James A. Farley Building

As you approach the James A. Farley Building, look up at the massive row of twenty Corinthian columns lining the Eighth Avenue facade. These pillars were designed to mirror the grandeur of the original Pennsylvania Station that once stood directly across the street. The architects, McKim, Mead and White, intended for this post office to serve as a monumental partner to the train terminal, creating a unified civic presence in this part of Manhattan. The building was constructed between nineteen-hundred and nine and nineteen-thirteen, and its sheer scale remains one of its most striking features today.