The citizen., 1910-02-25
Hagerstowns New Postof1ce.

The people of Hagerstown are disguised
with their new postoffice building, which
has recently been occupied, and does not
meet with the requirements necessary.
The Herald SAYS:
1T is deplorable that the new building
fails so utterly 10 meet the requirements
of the situation If the persons whose
business il was had made careful study
of the needs here before contracting for
the present builGing Hager- town would
have had a postoffice equal to the de-
mandS OF the business and suitable for a
town Of this size and growing Importance
1t seems, now that conditions can be un-
derstood and appreciated. the department
has made an utter failure of the poStoffice
building in that 1t is not fitted for the bus
mess that IS transacted here In detail of
finish on the interior the building is very
good. but il IS no more suited for Hagers-
town than quart can would be to hold a
gallon of water
The work room is crowded TO suffo-
cation. No opportunity will be given
the lhirty-one employees of the postoffice
to work the mails Confusion crowding
and delay are sure To follow. The post
master will have TO struggle with these
difficulties. while the public will find that
despite the best endeavor it will not be
possible to get the same excellent service
that has been heretofore gwen BY reason
Of this congestion The building is in
tended for a community OF 10. 600 or u, 900
not one Of 20 COO or more and increasing
at that From the standpoint of capacity
the building IS complete failure and the
persons in authority al Washington whose
hHs j. Il
make the contract should have given or
should have been made to give the stua-
tiuu here more careful attention and
should not have inflicted on the commun-
lily public building 50 Inadequate Fur
ther and from another standpoint equally
as important the building is failure Il
that il is not arChitecturally d structure
complimentary 10 HagerStOwn and Wash
ngton county. Il is small in size, not at
tractive in design or material and does not
provide in the slightest way for all the fed
eral Offices If It is TO be the federal
building il should have provided Offices for
all the federal officials in the county In
stead it does not provide sufficient room
for the proper transaction of the business
tits delegated tohold The building looks
Ike, some citizens say. a Mississippi house
boat, and others a country meeting house.
The HagetSt05aH IkalL saws:
Twelve years ago the postolfiCe was
moved into the Masonic building into a
commodjous room The total receipts
were at that time SIS, coo annually The
room gradually grew too small and now
the business has grown TO $50 ooo an
nually and so the new building became d
necessity and an Improvement for the
better The Government wiSeacres and
Federal architects, in spite OF the protests
OF the people here who knew little some
thing met that demand OF more business
for more room by giving tine newposioifice
a WOrkroom that is smaller than the one
left, thus sadly Crowdug the place The
.1GtI has already written Seyerlv enough
upon the architectural qualifications OF
the immortal cheese BOX on Summit Ave.
/ wiki the rat hole Windows but an that is
. lost iremendou.Nu u the undeniable fact
. that The move from South Potomac 10 the
Summit avenue is no, "a move for more
room II do a rapidly increasing business
/ but a fitting to smaller accommodation
and cranped quarters. The worst OF ii
Is tha, there WAS ample room on the lot
for fair space for the workroom and the
. contracted and narrow area for the most
important part Of the administration was
not unavoidable but was deliberate"