Public Safety Building (Cumberland, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
Public Safety Building, or Old Post Office, is a historic building in Cumberland
, Allegany County, Maryland
. It was constructed between 1902 and 1904, in the Classical Revival style. It is built of brick, rising from a monumental stone base. There is a slightly projecting pavilion with four engaged Ionic
columns on the second and third floors. The building was built originally as the United States Courthouse and Post Office during the tenure of James Knox Taylor
(1857-1929), who was Supervising Architect
for the U.S. Treasury. It is considered to be typical of buildings constructed during Taylor's tenure to the specifications of the Tarsney Act
, which required competition in the design of federal buildings.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973.
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
, Allegany County, Maryland
Allegany County, Maryland
Allegany County is a county located in the northwestern part of the US state of Maryland. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 75,087. Its county seat is Cumberland...
. It was constructed between 1902 and 1904, in the Classical Revival style. It is built of brick, rising from a monumental stone base. There is a slightly projecting pavilion with four engaged Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns on the second and third floors. The building was built originally as the United States Courthouse and Post Office during the tenure of 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...
(1857-1929), who was 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....
for the U.S. Treasury. It is considered to be typical of buildings constructed during Taylor's tenure to the specifications of the Tarsney Act
John Charles Tarsney
John Charles Tarsney was a politician from the U.S. state of Missouri.One of Tarsney's most long lasting contributions was the "Tarsney Act" which permitted private architects to design federal buildings after being selected in a competition under the supervision of Supervising Architect of the...
, which required competition in the design of federal buildings.
The building 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...
in 1973.
External links
- Public Safety Building, Allegany County, including photo from 1971, at Maryland Historical Trust