United States Post Office-Bronx Central Annex
Encyclopedia
Bronx Central Annex-U.S. Post Office is a historic post office
building located at the Bronx, New York
, United States
. It was built from 1935 to 1937, and designed by consulting architect Thomas Harlan Ellett
(1880-1951) for the Office of the Supervising Architect
. The building is constructed of smooth gray brick and is surrounded by a granite
terrace. It features graceful window openings set within marble arches. On the terrace are two sculptures dating to 1936: "The Letter" by Henry Kreis and "Noah" by Charles Rudy. The interior features 13 mural panels inspired by Walt Whitman
's poem I See America Working. They were executed by Ben Shahn
(1898-1969) and his wife Bernarda Bryson Shahn
(1903-2004) and were completed in August 1939.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
building located at the Bronx, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was built from 1935 to 1937, and designed by consulting architect Thomas Harlan Ellett
Thomas Harlan Ellett
-Early Life and Education:Thomas Harlan Ellett was born at Red Oak, Iowa on September 2, 1880. Ellett was educated at the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago and at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Architecture...
(1880-1951) for the Office of the Supervising Architect
Office of the Supervising Architect
The Office of the Supervising Architect was an agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings from 1852 to 1939....
. The building is constructed of smooth gray brick and is surrounded by a 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...
terrace. It features graceful window openings set within marble arches. On the terrace are two sculptures dating to 1936: "The Letter" by Henry Kreis and "Noah" by Charles Rudy. The interior features 13 mural panels inspired by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
's poem I See America Working. They were executed by Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn was a Lithuanian-born American artist. He is best known for his works of social realism, his left-wing political views, and his series of lectures published as The Shape of Content.-Biography:...
(1898-1969) and his wife Bernarda Bryson Shahn
Bernarda Bryson Shahn
Bernarda Bryson Shahn was an American painter, lithographer and widow of renowned artist Ben Shahn, who wrote and illustrated children's books including "The Zoo of Zeus" and "Gilgamesh."...
(1903-2004) and were completed in August 1939.
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 1980.