Melvin Price Federal Building

EAST ST. LOUIS, UNITED STATES · 1907–1909

Melvin Price Federal Building and United States Courthouse

A Beaux-Arts federal building from 1909 that still works as a courthouse for the Southern District of Illinois.

At a glance

The Melvin Price Federal Building and United States Courthouse stands at 750 Missouri Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. It began as the city’s main post office and remains an active courthouse. James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury, designed the Beaux-Arts structure in 1907. Construction started in 1908 and finished the following year.

History

The building first served as the United States Post Office and Courthouse for East St. Louis. Two matching wings were added in 1918. In 1986, a modern annex went onto the rear. The building now bears the name of Charles Melvin Price, a U.S. Representative from Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 8, 2014.

What you see

The front entrance sits below a projecting pavilion with four pairs of columns. Those columns support a pediment and frame a three-bay arcade. Courtroom windows once opened through that arcade. Quoins mark the corners and other projecting elements. On the second floor, arched windows alternate with pedimented ones. A cornice with a balustrade caps the composition.

Cultural significance

The building has served federal court functions in East St. Louis for more than a century. Its design came from the office of the Supervising Architect under James Knox Taylor, a period when the Treasury set a national standard for federal architecture. The 2014 National Register listing recognized the building’s architectural and governmental role.

Key facts

Country: United States
City: East St. Louis
Coordinates: 38.6238, -90.1565
National Register of Historic Places: August 8, 2014

Practical information & getting there

The building is at 750 Missouri Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. It is an active federal courthouse, so public access follows court security procedures.

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