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U.S. Post Office

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1913, Oscar Wenderoth. South side of W. Main St., opposite the intersection with St. Mary's St.
  • (West Virginia Collection within the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Just as the station-hotel combination anchors the east end of Grafton's Main Street, another of the state's most accomplished Beaux-Arts buildings closes the west end. Built two years after the station, it occupies a similar hillside site. Like the station, the post office presents a long facade to Main Street, and again the three central bays afford entrance. Pilasters whose shallow projections allow only the barest suggestion of Ionic capitals define the bays, while heavily rusticated piers terminate the corners. Carefully orchestrated proportions, superior materials (limestone, terra-cotta, and copper), and fine details distinguish this dignified government building. Fortunately, over the years, federal officials have respected what Wenderoth wrought.

Writing Credits

Author: 
S. Allen Chambers Jr.

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