Federal Building and Post Office

Federal Building and Post Office — Chicago

Life Span: 1904–1965
Location: Dearborn, Adams & Clark Streets and Jackson Boulevard, Chicago
Architect: Henry Ives Cobb

The new Federal Building and Post Office in Chicago was a major civic project around the turn of the 20th century. It was designed by Henry Ives Cobb and occupied the full block bounded by Dearborn, Adams, Clark and Jackson. The building featured an imposing dome, extensive stonework, and sculptural groups intended to symbolize the globe and mail service. 0

Chicago Tribune headline about Cobb's plans — Chicago Tribune headline re: Cobb's plans (Dec 9, 1896). 1

Planning and early debate

Newspaper coverage from the 1890s records detailed debates between the architect and post office officials about interior arrangements and the location of postal workspaces. Postmaster Washington Hesing insisted that the post office needs — particularly large, open work floors and street-level mail handling — must be prioritized in the final plans. 2

Elevation drawing of the Federal Building — Elevation drawing of the U.S. Government Building (April 1898). 3

Design highlights

Contemporary reports praised the building’s monumental qualities — a cruciform massing topped by a large dome, and plans for four colossal bronze sculptural groups at the corners that would represent America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Harper’s Weekly described the dome and pyramidized massing as giving the structure an impressive architectural presence in the heart of the city. 4

Harper's Weekly illustration of the new government building — Harper’s Weekly illustration of the new government building (1897). 5

Construction notes and reaction

Construction progressed in the early 1900s; reporting describes massive stonework and the hoisting of the last stones in 1902. By 1905 an editorial in the Chicago Tribune criticized the post office layout despite admiring the building’s architectural grandeur — calling the finished post office a “botch” from a practical standpoint even as it was visually imposing. 6

This post reproduces text and images from Chicagology’s page on the Federal Building and Post Office. Original source: Chicagology — “Federal Building and Post Office.” 7

Read the original Chicagology page

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