Description of Historic Place

The Rossland Post Office is a substantial two-storey building, located on the northwest corner of Columbia Avenue and Queen Street in downtown Rossland, B.C. The building is set back from Columbia Avenue, approximately 15', with stairs leading from the sidewalk up to the main entrance. The stairs are covered by a granite portico and the words, POST OFFICE, are engraved above. The exterior walls of the top floor are constructed of brick and the walls of the main floor are of granite stone. The exterior entrance to the second floor of the building is on Queen Street.

Heritage Value

The Rossland Post Office has historic and aesthetic value for its continual use as a Post Office and its architectural style typical of federal government buildings from its time.

Built in 1903, the Rossland Post Office has historic value for being continuously used as Rossland's Post Office since its construction. It is also representatitve of the rapid growth of Rossland at the turn of the 20th century as it replaced four previous post offices in different locations which became inadequate in size to meet the needs of a growing population.

The historic site has aesthetic value for its architectural style typical of federal government buildings which provided a visual presence for the federal government in municipalities across Canada. The Federal Government of Canada owns and funded the construction of the building to be used as both a Customs House and Post Office. The materials used, the distinctive architecture, the size of the building and the final costs, all speak to a national recognition of Rossland as an important business hub of the West Kootenay region at the turn of the century.

The original 1903, three-storey Gothic-style architecture of the Post Office was dramatically altered by the fire of 1929 which burned down all the buildings in the block between the Bank of Montreal and the Post Office. The Post Office lost its third floor and roof but the main and second floors were saved due to the stone and brick construction.

SOURCE: City of Rossland - Heritage Commission

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Rossland Post Office include its:
- original location and building footprint
- original first and second floor facades - construction material, windows and doorways
- oriel window on second floor facing Queen Street
- "Post Office" engraved on Columbia Avenue portico
- Heritage plaque beside main entrance identifying this building as one of Rossland's significant heritage buildings