U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Lexington, KY

Location: 101 Barr St, Lexington, KY 40507

The passage of the Public Buildings Act of 1926 instigated a period of building construction that was unprecedented in the United States. The Public Buildings Act specified that the office of the Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury would be responsible for the design and construction of all public buildings. The U. S. Post Office and Courthouse in Lexington, Kentucky was constructed during this period, in 1934.

The office of the Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury designed the Federal Buildings of the early 1930s. Occasionally a private architectural firm was hired to design a public building. Perhaps, due to the failure of over half of the nation’s architectural firms in the Depression, the design of public buildings by local firms was encouraged by the mid-1930s. The Lexington federal building was designed by H.A. Churchill and John P. Gillig and completed in 1934. Many of the federal buildings of this period exhibit streamlined, almost austere, finishes and features; therefore, it is generally believed that Louis Simon, Supervising Architect of the Treasury, exerted a great deal of control over the design.

The building was constructed as a post office, courthouse and federal office building. When the U.S. Post Office moved out, many of the spaces, especially on the 1st floor and lobby area were significantly changed.

The Lexington U.S. Post Office and Courthouse is significant because of its representation of 1930s federal architecture, and because it is a symbol of the federal presence in Lexington.

Facts

• Architects: Churchill, H.A.; John P. Gillig
• Construction Date: 1934 
• GSA Building Number: KY0042ZZ
• Landmark Status: Listed in the National Register of Historic Places