Alamosa Post Office (1935)
Landmark
City of Alamosa
Historic Registry
Erected 2008 by City of Alamosa.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the Postal Mail and Philately, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1935.
Location. 37° 28.168′ N, 105° 52.042′ W. Marker is in Alamosa, Colorado, in Alamosa County. It is at the intersection of Fourth Street and San Juan Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Fourth Street. The marker is mounted directly on the subject building, on the left side of the south/front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 703 Fourth Street, Alamosa CO 81101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and in the San Luis Valley. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sacred Heart Catholic Church (within shouting distance of this marker); American Legion Building (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Baptist Church (about 600 feet away); Emperius Building (about 700 feet away); American National Bank Building
this page online
Regarding Alamosa Post Office (1935). National Register of Historic Places № 09000544. Also Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Site № 5AL.258.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Tawney Becker, 1/31/2009:
The building is single-story with a mezzanine half story and partial basement. Its central 60' x 87' rectangular plan with composition over wood roof appears to be a variation of a stock design for federal post offices implemented by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of the Supervising Architect during the New Deal era (1933-43). The largely plain, smooth stucco surface of the clay tile and brick building includes molded terracotta coping along the parapet edges and a single course of brick that visually connects the base of the primary windows. The building retains nearly all of its original multi-lite wood-framed windows.An ornate, eclectic, molded terracotta door surround and terracotta scuppers above each of the four windows distinguish
the otherwise plain stucco facade. The terracotta tile surround, which extends vertically above the roofline, includes streamlined Art Deco forms that reference Classical Revival elements. Arching scrolls form a swan's neck pediment and draw the eye to a central, small niche, flanked by symmetrically placed incised floral designs.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 20252. Alamosa Post Office (1935) MarkerThe marker is on the left side of the south/front entrance.The curvilinear shaped parapet formed by the door surround reflects a Mission Revival influence. Below the pediment and dentils and above the door, a cartouche displays a Pony Express rider, providing a link to the origin of mail delivery and the building's purpose. A broad concrete stair with metal handrails rises to the central main entry. This stair likely replaced the original, which was smaller and faced east-west, when the building became a school in 1972. The doorway includes two nine-lite panel wood doors surmounted by the original decorative brass transom grille. Behind the grille a large single-pane transom window allows light to enter the former post office lobby, currently the office reception area. The original small hexagonally shaped Mission style brass lanterns hang at either side of the doorway. The south facade exhibits four symmetrically placed openings, each containing a pair of 4/4 divided-lite, double-hung windows. Each 4/4 window displays a two-lite transom above it. A course of stuccoed brick projects slightly across the facade
at the base of the windows. The inscription "1935" appears in the foundation at the eastern corner of the south facade. The building retains nearly all of its original double-hung sash wood windows with two-lite transoms. The stucco color changed in 1994 from beige with green trim to a pale mauve.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 20253. Alamosa Post Office (1935) CornerstoneThis is all that remains of the 1935 cornerstone at the southeast corner of the building. The other text has been filled in and covered over.The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of the Supervising Architect designed most federal buildings from the mid-1800s to the end of the 1930s, including the Alamosa Post Office. A staff of mostly anonymous architects worked under the direction of the Supervising Architect. Louis A. Simon was the Chief of the Architectural Division of the Office of the Supervising Architect from 1905 to 1934. The original drawings for the Alamosa Post Office bear Simon's name as Supervising Architect and that of Geo. Van Nerta as Engineer.
On 11 February 1935, the Daily Courier reported H. W. Underhill Construction Company of Wichita, Kansas, submitted the lowest bid for the post office building at $44,935. On 19 April 1935, site preparations began with site excavation, leveling, and procurement of foundation materials. Construction would require a crew of 30 to 35 men. The load-bearing exterior walls consisted of 12"x12"x12" tile, stuccoed with Portland cement. On 10 September 1935, Harold C. Skilling, federal engineer in charge of the new post office, superintended the sealing of its cornerstone.
Interestingly, no public ceremony was held. Postmaster John E. Harron would announce an open house around 15 October 1935, when the general public could inspect Uncle Sam's Alamosa home.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 20254. Alamosa Post Office (1935) (southwest elevation)The post office occupied the building for over 30 years when limited parking and access became an issue as Alamosa grew. In 1971 the post office moved its services to a new brick building on Third Street. The 1935 building was sold to the San Luis Valley Center for the Handicapped, Inc. in May 1972 as part of the federal disbursement of surplus buildings.
The 1935 Alamosa Post Office is significant for its association with President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal legislative agenda as a project of the Public Works Administration (PWA). PWA programs boosted the economy nationally by increasing purchased materials and employment. Additionally, PWA projects such as the post office used locally purchased materials and professional construction crews, helping to stimulate the local economy. In small towns across the country, the construction of a federal post office was a major event for the community. As the first and only federal building constructed in Alamosa, the post office displayed a reassuring governmental presence during a time of great need.
The Alamosa Post Office is also significant in the area of Architecture as a good example of a small federal building designed by the Treasury
Department's Office of the Supervising Architect. Its symmetry, massing, and formal appearance clearly identify it as a federal building. The building's basic federal design relates the post office to New Deal projects constructed by the PWA on the Eastern Plains of Colorado, with a local interpretation. Furthermore, the Alamosa Post Office is an excellent example of the Mixed Style, including elements of Art Deco, Classical Revival, and the locally prevalent Mission Revival, skillfully combined in a federal building.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 20255. Alamosa Post Office (1935) (west elevation)
Also see . . .
1. Post Office (former) Alamosa CO (Living New Deal).
Excerpt: Now privately owned, Alamosa, Colorado received a new post office during the Great Depression. The building was commissioned by the federal Treasury Department in conjunction with the Public Works Administration. AlamosaNews.com: "The federal government bought the property from Mrs. Frank Ruby in 1934 for $9,000 and contracted construction to a Wichita, Kansas company, HW Underhill. The total construction cost was just under $45,000, which would barely get us one room today.(Submitted on March 22, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Alamosa Post Office (History Colorado).
Excerpt: The(Submitted on March 21, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Public Works Administration (PWA) constructed the 1935 Alamosa Post Office as a program of the New Deal legislative agenda set forth by President Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The post office is significant as an excellent example of the Mixed Style exhibiting elements of Art Deco, Classical Revival, and the locally prevalent Mission Revival.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 20256. Alamosa Post Office (1935) (southeast elevation)Today the historic post office building houses Blue Peaks Developmental Services.
3. Alamosa Post Office (1935) ( City of Alamosa Historic Registry).
Alamosa Post Office (Blue Peaks Developmental Services)(Submitted on March 21, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Ordinance approved and signed May 7th, 2008.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 21, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 21, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
