The Historic Federal Building

National Register of Historic Places

421 N Main Street, Pueblo, Colorado

PUEBLO FEDERAL BUILDING/U.S. POST OFFICE

National Register 01/03/1978, 5PE.498

William Martin Aiken (April 1, 1855 – December 7, 1908) was an American architect who served as Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury and oversaw and participated in the design and construction of numerous federal buildings during his appointment that now reside on the National Register of Historic Places. He designed the 1897 Pueblo Federal Building along the lines of an Italian Renaissance Palazzo. Aiken designed numerous federal buildings for Washington, D.C, and for other cities, including the U.S. Mints in Philadelphia and Denver, and the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in San Francisco.

William Aiken was born in Charleston, SC and educated at The University of the South from 1872 to 1874. He taught at his alma mater in his last year of attendance and moved to Charleston, SC to teach a special course in Architecture. In 1877, he moved to Boston and finished his studies in Architecture at MIT. Shortly thereafter he left Boston to start his own practice in Cincinnati before joining the Treasury Department. He resigned his position on June 30, 1897 to practice architecture in New York with Bruce Price and act as a consultant architect to the City of New York.

The Historic Federal Building is now home to some of Pueblo's most creative industries from artist studios to software developers to marketing groups. The first floor is home to 5th & Main Espresso Bar and The Gallery which features exhibitions by leading artists in Southern Colorado and beyond. The basement will feature the return of The Underground in Fall 2015 which will spotlight cutting edge visual and performing arts events.