United States Post Office-Main Branch (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

United States Post Office-Main Branch is a historic post office building located in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located across from Amtrak's 30th Street Station. It was built between 1931 and 1935, and is a six-story, steel frame building clad in limestone in the Art Deco-style. It measures 386 feet (118 m) wide and 455 feet (139 m) long.[2]

United States Post Office-Main Branch
United States Post Office-Main Branch, April 2010
Location2970 Market St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°57′21″N 75°10′58″W
Area5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built1931-1935
ArchitectRankin & Kellogg; et al.
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No.06000782[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 5, 2006

The world's first scheduled rotorcraft airmail service served the Post Office. The building had been designed with a flat roof with underfloor heating to prevent snow and ice. It also had take-off ramps, radio and weather reporting equipment, and fuelling and maintenance facilities. The operation, flown by Kellett KD-1B autogyros of Eastern Air Lines, started on 6 July 1939. The contract for the route, AM2001, involved five flights per day, six days a week, between the Post Office and Camden Central Airport, 6 miles (9.7 km) away in Camden, New Jersey. The main pilot was Johnny Miller. The contract ended a year later, with 2,634 flights completed, representing 85% of all scheduled flights – a very impressive statistic for the time. However, the contract was not renewed.[3]

The facility closed on September 29, 2008[4] when main distribution center activities moved to a new facility adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport. A new retail location was opened nearby at 3000 Chestnut Street.

The building has been converted into office space, including the regional headquarters of the IRS.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[1]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Sheryl Jaslow (July 2005). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: United States Post Office-Main Branch" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  3. Lewis, W. David. "The Autogiro Flies the Mail! Realising the dream of flight pp 69-86" (PDF). NASA History. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. "End of An Era for Philadelphia Main Post Office." United States Postal Service. September 19, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2009. Archived June 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine


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