Washington, D.C. city post office, 1914
This used souvenir postcard from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum was sent when my son and his family visited Washington, D.C. this summer. There is a blurb at the upper left on the back of the card: “Reproduction postcard of the D.C. city post office after its construction in 1914. Souvenir postcards like this highlighted community landmarks.” The title of the card is found at the upper left on the front of the card.
Formerly the City Post Office it is now the Postal Square Building. There were major renovations from 1929 to 1935 to expand the building and increase mail processing and service capacity. Architect Daniel Burnham (1846-1912) designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style. By the 1950s the interior had been modernized and many of the Beaux-Arts features had been removed.
Founded in 1993, the National Postal Museum has postal history exhibits of the United States and other countries. Admission to the museum is free. There is a gift shop. 1-9The building featured on the card served as the main post office for Washington, D.C. from 1914 to1986. It also housed the headquarters for the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics on the top floors until 2024. Examples of vehicles used to deliver mail throughout the history of the USPS such as planes, trains, a mail carrying stagecoach, and automobiles are found in the museum atrium.
The National Philatelic Collection was established in 1886. It is one of the world’s largest and most valuable stamp collections with nearly six million postage stamps. Part of the collection is on display in the museum’s national Stamp Salon. In 2005 the museum acquired the childhood stamp collection of singer/songwriter John Lennon.
Thank you B for sending the card.
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Postal_Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Philatelic_Collection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Philatelic_Collection_(United_States)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_Square_Building
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burnham
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