U.S. Post Office and Courthouse
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Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Courthouse, November 2007
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Location | 56 Forsyth St., Atlanta, Georgia |
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Coordinates | 33°45′23″N 84°23′25″W / 33.75644°N 84.39027°WCoordinates: 33°45′23″N 84°23′25″W / 33.75644°N 84.39027°W |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Built | 1911 |
Architect | Taylor, James Knox |
Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
NRHP reference # | 74000681 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | May 2, 1974 |
Designated NHL | July 20, 2015 |
The Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building, also known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a historic Renaissance Revival style courthouse located in the Fairlie-Poplar district of Downtown Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia. It is the courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Due to its role as the first courthouse in which many key cases of the civil rights movement were heard, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It was listed as a contributing building within the Fairlie Poplar Historic District in 1984. In 2015 it was designated a National Historic Landmark
In the years following the American Civil War, Atlanta's population expanded rapidly. To meet increased demands for federal services, Congress approved funds for a new building containing both postal and courthouse functions. When ground was broken in 1907, workers discovered a natural rock formation that resembled an American eagle, which observers interpreted to mean that the federal building was destined for the site. James Knox Taylor, supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, designed the building, which was completed in 1910 and deemed by the press to be "a great step forward in the scheme of beautifying Atlanta."
When the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals was established in 1981, it occupied the building, which was renamed in 1989 to honor Elbert Parr Tuttle (1897–1996), a renowned judge.