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Next time you're waiting in an interminably long line at a Chicago post office, take a look around. If you're in an older neighborhood of the city, you'll likely be standing in an Art Moderne style WPA building with murals decorating the interior. If you were standing in a post office in the same neighborhood in the 1910s, you would likely be in a much smaller, cramped building with a classically inspired look and a prominent post office "pony express" logo on the exterior.
The WPA Moderne post offices that replaced these old post offices were built much larger, to support new sorting machinery and the increased use of trucks in mail delivery. Designed to look as modern as possible, the pony express logo is notably absent from the outside of post-WPA post offices. The "pony express" logo depicts a mail carrier on horseback, the horse in full stride. Perhaps it was seen as arcane, even though it was still the official post office logo at the time.
Let's take a look at some of the old disused post offices that were replaced during the WPA era and beyond. While they vary in design, they are generally relatively small buildings with classically inspired facades.
 One thing that has changed over the years is the post office logo. The old logo, often featured prominently on the older post offices, features a pony express motif. The post office was known as the "Post Office Department" in those days. The old logo was finally retired in 1971, when the Post Office Department was reorganized and became the "Postal Service." The now-ubiquitous eagle logo did not come about until 1993, however. This post office is on South Chicago Avenue just north of 75th Street. The existence of rental apartments above this post office are interesting; was the building owned by the post office and they rented second floor out? Was the second floor used by the post office during their tenure in the building, and converted afterwards? Did the Post Office not own the building and simply pay rent on the bottom floor? 
 This post office on Western at Hirsch is in great condition. Note the ornate columns and the "Chicago Post Office" text, which only appears on some post offices. 
 The old Rogers Park post office at Lunt and Ravenswood. A typical example, it is currently occupied by a furniture gallery. 
Left: The old Stockyards post office on Root at Union. Note the aesthetically dubious alterations made by a later tenant.
Right: This old post office on Division at Lavergne is different than most. While it still features a prominent pony express logo, the style is much less classically inspired. The design appears to be a compromise between the Pony Express and WPA styles, as it was built in 1928, later than the other Pony Express-bearing buildings.
The old McKinley Park post office on Archer and Damen, still in great condition. This is the only post office building we've found so far that actually states the neighborhood it served, rather than the generic "Chicago Post Office" or nothing at all. The current tenant apparently finds it necessary to cover up the "Post Office" text with an artificial vine, in case someone were to get confused and think it's still an active post office. Perhaps a funny encounter prompted this action. 
 Right image: Cook County Assessor Left: Chicago and Wells, built in 1914, heavily renovated, and now an art gallery. It is larger than most, accounting for its location in a very dense area. The all-limestone facade is unique. Right: Chestnut Station was a WPA-era post office that has since been demolished. It was located at Chestnut and Clark streets, and replaced the Chicago and Wells location. As can be seen in this image from 2000, it was converted into a movie theatre in its later life. Here is a website with photographs of some of the murals which adorned the interior, and here is the Cinematreasures.com entry for its movie theatre incarnation. Here are some more long gone examples: 
 Left image: Southwest Chicago Historical Society. Right image: HAARGIS Ref. Num. 156822. Left: Talk about classically inspired! The old South Chicago post office at 92nd and Commercial looked more like a bank or city hall than a post office. Sadly, it was demolished years ago for a municipal parking lot. Right: The old Lincoln Square post office at Lawrence and Oakley, photographed in the 1970s. It was similar to the others, though it had more ornate window treatments. It has since been demolished, in its place exists a strip mall, and of course, a municipal parking lot. Page authored 8 March 2008. Written by Jacob Kaplan. 
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