| Additional Information: | This one-story brick-and-stone-faced structure is Contemporary in its styling. Topped with a flat roof, the building features large expanses of glass windows within its office portion, while the remainder includes either single examples of tall-and-narrow fenestration or no fenestration at all. A loading dock is located along the north side of the structure.
This post office building, built in 1968, is the fourth main post office building in the city of Fond du Lac. Based on permit information, the original block of the building was started in February 1968. Plans for the building, dated 14 April 1967, are identified as having been drawn by #28;H.L.M.#29; and reviewed by Kenneth Backstrom, the Chief Regional Engineer for the Minneapolis Regional Office of the U.S. Post Office. The newspaper reported in March of 1968 that the building would include twenty-eight rooms, five bathrooms and measure 221 feet x 198 feet. The general contractor of the project was the Leo Daly Co. of Omaha, Nebraska, the local contractor was Lauer Bros. of Neenah, Wisconsin, and the consulting engineer is identified as William I. Klein & Assoc. of Cincinnati, Ohio. Estimated costs for the original block of the post office are identified as $534,000, with a second permit for an addition (taken out on 20 November 1968) cited at $16,200. Apparently postal patrons were at first startled by the new electronic doors that were installed in the building. The structure continues to serve as the main post office for the City of Fond du Lac.
The post office building has served the local community since opening to the public in January 1969. Although notable, the city still retains its 1937 post office building at 19 W. 1st Street as well as an earlier location in the 66 S. Macy Street. The building is a Contemporary post office design, which originated from the regional office of the U.S. Postal Service. While not a immediately striking example of the Contemporary style, the topic of modern post office design has not yet been fully researched and, therefore, this building cannot be properly placed in that design context at this time. Indeed, the subject structure has not yet turned fifty years of age and, therefore, its eligibility should be reassessed in 2019 or at a time when Contemporary post office design throughout the United States has been further examined. |
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