It was not
until 1940 that Franklin Roosevelt could focus on the project he most
wanted: building a new post office for Hyde Park. For Hyde Park, FDR chose
Dr. John Bard's house as a model. Built in 1772 by the grandson of the
original patentee of the area, FDR thought the Bard estate was probably the
oldest estate in the area. To add to the historical design, builders used
fields stone from the former property of John Bard's son, and Olin Dows
painted a mural of Hyde Park's history along the walls. President Roosevelt
laid the building's cornerstone on November 6, 1940.
Hyde Park Post
Office
Hyde Park Post
Office Mural by Olin Dows
