Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse
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US Post Office and Courthouse
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US Post Office and Courthouse
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| Location | 600 Granby St., Norfolk, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 36°51′13″N 76°17′19″W / 36.85361°N 76.28861°WCoordinates: 36°51′13″N 76°17′19″W / 36.85361°N 76.28861°W |
| Area | 1.9 acres (0.77 ha) |
| Built | 1932 |
| Architect | Randolf,Cooke,& Van Leeuwen; Mitchell,Benjamin F. |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference # | 84000098 |
| VLR # | 122-0058 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 10, 1984 |
| Designated VLR | October 18, 1983 |
The Walter E. Hoffman United States Courthouse, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk, Virginia. Built in 1932, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It reflects Art Deco architecture. It served historically as a courthouse and as a post office.
The courthouse, located in downtown Norfolk, was constructed as a Post Office and Courthouse in 1932-34. Local Norfolk architects, Benjamin F. Mitchell and the firm of Rudolph, Cooke, and VanLeeuwen, were jointly responsible for the architectural design. Although built during the Depression, the building is quite lavish in its design and finishes. Upon its completion, this four-story, gray limestone building was considered at the time to fall "little short of magnificence", according to the local paper, the Virginian-Pilot. The elaborate Art Deco interior is marked with a high level of craftsmanship.
During the first two decades of the twentieth century, the city of Norfolk experienced an explosion of prosperity, in part due to the rapid growth of the Naval Base. The need for a new, larger courthouse and post office was becoming so acute that temporary postal stations were established to handle the overflow of postal congestion. At the time, the courthouse and Post Office were both housed in the circa 1898 Federal Courthouse at 235 E. Plume Street. In 1915, a committee was appointed and headed by Norfolk's Mayor Wyndham R. Mayo to petition Congress for an appropriation of funds for the construction of a new Federal building in the city. The committee included Postmaster Major Clinton L. Wright, as well as many civic and business leaders. This petition was never approved, despite being submitted and resubmitted throughout the 1920s as the need for more space increased. In 1922, funds to acquire temporary housing for mail operations were allocated.
In 1929, Congress made a tentative allocation of $1,150,000 for the Norfolk Federal building. Menalcus Lankford, Congressman elect from Norfolk, and Postmaster Major Wright, successfully realized $2,050,000 in appropriations for the federal building. A site was selected on January 12, 1931. The location consisted of two small blocks between Brambleton Avenue on the north, East Bute Street on the south, Monticello Avenue on the east and Granby Street on the west, bisected by York Street. The site consisted of approximately 81,000 square feet, part of which had been occupied by St. Luke's Episcopal Church, destroyed by fire ten years earlier.
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