St. Johns Post Office (Portland, Oregon)

U.S. Post Office – St. Johns Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Portland Historic Landmark[1]
St Johns Station (Northeast elevation)
Location	8720 N. Ivanhoe Street Portland, Oregon
Coordinates	45°35′25″N 122°45′24″W / 45.590326°N 122.756608°WCoordinates: 45°35′25″N 122°45′24″W / 45.590326°N 122.756608°W
Built	1932
Architect	Francis Marion Stokes
NRHP Reference #	85000543
Added to NRHP	March 4, 1985[2]

The St. Johns Post Office is a historic building located in the Cathedral Park neighborhood near St. Johns, Portland, Oregon, United States.

Architecture

The St. Johns Post Office is an example of a small community post office constructed in the 20th Century Georgian style (also Colonial Revival-style) typical of Depression Era federal architecture. The building exhibits classical symmetry and proportion, yet is a transitional building in that it lacks the archæological detail of classically inspired federal architecture of the Beaux Arts tradition. The building's Georgian style is suggested in the detailing of the arched Palladian windows and termination of the facade with a molded frieze and cornice.^[3]

Art

North View of the St Johns Station

The building's lobby features two murals with both a local and state significance. They are titled "Development of St. Johns" and were completed in 1936 by John Ballator under the auspices of the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture. The murals depict the development of the neighborhood with significant historical events and prominent citizens.^[3] John Ballator, was an artist from Topeka, who was born in Portland in 1909 and received his commission as a result of an open anonymous competition, to create the murals. Ballator attended the University of Oregon and the Yale School of Fine Arts.^[4]

The architect

Cornerstone at the east corner of the building

The building is also unique among small Oregon post offices in that it was designed by a local architect, Francis Marion Stokes, who designed several architecturally prominent buildings in the Portland area, several of which are included in the city's historic resource inventory.

The building

The current address of the building is 8720 N Ivanhoe Street in Multnomah County. It was purchased on September 17, 1992 to become the Portland Bahá'í Center.^[5]

National Register

The building was nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places on August 31, 1984 and was added to the Register in 1985.^[6]

See also

• Francis Marion Stokes Fourplex
• Georgian architecture
• Architecture in Portland, Oregon
• National Register of Historic Places listings in North Portland, Oregon

References

1. Portland Historic Landmarks Commission (July 2010), Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon (XLS), retrieved September 27, 2013.
2. "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). State of Oregon. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
3. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Federal Properties - Form No. 10-306, August 31, 1984
6. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/or/Multnomah/state10.html