Old Post Office (Buffalo, New York)

The Old Post Office, also known as U.S. Post Office, is a historic post office building located at 121 Ellicott Street in Buffalo in Erie County, New York within the Joseph Ellicott Historic District. It is currently home to the City Campus of SUNY Erie.

U.S. Post Office
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The building in 2022
Interactive map showing the location of the Old Post Office in Buffalo
Location	121 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, New York[1]
Coordinates	42°52′53″N 78°52′22″W
Built	1897
Architect	Taylor, James Knox
Architectural style	Gothic
NRHP reference No.	72000839[2]
Added to NRHP	March 16, 1972

History

It was designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect of the old U.S. Post Office Department during the tenure of Jeremiah O'Rourke when construction started in 1897. The $1.5 million building opened in 1901 during the tenure of James Knox Taylor and operated as Buffalo's central post office until 1963.

The highly ornamented Gothic Revival style four-story building features a 244 feet (74 m) tall tower over the central entrance.^[1][3] Other key architectural details of the building include recessed arches, projecting gargoyles, and a green Ludowici tile roof.^[4]

The main feature of the interior is a roofed courtyard. It was subsequently occupied by various federal offices.^[5]

The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places maintained by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1972 as "U.S. Post Office".^[2]

Since 1981, it has been home to the City Campus of SUNY Erie. Burt Flickinger Center is across the street and provides athletic facilities for the college.

Gallery

• 
  West (main) entrance
• 
  South entrance
• 
  Tower
• 
  Ornamentation
• 
  C. 1900-1906

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Buffalo, New York