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Lyons Post Office
| Historic Site #: | 05-004 (Exists) Type: A1,K1 | Town: | Lyons | ||
| Site Name: | Lyons Post Office | GPS Coordinates: | 43.062751, -76.993058 | ||
| Address: | 1 Pearl Street, Lyons NY | ||||
| Description: | |||||
| Information on Wetmore | |||||
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| Photo by Bavis | Photo by Bavis |
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| Cornerstone, Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) | Benchmark, Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) |
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| Entry way, mural & artwork around windows inside of building, Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) | Historial Tiles about Lyons around the windows, Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) |
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| Lobby, Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) | Tile work, Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) |
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| Mural & tiles, Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) | June 18, 2020... Photo by Linda Guest (permission below) |
| Historic narrative: | |||||
The Lyons Post Office was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places on May 11, 1989. The Lyons Post Office is located in the former village now hamlet of Lyons. Designed and built 1931–1932, the Lyons Post Office is one of several post offices in New York State coming from the architects of the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department. James Alfonso Wetmore (1863-1940) was an American attorney and administrator, best known as Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Office of the Treasury Department from 1915 through 1933. Wetmore is frequently described as the "architect" of the many federal buildings bearing his name, including the Lyons Post Office. He was a long-time civil servant in the Treasury Department. Wetmore was not, however, a professional architect, nor was he the true architect of the Lyons Post Office. In 1911, Wetmore became the Executive Officer to then Supervising Architect, James Knox Taylor, who designed the Newark Post Office (see 10/4/22 Bicentennial post). Wetmore replaced Knox and an interim supervisor in 1915. As Supervising Architect, Wetmore managed a staff of nearly 1700 architects and draftsmen who designed at least 2000 federal government buildings, including courthouses and post offices. Wetmore's name is inscribed on the cornerstones of those 2000 federal buildings, however, at his direction, since he was not an architect, his title, was always "Acting" Supervising Architect out of respect for the work of true architects. Wetmore’s Supervising Architect tenure spanned the administrations of Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and part of Franklin Roosevelt's. Time Magazine said Wetmore’s name appeared more than any other US citizen. The Lyons Post Office building is of the Colonial Revival style, one of the most popular and frequently used styles of American architecture between 1880-1960. Beginning about 1876, Colonial Revival began appearing during the United States Centennial celebration - particularly in Philadelphia. Colonial Revival displays several characteristic design elements like front symmetry, front entrance fanlights and sidelights, pedimented doorways, and porches and dormers. Wouldn’t it be interesting to survey all the Colonial Revival Post Offices in the United States? Maybe someone has? Photos from Gene Bavis (PO) and Linda Guest (cornerstone). The first Postmaster was - Ezekiel Price (Originally Established in Ontario County) 1-22-1811 Current Postmaster is David F. Brown 10-6-2012 For additional information on Postmasters...by city/towns... see the link below. | |||||
https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postmasterfinder/welcome.htm