Postal Square Building

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View of the PSB from the east showing the postal museum entrace
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View of the PSB from the east showing the postal museum entrace

The Postal Square Building (formerly the City Post Office) served as the main post office for the city of Washington, D.C. from the building's completion in 1914 to 1986. The building now houses the National Postal Museum, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, offices of the United States Senate, and Capital City Brewery. Architect Daniel Burnham designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style--the same style Burnham used for the PSB's sister building, the neighboring Union Station.[1] Construction for the PSB began in 1911 on a lot near the Capitol. Planning for the PSB began with a 1901 proposal by the Senate Parks Commission. The commission called for three buildings to mark the northern end of the Capitol complex. While the first two buidlings in the plan, Union Station and the PSB, were completed early in the 20th century, the 1901 plan would not be fully implemented until the completion of the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in 1992.

A major renovation from 1929 to 1935 expanded the building for increased mail processing and service capicity. By the 1950s, renovations had removed many of the Beaux-Arts features of the building. The main hall and lobby area only showed traces of their former grandiose design with modernist elements replacing the Beaux-Arts style.

The building receieved another major renovation in the early 1990s, during which the original appearance of the lobby and main hall area was restored. The National Postal Museum moved into the building in 1993, following the renovations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Capital City Brewery also moved into the building during the 1990s.

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