Building a Post Office, 1909
“The people of the town of Murfreesboro and community in general are very anxious to have a better looking and more imposing building than the one provided for by the contract now in operation. Their anxiety is so great that I am constrained to ask if you will be willing to extend the time limit within which the building must be completed.”
Rep. William C. Houston’s letter to James Knox Taylor, October 21, 1909
The 1900 census identified 4,000 residents in the city and prompted the construction of the post office, Murfreesboro’s first federal building. Local post offices had previously existed in temporary locations, but in 1909 Murfreesboro was among the cities chosen to strengthen the national postal infrastructure. That year marked a pivotal date for the launch of several federal post offices throughout America. Replacing the livery stable, this post office became a new cornerstone of the community, a symbol of stability and growth. Despite local concerns over architecture and federal regulations, the new post office grew to be one of Murfreesboro’s most cherished structures.
A black and white photograph of supervising architect James Knox Taylor.
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration
Wichita Falls, TX Post Office
This blueprint, created by architect James Knox Taylor, for the Wichita Falls, TX post office greatly resembles the design he created for the Murfreesboro post office. Oftentimes, the same basic design was used for multiple post offices across the nation.
James Knox Taylor
James Knox Taylor was the supervising architect of this building. Educated at M.I.T., Taylor was the U.S. Treasury’s Supervising Architect from 1897 through 1912, when he oversaw the design and construction of many federal buildings. The Italianate Renaissance design for this building was a modified version of stock design he used in other cities, including Philadelphia, Seattle, and Niagara Falls.
An original blue print of for the Wichita Falls, Texas post office.
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration