James A. Farley Building (New York City, New York)
USA /
New Jersey /
West New York /
New York City, New York /
Eighth Avenue, 421
World
/ USA
/ New Jersey
/ West New York
World / United States / New York
NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, interesting place, train station, historic landmark, 1914_construction, Beaux-Arts (architecture)
4-story Beaux-Arts post office building originally completed in 1913. Designed by McKim, Mead and White as the James A. Farley Post Office, the building was the architectural companion to the original Pennsylvania Station located across Eighth Avenue. The majestic institution boasts its own zip code, an emergency window open 24 hours daily and a payroll of 2,500 employees.
The building is clad in limestone and occupies the entire large block between 8th & 9th Avenues and 31st & 33rd Streets. It was built in two stages, with a western annex doubling the space of the original structure in 1934. The main facade is the eastern one facing 8th Avenue. It features an enormous, 3-story colonnade of 20 large, fluted Corinthian columns, fronted by a wide and sprawling staircase. The words "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" are inscribed on the entablature above the columns of the main entrance over a length of 280 feet. It was chosen by William Mitchell Kendall of the firm of McKim, Mead & White from Herodotus' Histories (Book 8, Ch. 98) and is often mistaken as the U.S. Post Office's official motto. The entablature is capped by a dentiled cornice. Behind and between the columns are iron-clad doorways with alternating triangular or rounded pediments, topped by wrought-iron grilles filling out the rest of the colonnade.
At both ends of this facade are pavilions with a 2-story, recessed, round-arched niche flanked by flat piers with Corinthian capitals. At the 3rd floor are three windows - two narrow ones flanking a wider center window. Above the cornice, the 4th floor has single-windows between the piers in the center section, and panels inscribed with various historical figures and postal services. A roof line is marked by an ornate course of seashell finials and scrolls. Each of the square end pavilions is capped with a low saucer dome, expressed on the exterior as a low stepped pyramid. Inside, the visitor finds an unbroken vista down a long gallery that parallels the colonnaded front. The north end of the gallery houses a small Museum of Postal History.
Along the north and south facades, the basement level is exposed by dry moats giving light and air to workspaces below. The moats are bridged at the center of the north facade, giving access to a pair of large, round-arched freight entrances flanked by smaller round-arched pedestrian entrances; and by a small bridge on the south facade, accessing a single small service door. The center section separating the east and west sections of the building on the south side (31st Street) consists of three large round-arches topped by triple-windows at the 3rd floor. The three bays are separated by flat piers topped by the same Corinthian capitals seen on the main colonnade. To either side are projecting pavilions, each with another round-arch, triple-windows on the 3rd floor, and flat Corinthian piers. Above the dentiled cornice that runs all the way around the building, the 4th floor has more triple-windows in the center section, and carved panels at the pavilions. The roof line is marked by the same seashell finial and scroll course as on the main facade. The northern center section (on 33rd Street) is similarly designed above the arches.
The eastern half of both the north and south elevations consist of flat piers with Corinthian capitals. The 1st- & 2nd-floor windows are separated by black iron spandrels, with separate 3rd-floor windows. The square-headed basement windows are also visible. The cornice, top floors and roof line match the other facades. The western half is differentiated by the capitals on the piers (they are smaller, with fleur-de-lys ornament on panels), having black iron spandrels between all three of the lower floors, and the lack of dentils of the cornice.
The west facade has no expressed basement level. There are three triple-height round-arched at the center, with carved spandrels and architraves, and scrolled keystones. The northern one has a pedestrian entrance, while the other two have vehicle entrances. Above the entrances is wrought-iron infill and grilles. The piers and their capitals on either side match those on the western halves of the north and south facades. The end bays are pavilions with round-arches and triple-windows at the 3rd floor. These windows are flanked by large cast-iron plaques. The moat is covered over at the ground floor along the west end of the south facade. Here there is a rows of 17 loading docks with metal roll-down gates, covered by a suspended metal canopy with a Greek-fret pattern.
The coffered ceiling of the front reception hall is decorated with carved national emblems or coats of arms of ten major nations at the time of the building's construction: the United States, the United Kingdom, the German Empire, the French Third Republic (represented by the cipher "R.F." for République Française since lacking an official national emblem), the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Spain, Belgium, Austria-Hungary, and the Netherlands.
Upon opening in 1914, it was named the Pennsylvania Terminal. In July 1918, the building was renamed the General Post Office Building, and in 1982, was dedicated as the James A. Farley Building. He was the nation's 53rd Postmaster General and served from 1933 to 1940.
Portions of the landmark James Farley Post Office are being adaptively reused and converted to house a new concourse for Amtrak. The Amtrak facility within the historic Farley Post Office will be named the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Station, which opened to the public in January of 2021. The balance of the space will become offices which are leased to Facebook NYC. In creating the new train hall, the original steel trusses were retained as part of a new skylight to designs by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with lighting by Coronet.
nec.amtrak.com/project/moynihan-station/
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015007001301&v...
hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015036009465?urlappend=%3Bseq...
www.som.com/projects/moynihan_train_hall
The building is clad in limestone and occupies the entire large block between 8th & 9th Avenues and 31st & 33rd Streets. It was built in two stages, with a western annex doubling the space of the original structure in 1934. The main facade is the eastern one facing 8th Avenue. It features an enormous, 3-story colonnade of 20 large, fluted Corinthian columns, fronted by a wide and sprawling staircase. The words "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" are inscribed on the entablature above the columns of the main entrance over a length of 280 feet. It was chosen by William Mitchell Kendall of the firm of McKim, Mead & White from Herodotus' Histories (Book 8, Ch. 98) and is often mistaken as the U.S. Post Office's official motto. The entablature is capped by a dentiled cornice. Behind and between the columns are iron-clad doorways with alternating triangular or rounded pediments, topped by wrought-iron grilles filling out the rest of the colonnade.
At both ends of this facade are pavilions with a 2-story, recessed, round-arched niche flanked by flat piers with Corinthian capitals. At the 3rd floor are three windows - two narrow ones flanking a wider center window. Above the cornice, the 4th floor has single-windows between the piers in the center section, and panels inscribed with various historical figures and postal services. A roof line is marked by an ornate course of seashell finials and scrolls. Each of the square end pavilions is capped with a low saucer dome, expressed on the exterior as a low stepped pyramid. Inside, the visitor finds an unbroken vista down a long gallery that parallels the colonnaded front. The north end of the gallery houses a small Museum of Postal History.
Along the north and south facades, the basement level is exposed by dry moats giving light and air to workspaces below. The moats are bridged at the center of the north facade, giving access to a pair of large, round-arched freight entrances flanked by smaller round-arched pedestrian entrances; and by a small bridge on the south facade, accessing a single small service door. The center section separating the east and west sections of the building on the south side (31st Street) consists of three large round-arches topped by triple-windows at the 3rd floor. The three bays are separated by flat piers topped by the same Corinthian capitals seen on the main colonnade. To either side are projecting pavilions, each with another round-arch, triple-windows on the 3rd floor, and flat Corinthian piers. Above the dentiled cornice that runs all the way around the building, the 4th floor has more triple-windows in the center section, and carved panels at the pavilions. The roof line is marked by the same seashell finial and scroll course as on the main facade. The northern center section (on 33rd Street) is similarly designed above the arches.
The eastern half of both the north and south elevations consist of flat piers with Corinthian capitals. The 1st- & 2nd-floor windows are separated by black iron spandrels, with separate 3rd-floor windows. The square-headed basement windows are also visible. The cornice, top floors and roof line match the other facades. The western half is differentiated by the capitals on the piers (they are smaller, with fleur-de-lys ornament on panels), having black iron spandrels between all three of the lower floors, and the lack of dentils of the cornice.
The west facade has no expressed basement level. There are three triple-height round-arched at the center, with carved spandrels and architraves, and scrolled keystones. The northern one has a pedestrian entrance, while the other two have vehicle entrances. Above the entrances is wrought-iron infill and grilles. The piers and their capitals on either side match those on the western halves of the north and south facades. The end bays are pavilions with round-arches and triple-windows at the 3rd floor. These windows are flanked by large cast-iron plaques. The moat is covered over at the ground floor along the west end of the south facade. Here there is a rows of 17 loading docks with metal roll-down gates, covered by a suspended metal canopy with a Greek-fret pattern.
The coffered ceiling of the front reception hall is decorated with carved national emblems or coats of arms of ten major nations at the time of the building's construction: the United States, the United Kingdom, the German Empire, the French Third Republic (represented by the cipher "R.F." for République Française since lacking an official national emblem), the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Spain, Belgium, Austria-Hungary, and the Netherlands.
Upon opening in 1914, it was named the Pennsylvania Terminal. In July 1918, the building was renamed the General Post Office Building, and in 1982, was dedicated as the James A. Farley Building. He was the nation's 53rd Postmaster General and served from 1933 to 1940.
Portions of the landmark James Farley Post Office are being adaptively reused and converted to house a new concourse for Amtrak. The Amtrak facility within the historic Farley Post Office will be named the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Station, which opened to the public in January of 2021. The balance of the space will become offices which are leased to Facebook NYC. In creating the new train hall, the original steel trusses were retained as part of a new skylight to designs by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with lighting by Coronet.
nec.amtrak.com/project/moynihan-station/
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015007001301&v...
hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015036009465?urlappend=%3Bseq...
www.som.com/projects/moynihan_train_hall
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Farley_Building
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 40°45'5"N 73°59'45"W
- Central Park 5.6 km
- Green-Wood Cemetery 10 km
- Fort Hancock Historic Core 30 km
- Hartshorne Woods County Park 39 km
- Bell Works Holmdel Complex 45 km
- Fort Monmouth Reuse and Redevelopment Area 48 km
- Donnell Estate (1902 - 1927) 55 km
- Ben Franklin Bridge 132 km
- Judge Morris Estate (White Clay Creek State Park) 186 km
- Fort DuPont 188 km
- Chelsea 0.6 km
- Far West Side 0.8 km
- Midtown (Manhattan, NY) 0.9 km
- Midtown (South Central) 1.2 km
- Midtown (North Central) 1.3 km
- Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) 1.3 km
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- Hudson County, New Jersey 6.9 km
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- The Palisades 23 km