Front and Side Elevations, U.S. Post Office, Muskegon,
Michigan
James Knox Taylor, architect, 1904
Edward Feré Champney, delineator, September 27, 1904
Pencil, ink, and watercolor washes on paper
13" x 28 1/2"
National Archives and Records Administration,
Records of the Public Buildings Service
U.S. Post Offices: Muskegon, Michigan
In 1898 architect James Knox Taylor began a 15-year
tenure as Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury. A strong
advocate of classical design, Taylor left his mark on hundreds of new
Federal buildings across the country. During his incumbency, the number
of federal buildings authorized exceeded the total number of buildings
erected since the United States became a nation. By Taylor's last year
in office, the Treasury Department authorized 10 new buildings each month.
Taylor's design for the U.S. Post Office in Muskegon, Michigan, conveyed
a strong sense of dignity and formality through the use of a series of
contrasting window frames, pilasters, and wall surfaces. Less typical
of Taylor's work is the colorful and varied stonework on the building's
exterior.