Raleigh Recreation: Looking for something fun to do this weekend?
Try a walking tour of the Downtown Raleigh Historical District!
Federal Building - Century Post Office
Raleigh, NC offers a lot more than a great career environment, culture, parks, and recreation.
As the State Capital, Raleigh is the center of a lot of North Carolina history.
The Federal Building Century Postal Station on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh is just one of over 60 points of interest on the official Downtown Raleigh Walking Tour.
This historical building was originally called just the Federal Building. The Federal Building was the first major Federal Government project to be built in the South after the Civil War.
Alfred B. Mullet, head of the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, designed the Federal Building using the Second Empire style. Mullet designed many other government buildings built during the post-Civil War time period, including the Old Executive Office Building near the White House.
Construction on the Federal Building began in 1874, and was completed in 1878. The Federal Building originaly contained all the local offices of federal agencies. The largest spaces were allocated to the post office on the first floor and the U.S. District Court on the second floor.
The U.S. District Court had 80 seats, and was considered the best in the state at that time.
But Raleigh continued to grow.
By 1913, the post office had outgrown it's original space. The Federal Building was enlarged to double it's original size. Only 35 years after originally opening, the interior was completely refinished, and the outside facade was altered to what is seen today. Even through this refurbishment, the original materials and detailing were kept as much as possible.
In 1939, the Federal Building grew yet again, with a large addition on the rear that fortunately still matched the original design.
After World War II, Federal Government experienced a great deal of growth, and Raleigh was no exception. Most of the other federal agencies gradually moved out of the Federal Building to temporary locations, until the completion of the new eight story Federal Building east of the original in 1970. The original building was renovated yet again and renamed "Century Station", as it had just passed the 100 year mark.
Today, the Federal Building Century Postal Station is a working post office with additional office space.
It was dedicated to the National Historic Building Register on May 6, 1971. Come mail a letter and check out the building at 300 Fayetteville Mall during normal business hours!
Some other great stops on the Downtown Raleigh Walking Tour are:
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