Event: Post Office and Customs House Construction Begins
Category: Architecture, Planning and Development
Brief Description: Construction on a new Post Office and Customs House began in 1874 west of the riverfront on Olive between 8th and 9th Sts. At a cost of $6 million, this second empire-style building was one of the most expensive government buildings of the Grant era. It was designed by Alfred Mullett. The location of the new Post Office and Customs House was highly controversial for the residents of the area. Its location was considerably farther west than most of the downtown activity of the time, and its construction signaled the beginning of a shift of downtown activity westward. This location was cheaper than a riverfront location, yet it was still convinient, located near the Eads Bridge tunnel. A commerical district eventually grew up around the Post Office, and within two decades of its construction, all the wealthy residents of the area had moved out.
Year: 1874
Decade: 1870 - 1879
Beginning Date: 1874
Ending Date: Jan. 01, 1884
Structures
Old Post Office
people
• structures • events
• sources • home
about
historic preservation• new entries• 4 kids only• map it!
This
site was made possible by: the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency and
the City of St. Louis Community
Information Network.
This site was funded in part by Federal funds administered by the Missouri State Historical Preservation
Office, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, The National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Version 1.0