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United States Post Office
Inventory No.:
WI-413
Other Name(s):
Maude R. Toulson Federal Building
Date Listed:
4/26/2016
Location:
129 E. Main Street, Salisbury, Wicomico County
Category:
Building
Period/Date of Construction:
1925-1939
Architect/Builder:
Acting Supervising Architect: James A. Wetmore; Supervising Architect: Louis A. Simon; Supervising Engineer: Neal A. Melick
Boundary Description:
This includes the 0.53 acre Wicomico County Tax Parcel, Tax Map 107, Parcel 846.
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Description:
The United States Post Office (herein referred to as the Toulson Federal Building) occupies a 0.53-acre site on the north side of East Main Street in Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland. The building is bounded by East Main Street to the south, Baptist Street to the east, Calvert Street to the north, and Court Street to the west. The Toulson Federal Building was originally built in 1925 to house the main branch of the Salisbury United States Post Office (USPO); the structure was enlarged with side wings, a rear ell, and a second story in 1936 to accommodate the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. As of 2015, the building houses the Downtown Branch of the Salisbury USPO and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The Toulson Federal Building exhibits elements of the Colonial Revival style of architecture popular to federal buildings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The style, which combines elements of the Federal and Georgian architectural styles, is characterized by a rectangular footprint, symmetrical facade, roof-line balustrade, and classically detailed eaves and door surrounds. Because of simple but high-quality building materials, including brick and cast stone, the building remains in good condition with few significant alterations to its 1936 exterior appearance and configuration. The Toulson Federal Building’s interior consists of a basement first floor, mezzanine, and second floor. Most of these areas have been extensively altered over the decades to suit tenants. However, at the first floor, the two separate lobbies (one at the south for the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, one at the west for the Downtown Branch of the Salisbury USPO), as well as the connecting corridor between them, retain much of their original configuration and most of their original materials. The original postal work room on the first floor was long ago subdivided to accommodate offices but what remains retains much of its original finishes, including its original hardwood floor. The mezzanine level retains its original configuration and finishes. By contrast, the second floor has been extensively altered by new interior walls and the removal of original finishes; however, the former postmaster’s office on the second floor retains its original configuration and finishes.
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Significance:
The Toulson Federal Building possesses local significance as the first permanent post office building in Salisbury after over 130 years of temporary locations throughout the area. The erection of the building was perceived as a symbol of community pride and achievement. The building also possesses local significance as a notable example of a federal government building in Salisbury, Maryland, expanded under the New Deal-era federal programs designed in the 1930s to relieve the economic problems caused by the Great Depression. The building is historically significant at the local level for Community Planning and Development and Politics/Government. The Toulson Federal Building represents an important period of growth, prosperity, and optimism in the history of Salisbury. The building was perceived as a symbol of community pride and its placement adjacent to the Wicomico County courthouse along the prominent East Main Street supports this sentiment. Salisbury’s first permanent post office building illustrates a period of growth and optimism in Salisbury’s history as the area grew from a small port town into the largest city on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The consequential commercial and civic growth that followed the expansion of Main Street in the early 20th century ushered in an influx of new community members in Salisbury. Thus, this growth necessitated the construction of a permanent post office building large enough to accommodate postal patrons from throughout the growing city. The Toulson Federal Building was the first permanent post office erected in Salisbury after over 130 years of temporary locations. The permanence of the building embodies the growth of Salisbury in the early 20th century. The subsequent expansion of the Toulson Federal Building demonstrates elements of the federal building campaign carried forth under the Public Works Administration and into the Great Depression. The incorporation of classical elements expresses the sense of a federal permanence and presence in the community. On the interior, the Toulson Federal Building prominently displays three murals by Jacob Getlar Smith, who painted The Stage at Byrd’s Tavern, The Cotton Patch, and Salisbury Town in 1939 as part of the Section of Fine Arts, New Deal program (1934-1943). These murals were commissioned by the Salisbury Historical Society and the federal government in order to display the regionalism and history of the area. Finally, the post office was the first federal building erected in Salisbury. As a result, the building was perceived as a symbol of civic pride, and its placement on the prominent thoroughfare of East Main Street supports this sentiment.
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