The Old Post Office

1:2000 scale miniature paper model, about 2 inches tall when built

This Richardsonian Romanesque building, designed by architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke, opened in 1899 as Washington D.C.’s main post office. By 1914, postal services had moved on to larger quarters and the building became known as the “Old” Post Office. Architectural fashion had moved by then, too, and the Federal Triangle was being redeveloped in neoclassical style. Only a lack of funds prevented the building’s demolition. In the 1970s, preservationists rallied to save the building and list it on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read more:

• The 315-foot Old Post Office Tower provides a wonderful view over Washington
• The building was redeveloped from 2013-2016 into a luxury Trump hotel
• A detailed history of the Old Post Office including the story of its preservation
• A beautiful wooden scale model of the post office built by Nathan Rubinton in 1909

How to build the Old Post Office Order the postcard