Location Information
(for the Old U.S. Post Office and Courthouse)
Name:(Old) U.S. Post Office and Courthouse [Eastland Federal Courthouse]
Address:245 Capitol Street, East
City/County:Jackson, Hinds County
Architectural Information
Construction Date:1933
Architectural Styles(s):Art Deco
No. of Stories:5
Registration Information
NR District Name:Smith Park Architectural (1976)
    NR Status:Contributing
    Element No.:1
NR District Name:Smith Park Architectural (Boundary Increase I) (1993)
    NR Status:Contributing
    Element No.:1
NR District Name:Smith Park Architectural (Boundary Increase III) (2014)
    NR Status:Contributing
    Element No.:10
Easement Information
Date Signed:02-28-2012
Easement Type:Conservation
Book/Vol. No.:DB7126, p.9410+
Context/Comments
Designed by architectural firm of Hull & Malvaney of Jackson, the former post office and federal courthouse, built in 1933-34, is one of the finest Art Deco public buildings in Mississippi. It was designed and begun under the administration of James A. Wetmore (1863-1940), Acting Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1915 to 1933; and completed under the administration of Louis A. Simon (1867-1958), Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1933 to 1939. This building served as the main post office for Jackson until about 1985, when the new main post office on South Street was opened. It served as a federal courthouse until the completion of the new U.S. Courthouse on Court Street in 2011. Among the many important federal court cases tried here were several significant civil rights cases, including “James Meredith vs. State of Mississippi” (1961) which led to the desegregation of the University of Mississippi.

It is listed as a contributing element (element #1) in the in the Smith Park Architectural District, which was placed on the National Register on 23 March 1976.

This building is included in “Jackson Landmarks” (1982) (pp. 39-40) and “Buildings of Mississippi” (2020) (p. 245, JM22).