New York's majestic "New Post Office Building" (named the James A. Farley Post Office Building in 1982, for the 53rd Postmaster General) was completed in two stages: The front half was built in 1912 and opened in 1914, while the building was doubled in 1934, backing up to Ninth Avenue. It not only faces the Penn Station train depot at Eighth Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets, but is actually built over the station's tracks.
The handsome Beaux-Arts building, at a cost of $6.2 million, is constructed of granite and boasts the longest Corinthian colonnade in the world. It also bears the famous inscription "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
In October 2010, after years of political wrangling, ground was broken on converting the Post Office into the new Moynihan Train Station, a main terminal to replace the gloomy underground Penn Station (see this post to read about the tragic desecration of the original Penn Station), with approval of $83 million in state funds to complete Phase 1 in 2015.
Moynihan Station is going under the Farley Buildings steps...The Farley Post Office is not leaving....Amtrak is Moynihan! The Farley Post Office is a landmark...and if you knew anything about landmarks you would know they cannot be converted...only adaptively reused!
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