Chicago, April 15, 2022 —Completed in 1935 during the Great Depression, the U.S. Post Office & Courthouse in Binghamton, NY, once symbolized the government’s efforts to project a strong federal presence in American cities despite the era’s economic challenges. Designed by local architects Conrad and Cummings, the building featured Neoclassical and Art Deco details befitting its authority and dignity—from a two-story oak-paneled courtroom to a magnificent marbled lobby with eight murals commissioned by the Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts.
Now the building—a registered national landmark maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA) and still in use—has been upgraded to 21st century safety standards. For the project, Chicago-based Metropolitan Fire Protection, Inc. (MFP) was contracted to design and fabricate a state-of-the-art sprinkler and fire suppression system, remove outdated sprinklers, and install the new components—all while respecting the architectural integrity of the historic four-story building.
MFP designed a detailed schematic for the installation and then fabricated the system components in its Chicago facility before shipping them to New York. Then an experienced team of MFP technicians remained on site in Binghamton for the six-month installation. Work on the project was completed in early 2022.
“Though all postal operations were relocated to another Binghamton facility in 1967 and parts of the interior were remodeled for office use by other federal agencies,” said Brian Ferguson, MFP’s executive vice president, “principal public areas with historic significance had been left untouched since it was built. Our challenge in the project is one we’ve faced numerous times before: bringing an existing structure up to and beyond current standards while protecting original fixtures and finishes, maintaining legacy design aesthetics, and being sensitive to the safety and workflow of current tenants.”