214 W. Locust, Centralia, Washington. County/parish: Lewis.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places August 07, 1991. NRIS 91000640.
Part of Historic US Post Offices in Washington MPS (NRIS 64500702).
1 contributing building.
The Centralia Post Office is a federal post office in Centralia, Washington. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991.
Centralia's post office history began with delivered mail possibly as early as 1851, with an official post office created in 1857 that was located at Fords Prairie under the name, Skookumchuck. Before the federal post office was constructed, the mail center shifted locations more than a dozen times and often in just a year's time. As the city of Centralia was formed, post office locations became more stable but continued to relocate. With exception of a brief closure between 1865 and 1866, the Centralia post office system has operated continuously since October 1854.
The Centralia MPO, as it is listed in the NRHP form, was completed in 1937 after several attempts to provide a permanent post office building to the city. Featuring Tenino sandstone details, the $76,000 red brick structure's architecture is considered Moderne and Starved classical. The one-story building is noted for its sandstone relief panels featuring important modes of transportation of the time and a large granite stairway. The interior features a large mural, Industries of Lewis County, created by Kenneth Callahan. Outside of necessary upgrades and renovations for issues relating to age or lack of space, the post office is considered to be in a mostly unaltered state.
The federal building is located near two NRHP-listed sites, the Centralia Downtown Historic District and the sculpture, The Sentinel, located across from the post office in George Washington Park.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75611294