What new businesses, changes are coming to former Downtown Dickson post office?

The nearly 90-year-old building, just west of Downtown Dickson’s most prominent intersection, is remembered as the place Dickson County residents took their mail for decades.

The architecture of the structure, sometimes referred to as ‘starved classicism,’ stands out even after decades of neglect. Inside is a highly-respected mural that can't be moved.

Those reasons are why the former Dickson post office was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

The building’s historical significance is also why Charlie Nelson bought it in 2020 – and recently received nearly $300,000 in state grant funds to revive the space.

“The Dickson Post Office is a historic building that played a huge role in the last nearly 100 years in Dickson County history,” Nelson said. “I think it was potentially going to be torn down. And, I am one who loves to honor history and help bring people together and help bring communities together.”

Nelson said the Tennessee Historic Development Grant provides an opportunity to continue restoration work and “breathe new life into the building.”

“I believe that Dickson is a city and a county on the rise,” Nelson said. “I just wanted to create something that the community would like and appreciate.”

Art and design of historical significance

The former United States Post Office, on College Street near Main Street in Dickson, was opened in 1937. Historians say the building is – as noted in the paperwork submitted to the national register – a prime example of “PWA modern,” named after the federal Public Works Administration that led post office construction from 1934-1943.

Louis Simon, supervising architect of the treasury department from 1933-1939, designed the Dickson post office.

Another significant historical aspect of the building is a mural, painted in 1938 by Edwin Boyd Johnson, titled "People of the Soil.” Similar paintings appeared in 22 Tennessee post offices but few remain in their original sites. The Dickson art is a fresco, so it couldn’t be moved to Dickson’s current post office, which opened in 1991.

Lifelong Dickson County resident Alan Ragan, whose family owns an unofficial museum of historic Dickson County photos and documents at Ragan's Friendly Neighbor Store, is excited the unique structure will remain for future generations.

"As someone who frequented this location of the Dickson Post Office while growing up and as the Dickson County Historian, I am thankful it has survived long enough to get a chance to be restored and preserved for future years,” Ragan said. “Many folks who visited the lobby regularly can still vividly remember its layout...the old postal boxes, the criminal "WANTED" flyers on the bulletin board, and the WPA-era mural up on the wall.

“The building is an important part of Downtown Dickson's history, and I am excited the process is underway to give it life again."

Future use under consideration

Nelson hopes the old post office will continue Downtown Dickson’s recent growth. New businesses, renovated buildings and homes, and widened streets are among the changes happening around Main Street.

“Eventually bring in some folks and businesses who are gonna help sort of bring that life back to the building. And, something that people will want to come and enjoy and appreciate,” Nelson said. “I am interested in hearing from people in the community about what they would like to see go in there.”

Ethan Levine, with Nashville-based Manuel Zeitlin Architects, is the project architect. He became intrigued by the building’s possibilities as a Downtown Dickson-area resident. The contractor is Dickson County-based DW McRee Construction.

About the grant

The Tennessee Historic Development Grant program, approved by state lawmakers in 2021, is providing funding for the project. It will also provide more than $8 million for other projects statewide. The stated goal is to encourage communities and developers to invest in idle buildings that were once part of a community’s history.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, which provides the grant, partnered with the Tennessee Historical Commission to create the requirements and review applications "to ensure that each proposal would rehabilitate the structures while maintaining the historical integrity," according to state officials.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: See what's coming to the former Downtown Dickson post office?