Federal Building (Flint, Michigan)
The Federal Building is a US government office building located at 600 Church Street in Flint, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
History
Postal service in Flint was established in 1832, and the post office location changed a number of times through the nineteenth century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Flint began to grow hand-in-hand with the rise of the automobile industry, and in 1909 the post office moved into a new building on Kearsley Street. However, Flint's rapid growth quickly made even the new post office too small. In response, an addition was built in 1921, and a branch office established in 1925. However, even in 1926, the postal facilities were woefully inadequate, with lines for the teller window stretching over half a block on occasions. Local citizens lobbied the US government for a new building, and in 1927 announced that a new Flint Post Office would be placed in the first building program authorized for funding. A site was chosen in 1928, and in 1930 James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervisory Architect of the Treasury Department, signed off on a set of plans for the new building. Construction was completed in 1931.In addition to housing a new post office, the Internal Revenue Service, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Army, and United States Navy all opened offices in the new building. The building served as the main Flint facility until about 1960, when a new post office was constructed. The Church Street location was remodeled to serve as a branch post office, as well as housing other federal facilities including the courts.