Auburn City Hall
Encyclopedia
Auburn City Hall in Auburn, Alabama
, built in 1933, is the city hall
of Auburn, Alabama
. It was originally constructed as a post office in 1933, and, like many post offices constructed during the Great Depression
, the building has a "starved classical" design typical of federal architecture, with symmetrical style and pointed pediments and elements of colonial revival architecture
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as the U.S. Post Office in 1983.
). After the U.S. Civil War, the preparatory division moved to the main campus of the college and the building briefly became a chair factory before Auburn High School (then operating as the Auburn Female College) took over the structure around 1870. An adjacent two-story brick structure for Auburn High School was built just south of the old school building in 1899, and the old school building was subsequently razed. When Auburn High moved to a new campus in 1915, the brick structure became the Auburn Grammar School until it was torn down in 1931 to make way for the post office building.
The City of Auburn donated the school site for the construction of a $90,000 post office in 1933, which received first class status in 1940. The building served as the post office for the city of Auburn until a new facility was constructed in 1991. In 1992, the City of Auburn purchased the building, renting the structure to the Food Bank of East Alabama, before renovating it as City Hall in 2001.
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
, built in 1933, is the city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
of Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
. It was originally constructed as a post office in 1933, and, like many post offices constructed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the building has a "starved classical" design typical of federal architecture, with symmetrical style and pointed pediments and elements of colonial revival architecture
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the U.S. Post Office in 1983.
History
The site for the post office was deeded in 1846 by Auburn founder John J. Harper to Simeon Perry, agent for the Auburn Academy (today Auburn High School), for the use of the male division of the Academy as a separate school. In 1856, this school became the preparatory department of the East Alabama Male College (today Auburn UniversityAuburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
). After the U.S. Civil War, the preparatory division moved to the main campus of the college and the building briefly became a chair factory before Auburn High School (then operating as the Auburn Female College) took over the structure around 1870. An adjacent two-story brick structure for Auburn High School was built just south of the old school building in 1899, and the old school building was subsequently razed. When Auburn High moved to a new campus in 1915, the brick structure became the Auburn Grammar School until it was torn down in 1931 to make way for the post office building.
The City of Auburn donated the school site for the construction of a $90,000 post office in 1933, which received first class status in 1940. The building served as the post office for the city of Auburn until a new facility was constructed in 1991. In 1992, the City of Auburn purchased the building, renting the structure to the Food Bank of East Alabama, before renovating it as City Hall in 2001.