Old Waterville Post Office

The Old Waterville Post Office is a historic former post office facility at 1 Post Office Square in central Waterville, Maine. Although it is not a commercial brand in the conventional sense, the building functions as a locally recognized heritage property and architectural landmark. It occupies a prominent triangular parcel created by the meeting of Main Street and Elm Street at the northern end of Waterville’s commercial district. Completed in 1911, the building was designed by James Knox Taylor, who served as head of the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury Department. Its design reflects an early twentieth-century interpretation of Greek Revival architecture. The single-story masonry structure has a bent-rectangle plan, with secondary elevations facing the surrounding streets and a rounded central projection oriented toward the road intersection. A colonnade of Corinthian columns supports the entablature across this curved front, while Corinthian pilasters mark the corners and continue the architectural rhythm around the building. The curved section is covered by a circular domed roof topped with a lantern modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. The rest of the structure has a flat roof. Two principal entrances are reached by a short flight of stairs and are framed by elaborate surrounds with bracketed entablatures. These details give the building a strong civic presence despite its relatively modest scale and distinguish it from more utilitarian post office construction. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Its significance rests primarily on its architectural character and its role as a surviving example of federal civic construction in Maine. The building demonstrates how early twentieth-century public facilities could combine practical institutional functions with monumental classical forms intended to communicate permanence and civic importance. The former post office use has ended, but the building remains in active use. It presently houses a restaurant and brewpub, identified in reference material as Mainely Brews. This adaptive reuse preserves the structure as a functioning part of Waterville’s central commercial area while allowing the public to experience its interior and exterior setting. No separate corporate ownership, executive structure, product portfolio, or financial profile is established in the available material. The subject is therefore best understood as a historic place and heritage property rather than as a conventional operating brand.

The Old Waterville Post Office was completed in 1911 in central Waterville, Maine. It was designed by James Knox Taylor in his capacity as head of the Office of the Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury Department, the federal office responsible for the design and oversight of many government buildings during the period. The structure was built as a post office and occupies a triangular site at the northern end of Waterville’s commercial district, where Main and Elm Streets meet. Architecturally, the building is an early twentieth-century interpretation of Greek Revival design. Its masonry construction and single-story form are organized as a bent rectangle, with a rounded projection facing the intersection. This curved front is marked by a colonnade of Corinthian columns and a substantial entablature. Corinthian pilasters define the corners and carry the entablature around the other elevations. The rounded portion is crowned by a circular domed roof section and a lantern modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. The principal entrances sit within the curved facade and are approached by a low flight of stairs; their elaborate surrounds include bracketed entablatures. The building’s design gave a federal service facility a formal and monumental presence. Its classical vocabulary, carefully positioned corner site, and domed entrance section make it an especially notable example of institutional architecture in the state. The building was recognized through inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. That designation reflects its architectural importance and its place in the history of Waterville’s civic and commercial development. After its period as a post office, the property was adapted for another public-facing commercial use. It presently houses a restaurant and brewpub, identified by the supplied reference material as Mainely Brews. This reuse keeps the building occupied and connected to the daily life of downtown Waterville rather than leaving it solely as a commemorative monument. The available references do not establish the dates of the post office’s closure, the details of ownership, or the full chronology of later occupants. They also provide no evidence of a separate brand organization, product lines, executive team, or commercial financial reporting associated with the building itself.

• 1977

  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Old Waterville Post Officeen.wikipedia.org

  The building received national historic recognition for its architectural character and significance as a surviving civic structure.

• 1911

  Building completed

  [1]Old Waterville Post Officeen.wikipedia.org

  The federal post office facility was completed in central Waterville, Maine, to designs by James Knox Taylor.

• Adapted for restaurant and brewpub use

  [1]Old Waterville Post Officeen.wikipedia.org

  The former post office was later reused as a restaurant and brewpub. The supplied reference identifies the current occupant as Mainely Brews but does not provide the conversion date.

A locally significant historic civic landmark whose architectural identity and adaptive reuse distinguish it within central Waterville.

1. 1Old Waterville Post Officeen.wikipedia.org