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United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex

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Coordinates: 40°49′8″N 73°55′37″W / 40.81889°N 73.92694°W / 40.81889; -73.92694
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Bronx Central Annex-U.S. Post Office
New York City Landmark No. 0837, 2552
Bronx Post Office, March 2010
United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex is located in New York City
United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex
United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex is located in New York
United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex
United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex is located in the United States
United States Post Office–Bronx Central Annex
Location558 Grand Concourse
Bronx, New York 10451
Coordinates40°49′8″N 73°55′37″W / 40.81889°N 73.92694°W / 40.81889; -73.92694
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built1935
ArchitectEllett, Thomas Harlan; Shahn, Ben
NRHP reference No.80002584[1]
NYCL No.0837, 2552
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 6, 1980
Designated NYCLNovember 25, 1975 (exterior)
December 17, 2013 (interior)

The Bronx Central Annex of the United States Postal Service is a historic post office building located at 558 Grand Concourse in the Concourse neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. The four-story structure was built from 1935 to 1937. The building was sold in 2014 and is being transformed into a mixed-use structure.

The interior includes a notable series of New Deal-era murals in fresco created in 1939 by Ben Shahn and Bernarda Bryson Shahn for the Treasury Department Art Project's Section of Fine Arts. The building's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

Building

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Located at 558 Grand Concourse, Bronx General Post Office was built from 1935 to 1937, and designed by consulting architect Thomas Harlan Ellett for the Office of the Supervising Architect. Constructed of smooth gray brick and is surrounded by a granite terrace, the building features graceful window openings set within marble arches.

On the terrace are two sculptures dating to 1936: The Letter by Henry Kreis and Noah by Charles Rudy.[2]

Murals

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The interior features Resources of America, a set of 13 mural panels in fresco[3][4] inspired by the words of Walt Whitman.[5][6] They were executed by Ben Shahn and his wife Bernarda Bryson Shahn and completed in August 1939.[7] The government hired Shahn through an anonymous competition after he became renown for his artwork.[8] The murals celebrate American industry and the dignity of labor.

  • Celebrating the American textile industry
    Celebrating the American textile industry
  • Woman working on a large loom
    Woman working on a large loom
  • Walt Whitman addressing American workers and their families
    Walt Whitman addressing American workers and their families

Sale

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In January 2013 the U.S. Postal Service announced that it was considering selling the 175,000-square-foot (16,300 m2) Bronx General Post Office as part of its national reevaluation of facilities. Most of the operations had been relocated from the building.[9] The sale of some 200 buildings was being considered in light of declining mail volume and the growth of online services.[10] The property was one of those most architecturally distinguished, and its interior was granted landmark status December 17, 2013,[11] to preserve Shahn's mural series, Resources of America.[12] Despite protests from preservationists and the community, plans for the sale went forward.[13]

The building was purchased by Manhattan marketplace developer YoungWoo & Associates in September 2014 for $19 million.[14] In February 2015 the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the redevelopment of the property with retail space and postal services on the ground and main floors, office space on the upper two floors, and a restaurant on the roof. The plan included restoration of the exterior, the 13 murals, and the lobby which had been remodeled over the years.[15] In 2019, a rooftop restaurant called Zona de Cuba opened on the property.[16] In May 2024, the building was placed for sale again for about $70 million.[17][18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Lehman College Art Gallery: Architecture/General Post Office, The Bronx". www.lehman.edu. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Kihlstedt, Folke Tyko (January 18, 2014). "Whitman, Work & Democracy: Ben Shahn’s Bronx Post Office Murals". tykokihlstedt.com. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Ben Shahn Papers: Project Files: Bronx Central Annex Post Office Murals, NY 1938 (Box 25, Folders 47-48)". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Linden, Diana L. (2015). Ben Shahn's New Deal Murals: Jewish Identity in the American Scene. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 9780814339848. Chapter 3: Whitman, Workers, and Censorship: Ben Shahns' Murals for the Bronx Central Post Office, pp. 65-94; here: 72 ff.
  6. ^ "Ben Shahn Papers: Project Files: Bronx Central Annex Post Office Murals, NY 1939–1940 (Box 25, Folder 49)". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  7. ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)" (Searchable database). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved April 1, 2016. Note: This includes Donald J. Framberger; Joan R. Olshansky & Elizabeth Spencer-Ralph (September 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Bronx Central Annex-U.S. Post Office" (PDF). Retrieved April 1, 2016. and Accompanying seven photographs
  8. ^ Ziskin, Priscilla (October 7, 2019). "Art Historian Dr. Diana Linden Gives Insight on Ben Shahn's Works". wpubeacon.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. ^ Chirichello, Connie (January 18, 2013). "Public Announcement – USPS Considering selling the Bronx General Post Office". United States Postal Service. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  10. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (March 7, 2013). "Post Office Buildings With Character, and Maybe a Sale Price". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "Shahn Murals in Bronx Post Office to be Saved". New York Landmarks Conservancy. December 2013. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  12. ^ Dunlap, David W. (August 21, 2013). "High on Landmark Panel's List: A Post Office Lobby". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  13. ^ Hu, Winnie (February 5, 2014). "Protest Aside, Postal Service Is Taking Next Step to Sell Grand Property in the Bronx". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  14. ^ Slattery, Denis (September 3, 2014). "Developer Youngwoo & Associates buys historic Bronx General Post Office building". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  15. ^ Bindelglass, Evan (February 11, 2015). "Landmarks Approves Bronx Post Office's Transformation". Curbed NY. Vox Media. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  16. ^ "A taste of Havana in the South Bronx at 'Zona de Cuba'". FOX 5 New York. June 28, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  17. ^ Gannon, Devin (May 7, 2024). "The historic Bronx Post Office is for sale again". 6sqft. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  18. ^ Rahmanan, Anna (May 9, 2024). "You can buy this legendary post office in the Bronx for a cool $70 million". Time Out New York. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
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