James Farley Post Office
Encyclopedia
The James A. Farley Post Office Building is the main post office building in New York City. Its ZIP code designation is 10001. Built in 1912, the building is famous for bearing the inscription: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
In 1982, the post office was officially designated The James A. Farley Building, as a monument and testament to the political career of the nation's 53rd Postmaster General
. The Farley Post Office is home to "Operation Santa," made famous in the classic 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street
..
, and occupies two full city blocks, an 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) footprint straddling the tracks of the Northeast Corridor
and the Farley Corridor (sub-district B) in western Midtown Manhattan
. The building fronts on the west side of Eighth Avenue, across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden
. It is located at 421 Eighth Avenue
, between 31st Street and 33rd Street in the New York City
borough
of Manhattan
.
The Farley Post Office once held the distinction of being the only Post Office in New York City open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But in 2009, due to the economic downturn, its windows began to close at 10:00 p.m.
The James A. Farley Building was constructed in two stages. The original monumental front half was built in 1912 and opened for postal business in 1914; the building was doubled in 1934 by the then Postmaster General, James A. Farley, and replaced the 1869-80 Post Office at Park Row and Broadway
. Postmaster General Farley's historical association to the landmark is due to this expansion. Farley's building supply firm, the General Builders Supply Corporation, had received a federal contract under the Hoover Administration to provide building materials for the construction of the Post Office Annex. The General Builders Corporation supplied building materials toward the construction of such landmarks as the Empire State Building
, Rockefeller Center
and the United Nations Headquarters
. Farley was accused by then Senator Huey Long
of Louisiana for receiving preferential treatment from the Roosevelt Administration, a charge that later proved to be false, as Farley would be cleared by the Senate of any wrongdoing in what would be known as "The Long-Farley Affair of 1935."
Where the landmark backs up to Ninth Avenue: along the side streets, McKim, Mead, and White's range, which continues its Corinthian giant order as pilasters between the window bays, was simply repeated in order to carry the facade to Ninth Avenue. The original building was one of the last built under the Tarsney Act. Up until 1893 all federal non-military structures were designed by in-house government architects in the Office of the Supervising Architect
in the United States Treasury Department. The 1893 act introduced by a Missouri
Congressman permitted the Supervisory Architect to pick private architects following a competition. Supervisory architect James Knox Taylor
picked McKim for the New York post office. In 1913 the act was repealed partially in light of a scandal in which Taylor had picked his former Minnesota partner Cass Gilbert
for design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
.
The monumental facade on Eighth Avenue
was conceived as a Corinthian colonnade
braced at the end by two pavilions. The imposing design was meant to match in strength the colonnade of Pennsylvania Station (McKim, Mead, and White, 1910) that originally faced it across the avenue. An unbroken flight of steps the full length of the colonnade provides access, for the main floor devoted to customer services is above a functional basement level that rises out of a dry moat
giving light and air to workspaces below. Each of the square end pavilions is capped with a low saucer dome, expressed on the exterior as a low stepped pyramid. Inside, the visitor finds an unbroken vista down a long gallery that parallels the colonnaded front. The north end of the gallery houses a small Museum of Postal History.
The building prominently bears the inscription: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds, which is frequently mistaken as the official motto
of the United States Postal Service
. It was actually supplied by William Mitchell Kendall of the firm of McKim, Mead & White, the architects who designed the Farley Building and the original Pennsylvania Station in the same Beaux-Arts style. The sentence is taken from Herodotus
' Histories
(Book 8, Ch. 98) and describes the faithful service of the Persian
system of mounted postal messengers under Xerxes I of Persia
. The U.S.P.S. does not actually have an official motto or creed, but nonetheless the inscription on the building is often cited as such. The inscription was carved by Ira Schnapp
, who later designed the Action Comics
logo and many other iconic logos for DC Comics
.
Upon opening in 1914, it was named the Pennsylvania Terminal. In July 1918, the building was renamed the General Post Office Building, and in 1982, was dedicated as the James A. Farley Building. (97th Congress, H.Res. 368 3/2/1982). James Farley
was the nation's 53rd Postmaster General
and served from 1933 to 1940. James Farley was the supreme democratic party boss of New York State at this time. Farley was responsible for Franklin D. Roosevelt
's rise to the Presidency and is the first Roman Catholic politician in American History to have crossover appeal as a candidate for the office of the Presidency of the United State of America. Farley (a native New Yorker) was instrumental in the political careers of Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt (serving as campaign manager to both). Farley was a Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States
in 1940 and opposed the F.D.R. third term.
The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966.
The Farley Building was instrumental to maintaining service levels in the New York City
area following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when it served as a backup to operations for the Church Street Station Post Office
located across the street from the World Trade Center
complex. Advances in automated mail processing technology, coupled with adjustments to postal distribution and transportation networks now make it feasible to absorb associated mail volumes at the Morgan Center.
The post office stopped 24-hour service beginning on May 9, 2009 due to decreasing mail traffic. Effective May 9, the new hours at the James A. Farley Main Post Office are:
Mon – Fri: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., Saturday: 9a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. There is no window service on federal holidays, but the building is open and self-service kiosks are accessible.
The James Farley Post Office is being adaptively reused and converted to house a new concourse for New Jersey Transit
. The New Jersey Transit facility within the historic Farley Post Office will be named the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Station. Beyond retail lobby services, other postal operations that would remain in the building will include Express Mail
, mail delivery, truck platforms, and a stamp depository. Administrative offices for the Postal Service's New York District will also be headquartered within Farley and Operation Santa Claus will remain at the landmark post office.
United States Postal Service creed
The United States Postal Service has no official creed or motto.Often falsely cited as such, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, derived from...
In 1982, the post office was officially designated The James A. Farley Building, as a monument and testament to the political career of the nation's 53rd Postmaster General
James Farley
James Aloysius Farley was the first Irish Catholic politician in American history to achieve success on a national level, serving as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General simultaneously under the first two...
. The Farley Post Office is home to "Operation Santa," made famous in the classic 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas film written by George Seaton from a story by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn...
..
Overview
The Farley Building consists of the old general post office building and its western annex. The Farley building is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational 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...
, and occupies two full city blocks, an 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) footprint straddling the tracks of the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
and the Farley Corridor (sub-district B) in western Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
. The building fronts on the west side of Eighth Avenue, across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. It is located at 421 Eighth Avenue
Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)
Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...
, between 31st Street and 33rd Street in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
The Farley Post Office once held the distinction of being the only Post Office in New York City open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But in 2009, due to the economic downturn, its windows began to close at 10:00 p.m.
History
City Hall Post Office and Courthouse (New York City)
The City Hall Post Office and Courthouse is a no longer existing building which was designed by architect Alfred B. Mullett for a triangular site in New York City along Broadway in Lower Manhattan, across City Hall Park from New York City Hall. The Second Empire style building, built between 1869...
. Postmaster General Farley's historical association to the landmark is due to this expansion. Farley's building supply firm, the General Builders Supply Corporation, had received a federal contract under the Hoover Administration to provide building materials for the construction of the Post Office Annex. The General Builders Corporation supplied building materials toward the construction of such landmarks as the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
, Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
and the United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
. Farley was accused by then Senator Huey Long
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
of Louisiana for receiving preferential treatment from the Roosevelt Administration, a charge that later proved to be false, as Farley would be cleared by the Senate of any wrongdoing in what would be known as "The Long-Farley Affair of 1935."
Where the landmark backs up to Ninth Avenue: along the side streets, McKim, Mead, and White's range, which continues its Corinthian giant order as pilasters between the window bays, was simply repeated in order to carry the facade to Ninth Avenue. The original building was one of the last built under the Tarsney Act. Up until 1893 all federal non-military structures were designed by in-house government architects in the Office of the Supervising Architect
Office of the Supervising Architect
The Office of the Supervising Architect was an agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings from 1852 to 1939....
in the United States Treasury Department. The 1893 act introduced by a Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Congressman permitted the Supervisory Architect to pick private architects following a competition. Supervisory architect James Knox Taylor
James Knox Taylor
James Knox Taylor was Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury from 1897 to 1912. His name is listed ex officio as supervising architect of hundreds of federal buildings built throughout the United States during the period.-Early career:The son of H...
picked McKim for the New York post office. In 1913 the act was repealed partially in light of a scandal in which Taylor had picked his former Minnesota partner Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
for design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House is a building in New York City, built 1902–1907 by the federal government to house the duty collection operations for the port of New York. It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park, at 1 Bowling Green...
.
The monumental facade on Eighth Avenue
Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)
Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...
was conceived as a Corinthian colonnade
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
braced at the end by two pavilions. The imposing design was meant to match in strength the colonnade of Pennsylvania Station (McKim, Mead, and White, 1910) that originally faced it across the avenue. An unbroken flight of steps the full length of the colonnade provides access, for the main floor devoted to customer services is above a functional basement level that rises out of a dry moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
giving light and air to workspaces below. Each of the square end pavilions is capped with a low saucer dome, expressed on the exterior as a low stepped pyramid. Inside, the visitor finds an unbroken vista down a long gallery that parallels the colonnaded front. The north end of the gallery houses a small Museum of Postal History.
United States Postal Service creed
The United States Postal Service has no official creed or motto.Often falsely cited as such, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, derived from...
of the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
. It was actually supplied by William Mitchell Kendall of the firm of McKim, Mead & White, the architects who designed the Farley Building and the original Pennsylvania Station in the same Beaux-Arts style. The sentence is taken from Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
' Histories
Histories (Herodotus)
The Histories of Herodotus is considered one of the seminal works of history in Western literature. Written from the 450s to the 420s BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that...
(Book 8, Ch. 98) and describes the faithful service of the Persian
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
system of mounted postal messengers under Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I of Persia , Ḫšayāršā, ), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fifth king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.-Youth and rise to power:...
. The U.S.P.S. does not actually have an official motto or creed, but nonetheless the inscription on the building is often cited as such. The inscription was carved by Ira Schnapp
Ira Schnapp
Ira R. Schnapp was a logo designer and letterer who defined the DC Comics house style for thirty years. He designed the world-famous Action Comics logo, as well as scores of others for the company.- Early life and immigration :...
, who later designed the Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
logo and many other iconic logos for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
Upon opening in 1914, it was named the Pennsylvania Terminal. In July 1918, the building was renamed the General Post Office Building, and in 1982, was dedicated as the James A. Farley Building. (97th Congress, H.Res. 368 3/2/1982). James Farley
James Farley
James Aloysius Farley was the first Irish Catholic politician in American history to achieve success on a national level, serving as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General simultaneously under the first two...
was the nation's 53rd Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
and served from 1933 to 1940. James Farley was the supreme democratic party boss of New York State at this time. Farley was responsible for Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's rise to the Presidency and is the first Roman Catholic politician in American History to have crossover appeal as a candidate for the office of the Presidency of the United State of America. Farley (a native New Yorker) was instrumental in the political careers of Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt (serving as campaign manager to both). Farley was a Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1940 and opposed the F.D.R. third term.
- "...the life of James A. Farley should serve as an example for present and future generations of Americans of the vital contributions which individual citizens can make to the life of the nation through diligent public service..."
- — House Resolution 368, 97th Congress, 2nd Session, March 2, 1982
The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966.
The Farley Building was instrumental to maintaining service levels in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when it served as a backup to operations for the Church Street Station Post Office
90 Church Street
90 Church Street is a large United States Postal Service office that is responsible for the 10048 in New York City.- History :The Church Street post office and federal building was designed by Louis A. Simon, who also supervised the construction of the treasury from 1933-1939...
located across the street from the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
complex. Advances in automated mail processing technology, coupled with adjustments to postal distribution and transportation networks now make it feasible to absorb associated mail volumes at the Morgan Center.
The post office stopped 24-hour service beginning on May 9, 2009 due to decreasing mail traffic. Effective May 9, the new hours at the James A. Farley Main Post Office are:
Mon – Fri: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., Saturday: 9a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. There is no window service on federal holidays, but the building is open and self-service kiosks are accessible.
Future plans
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
. The New Jersey Transit facility within the historic Farley Post Office will be named the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Station. Beyond retail lobby services, other postal operations that would remain in the building will include Express Mail
Express mail
In most postal systems express mail refers to an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. Express mail is a service for domestic mail and is governed by a country's own postal administration...
, mail delivery, truck platforms, and a stamp depository. Administrative offices for the Postal Service's New York District will also be headquartered within Farley and Operation Santa Claus will remain at the landmark post office.
See also
- James FarleyJames FarleyJames Aloysius Farley was the first Irish Catholic politician in American history to achieve success on a national level, serving as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General simultaneously under the first two...
- United States Postal Service creedUnited States Postal Service creedThe United States Postal Service has no official creed or motto.Often falsely cited as such, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, derived from...
- City Hall Post Office and Courthouse (New York City)City Hall Post Office and Courthouse (New York City)The City Hall Post Office and Courthouse is a no longer existing building which was designed by architect Alfred B. Mullett for a triangular site in New York City along Broadway in Lower Manhattan, across City Hall Park from New York City Hall. The Second Empire style building, built between 1869...
, its predecessor as New York's main post office
External links
- USPS James A. Farley Biography
- Farley building architecture
- New York City Weekly Yelp review of Farley station
- Bill designating General Post Office the "James A. Farley Building"
- Postal history museum located within the Farley Post Office
- Extensive pictures of the James Farley Post Office Building's interior