The U.S. Post Office in Ely, Nevada was built to a standardized plan developed by the Office of the Supervising Architect, led by Louis A. Simon. The building uses an attenuated Classical style that was popular with Federal buildings in the 1930s.The Ely Post Office was built as part of an appropriation for post offices in Ely, Elko, Las Vegas and Reno, passed in June 1932. After a dispute over land acquisition, construction began on the $86,575 project began in 1937. The post office was completed in 1938.Despite resistance from the community, the U.S. Postal Service closed this downtown office in about 2004. In about 2006, the building was acquired by the Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall, which converted it to a small meeting and event space, dubbed the Postal Palace Convention Center.The building footprint is about 3800sqft, with a symmetrical facade. The building is one story in front, with a two story section at the loading dock to the rear. The primary building material is brick, with cast stone accents. The building's most distinctive feature was removed in 1977 as part of accessibility improvements, when the original classical pediment and entry doors were removed and replaced by an aluminum storefront. The interior consists of a public lobby furnished with plaster walls and tile wainscot and floor. A work area and offices occupy the remain two thirds of the main level. A basement contains storage and utility spaces.
