Description of Historic Place

A substantial 2 storey building, the Aurora Post Office is a centrepiece of historic downtown Aurora, located on Yonge Street between Wellington and Mosley Streets. This red brick building features a campanile-like clock tower. The Aurora Post Office has been recognized for its heritage value by the Town of Aurora by-Law #3481-93.

Heritage Value

The Aurora Post Office has maintained its connections to Aurora society for a period of over 50 years. With an eclectic mix of Italianate and Classical features, it reflects the varied architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Aurora Post Office is Aurora’s fourth Post Office, and as such, it played an important role as the focal point of social activity in Aurora from 1915-1967. Before the advent of home mail delivery, the Post Office’s central platform for mail deposit was a convenient stage for citizens to express their opinions on matters of local concern. The welcoming addresses for soldiers returning home from the First and Second World Wars were made from the letter drop platform and the chimes of the clock have rung for members of the community ever since.

The first Aurora post office was located in the home of Charles Doan, one of early Aurora’s most prominent citizens. Two subsequent post office facilities were also located on Yonge Street before the fourth Aurora Post Office was designed by the Department of Public Works under chief architect David Ewart for construction in 1915. The Federal Government wanted the ‘new’ Post Office Building to better suit the growing needs of the thriving community and the fourth Aurora Post Office did so until 1967. When the fifth post office was built on Wellington Street, the Aurora Post Office was sold to a private business.

The Aurora Post Office is a rare local example of the Italianate style, with Classical details, applied to a civic building. Elements such as the campanile-like clock tower and triangular pediment make it one of Aurora’s most significant landmarks.

Source: Heritage Designation Report: Post Office, Office of the Clerk, by-Law #3481-93, Town of Aurora

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements of the Aurora Post Office include the:
- elements of the Italianate style, including the square plan of the building’s original footprint, the round arched window and door openings, and the campanile-like clock tower
- elements of the Classical style, including triangular pediment, and wide entablature
- elements that reflect the building’s original use as a post office, including the stone panels carved with ‘Post Office’ and ‘Customs Office’ and the date stone
- 1916 clock tower, including clock mechanisms and louvered openings