Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
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U.S. Post Office and Courthouse
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U.S. Post Office and Federal Building, July 2006
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| Location | 102 N. 4th St., Grand Forks, North Dakota |
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| Coordinates | 47°55′32″N 97°1′57″W / 47.92556°N 97.03250°WCoordinates: 47°55′32″N 97°1′57″W / 47.92556°N 97.03250°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1905 |
| Architect | Taylor, James Knox |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference # | 76001354 |
| Added to NRHP | June 3, 1976 |
The Ronald N. Davies Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is a historic post office and federal office building located at Grand Forks in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. It is a courthouse for the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. Also and historically known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under that name.
The building was among the first monumental civic buildings in Grand Forks. Originally completed in 1906, the building was envisioned to be a majestic Post Office and Federal Courthouse at a time when Grand Forks was achieving increasing prominence in the agricultural hub of the Red River Valley. The city's existing post office, housed in an 1870s log cabin, had become obsolete and rising political and business influences demanded a more monumental and permanent post office and courthouse. The new Federal building was sited at the north corner of Fourth Street and First Avenue in the downtown business district.
James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, was responsible for the building's Beaux-Arts Classical design. The building inspired similar architecture for the adjacent enclave of Classical Revival buildings, including City Hall and Central High School.
In 1936, the demand for more space prompted the construction of a three-story addition to the rear of the building, designed by Louis A. Simon of the Supervising Architect's Office. The addition harmonized modern infrastructure with the original architecture by using like materials and details. The new configuration included passenger elevators and a light well to illuminate the first-floor work areas.
In 1964, when the U.S. Postal Service moved out of the building and into a new, larger facility, interior renovations remodeled the first floor into offices, adding a new stair tower to the north side of the building.
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