now Decorah Public Library
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United States Post Office Building (now Decorah Public Library)
1910, James Knox Taylor. Southeast corner of Main and Winnebago streets
A Tuscan temple front with four columns opens to the north on Main Street, and a bank of high arched windows and a central door faces east on Winnebago Street. Both entrances have been left intact with their stairs, platform, and accompanying cast-iron light standards in place. The stone surface of the building has been kept smooth, and the openings are articulated by a thin, cut-in line designating the frame. The Decorah Post Office illustrates how many individual designs John Knox Taylor and his staff were able to devise within the Beaux-Arts Classical tradition. The recycling of the building into a library is a successful example of adaptive reuse.
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