The Old Post Office is the oldest surviving federal building in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Located at the northwest corner of Fourth and Gold in downtown Albuquerque, the Spanish Colonial Revival-style building was built in 1908 under the supervision of architect James Knox Taylor. Several federal agencies were initially housed in the Post Office building but it quickly became overcrowded, necessitating the construction of the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse next door in 1930. The post office remained in the older building until 1972. Today the interior of the Old Post Office has been remodeled to house the Amy Biehl Charter High School.The Old Post Office was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is a part of a complex of Albuquerque federal buildings that includes the National Register-listed U.S. Courthouse (b. 1930), the former Federal Building (b. 1960) at 517 Gold SW, and the Chavez Federal Building (b. 1965).HistoryWhen, in 1907, Albuquerque reached the "first post office" class since it exceeded the required $40,000 in receipts, the city announced plans and began construction on the new facility. The supervising architect of the project was James Knox Taylor. The finished building cost twice the amount of the projected $100,000. The contractor, Anders Anson, went bankrupt due to changes in the construction plans.
