HISTORIC FEDERAL BUILDING AND POST OFFICE

Dubuque’s Historic Federal Building, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is located in the heart of downtown Dubuque, Iowa, and fronts Washington Park. Construction of the building commenced in 1932 and was completed in 1934. The building, which was designed in the art deco style, displays the strong rectilinear qualities that influenced modern architecture in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. The building has a form that is similar to public architecture of earlier periods, but most of the elaborate ornamentation found on buildings from previous eras was omitted. The result is clean and restrained, yet still monumental. Many civic buildings constructed during the great depression display this reserved quality.