United States Post Office and Courthouse (New Bern, North Carolina)

The United States Post Office and Courthouse is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, located in New Bern, North Carolina. The building was completed in 1935, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, as a contributing building within the New Bern Historic District, and was individually listed in 2018.

Building history

As the town of New Bern grew into a busy port and commercial hub, the need for federal services increased. In 1897, the government constructed a Romanesque Revival building at the corner of Pollock and Craven streets to house a post office and courthouse. By the 1930s, however, the city required a larger facility, and officials chose not to expand the 1897 structure , the U.S. Department of the Treasury chose a site bounded by Middle, Broad, Hancock, and New streets. Controversy arose when business owners objected to the new location, and the Daughters of the American Revolution passed a resolution opposing the destruction of the John Wright Stanly House, an 18th-century Georgian building on the proposed lot. Officials proceeded with the project after the City of New Bern agreed to purchase the 1897 building for its city hall, and the Stanly House was relocated.

Construction of the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse began in 1933. Local architect Robert F. Smallwood designed the building, which opened on April 1, 1935, and cost $325,000 to build. At the time of its completion, it was one of the largest and most expensive buildings in the Eastern Carolina region.