United States Post Office

Construction of the post office building was authorized by an act of Congress in 1902 and undertaken in 1909-10. The Beaux Arts design reflects the return to classical and Renaissance architectural forms in federal buildings. U.S. Treasury architect James Knox Taylor modeled Ithaca's post office on the Grand Trianon at Versailles, built in 1687. Its influence is evident in the tall, round-arched windows with console keystones, the paired Ionic columns between the windows, and the roof balustrade with paneled pedestals. Taylor designed many post offices across the United States, among them in New York State are those in Niagara Falls, Schenectady, Geneva, Lockport, Little Falls, Penn Yan, Corning, Olean, and Hudson.

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