Threefoot Building
, also in Meridian, classical Art Deco buildings usually use monochromatic stone or brick and are usually shaped like classical temples. Another example of this classical Art Deco style in Mississippi is the War Memorial Building, a Mississippi Landmark in Jackson
.
The building is a three-story limestone
building with a basement and composition roof. Granite
steps lead up to the main entrance, slightly above ground level, and there is a bronze grill with a decorative ear of corn design on it. The words "Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers" are engraved in all capitals across the top of the front facade of the building. Above a terracotta coping
is a parapet
wall with a repeated design of an eagle and a steer with ears of corn hanging from his ears. A large flagpole with a marble base is outside the front entrance, and four lamps line the entrance-way. Each lamp is a glass world globe shaded with two colors of amber
.
The front entrance opens to a foyer
with two granite steps leading to the public lobby and a marble mosaic in the center of the floor. The foyer has four marble columns, two of which divide the steps, and two against each end wall. The lobby contains marble flooring and a building directory of cast bronze.
In 1963 under the General Services Administration
, the basement and first floor of the building were extended in the rear, but the structural integrity of the exterior is not affected by the addition.
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
was built in 1933. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984. It is a three-story limestone building built in a classical Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style.
History
When John T. Ball, one of the city's founders, bought land in the city in 1853, he built a log store on 26th Avenue and 7th Street. In this store, he persuaded the government to rent space for a small post office. In 1863, the post office was moved to the corner of 27th Avenue and Davis Street and would move five additional times before the building of the city's first Federal building in 1898. Meridian had begun a push for a Federal building as far back as 1888, and on January 2, 1898, The Meridian StarThe Meridian Star
The Meridian Star is a daily newspaper published each morning in Meridian, Mississippi, USA, covering Lauderdale County and adjoining portions of West Alabama and East Mississippi. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holding, Inc....
reported this dream had become a reality.
The new building was designed by architect William Martin Aiken. The $80,000 three-story structure was located at 8th Street and 22nd Avenue and housed not only the post office but the city's courthouse as well. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit with facilities in Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Vicksburg, and Jackson....
met there until 1933, and the United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of Mississippi met there until that court was abolished in 1912. As the city grew, the building was used extensively. By 1899, the post office had five mail carriers and four in-house clerks. As demand increased, an addition was made to the east side of the building in 1911.
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the state government added a new Federal building to nearly every town of importance and gave financial aid to the builders. The new Meridian Post Office and Courthouse was one of these buildings, located at 9th Street and 21st Avenue and noted for its mass and proportion rather than for its detail. The district court moved to the present courthouse when it was built in 1933, and the old building was demolished sometime in the 1950s.
The 1933 courthouse was designed by architect James A. Wetmore in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style and is still in use by the District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The building's specific version of Art Deco is referred to as "simplified, or stripped, classical mode." Unlike decorative forms such as that of the Threefoot Building
Threefoot Building
The Threefoot Building is a historic building located in downtown Meridian, Mississippi. The building is the tallest building in the city, standing 16 stories tall. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1979, under the Meridian Multiple Property...
, also in Meridian, classical Art Deco buildings usually use monochromatic stone or brick and are usually shaped like classical temples. Another example of this classical Art Deco style in Mississippi is the War Memorial Building, a Mississippi Landmark in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.
The building is a three-story limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
building with a basement and composition roof. Granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
steps lead up to the main entrance, slightly above ground level, and there is a bronze grill with a decorative ear of corn design on it. The words "Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers" are engraved in all capitals across the top of the front facade of the building. Above a terracotta coping
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
is a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
wall with a repeated design of an eagle and a steer with ears of corn hanging from his ears. A large flagpole with a marble base is outside the front entrance, and four lamps line the entrance-way. Each lamp is a glass world globe shaded with two colors of amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
.
The front entrance opens to a foyer
Foyer
A foyer or lobby is a large, vast room or complex of rooms adjacent to the auditorium...
with two granite steps leading to the public lobby and a marble mosaic in the center of the floor. The foyer has four marble columns, two of which divide the steps, and two against each end wall. The lobby contains marble flooring and a building directory of cast bronze.
In 1963 under the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
, the basement and first floor of the building were extended in the rear, but the structural integrity of the exterior is not affected by the addition.