Building Description US Post Office, Adel Georgia
Located in south Georgia, the United States Post Office-Adel, GA, is located two blocks south of the county courthouse in the small town of Adel in Cook County. The building is located on the corner of West 4th Street (Georgia Highway 37) and Parrish Avenue. The lot is a typical small town lot with a sidewalk, grassed lawn, and mature hardwoods. There is a driveway and parking area to the rear of the property off of Parrish Avenue.
The United States Post Office in Adel is a one-story, five-bay brick building designed in the Colonial Revival style. Its square shape, flat roof, and planar walls create the appearance of a massive block. The building rests on a poured concrete foundation and has load-bearing brick walls.
The main entrance to the building is via broad, granite steps with a cast-iron railing. The original wooden double doors were replaced with aluminum double doors, but the building retains the original Classical door surround, with fluted pilasters supporting an entablature, and transom lights. Metal zip code numbers "31620" and the street address "115" are located above and below the transom (respectively). Metal letters with the words "United States Post Office" and "Adel, Georgia" are located above the central entrance. Marble is used for the beltcourse that wraps around all sides of the building, coping, and windowsills. The eight-over-twelve sash windows are intact as is the small, square cupola on top of the building.
The side elevations feature six bays with large sash windows similar to those on the front facade. A blind window on the east facade forms part of the exterior wall of the vault. Two smaller windows flank the blind window. There are exterior entrances to the below-grade ground floor and window wells to provide access and let in light to the basement offices. The rear (north) facade has a projecting ell that serves as the mailing platform and employees' entrance.
The main public entrance is through the central double doors leading into a wood and glass vestibule on the first floor. The L-shaped lobby features Etowah pink marble wainscoting and terrazzo floors. A cove cornice molding joins the ceiling and the walls. The inset areas for post office boxes remain intact; the boxes were removed when the postal service moved into a new building. Original lobby desks remain in the lobby. Also remaining are the original wall-mounted bulletin boards with glass doors and incised subject headings, such as "United States Civil Service Commission" and "Bulletins". The Adel post office did have a mural called Plantation Scene (1941) painted by Alice Flint, who created murals for the Fairfield, Connecticut, and Arabi, Louisiana, post offices. The mural is now located in the new post office in Adel. A customer service counter with open service windows remains intact along the rear wall of the lobby. Several long, rectangular ventilation windows, open except for turned balusters, are located near the ceiling above the counter for ventilation and light to the workroom.
The workroom comprises the majority of the first floor. The workroom is a large open space where mail was received and sorted. The original wood floors remain under later tile floors. The room also retains its original wood wainscoting and window and door surrounds. A series of small rooms is located along the east side of the post office. The postmaster's office is located in the southeast corner and is entered from both the workroom and the lobby. The postmaster's office includes molded window surrounds, door surrounds, chair rail, and baseboard. The postmaster's office includes a small bathroom and the entrance to the lookout gallery. Entered from a ladder and located above the vault, the lookout gallery provided postal inspectors with the ability to monitor the conduct of postal employees in the workroom. Because the interior of the gallery was painted black and the viewing windows consisted of only three narrow bands of glass set in the ceiling against a small black field, it was impossible for employees to know they were being monitored.
The vault, also along the east wall, was used to store money, stamps, and registered mail. It consists of a concrete floor, walls, and ceiling, and is secured with a large steel door, with a combination lock. Also along the east wall is the swing room, which served as a breakroom for the letter carriers, and the swing room bathroom. In the northeast corner of the building are the women's bathroom, janitor closet, and stairs to the ground floor offices. The rear (north) wall of the workroom has the mailing vestibule that leads to the mailing platform and the employee's entrance.
There is a full daylight basement, which housed the boiler room, fuel (coal) room, federal agency offices, and storage. The offices retain their original wood-and-glass doors, door and window surrounds, baseboards and chair rails. There are also separate restrooms for the basement offices on the main floor of the building. These bathrooms are only accessed from the basement via a separate staircase for security purposes.
Few changes have been made to the building. The post office boxes were removed when the post office functions moved to a new building. The door to the restroom off of the swing room was enlarged for handicapped access.
