Property Record
38 S MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | U.S. POST OFFICE, OCONOMOWOC |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 74455 |
| Location (Address): | 38 S MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Waukesha |
| City: | Oconomowoc |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1991 |
| Historic Use: | post office |
| Architectural Style: | Art/Streamline Moderne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | LOUIS SIMON; NEAL MELICK |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE POSTAL FACILITY: THE BUILDING IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE ART MODERNE STYLE. THE PLAN IS RECTANGULAR WITH THE PUBLIC ENTRANCE/LOBBY ON THE MAIN STREET FACE. THE BUILDING HAS HAD ADDITIONS OF ONE WINDOW BAY ON ONE SIDE AND TWO WINDOW BAYS ON THE OTHER, CREATING AN ASYMMETRICAL ELEVATION. THE ORIGINAL BUILDING AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONS ARE CONSTRUCTED OF RED BRICK. THE ENTRY IS HIGHLIGHTED WITH SLIGHTLY CURVED SANDSTONE PANELS THAT EXTEND THE FULL HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING. THE BALANCE OF THE WINDOWS HAVE THE SAME CURVED PANELS ABOVE AND BELOW. ALL OF THE WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE DARK BRONZE AND NOT ORIGINAL. AN EXPOSED AGGREGATE PRECAST CONCRETE FASCIA HAS BEEN ADDED AROUND THE ENTIRE PERIMETER OF THE BUILDING. THE ENTRY STAIRS ARE OF GRANITE WITH POLE LAMPS ON EITHER SIDE. THIS POSTAL STATION IS IN GOOD CONDITION. THE BUILDING CORNERSTONE NOTES: "HENRY MORGANTHAU, JR., SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, JAMES A. FARLEY, POSTMASTER GENERAL, LOUIS A. SIMON, SUPERVISING ARCHITECT, NEAL A. MELICK, SUPERVISING ENGINEER, 1936." THE INTERIOR HAS A TERRAZZO FLOOR, MARBLE WAINSCOT, PLASTER WALLS AND CEILING. A NEW ALUMINUM FRAMED VESTIBULE HAS BEEN INSTALLED. A FRAMED MURAL IS MOUNTED ON ONE WALL AND IS SIGNED "EDWARD MORTON, 1938." ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING SIGNIFICANCE: THE OCONOMOWOC POST OFFICE WAS REMODELED IN 1976 ACCORDING TO INFORMATION IN THE SHSW FILES. ORIGINAL WINDOWS AND DOORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH MODERN ALTERNATIVES. THIS POST OFFICE DOES NOT APPEAR TO MEET THE CRITERIA OF ELIGIBILITY FOR LISTING IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A MURAL IN PLACE IN THIS BUILDING, THE SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF INTEGRITY TO THE EXTERIOR DIMINISHES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RESOURCE. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | A. DATE OF CONSTRUCTION - BUILDING CORNERSTONE. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |