Notes:
Notes:
The design of the building was also influenced by the town's Postmaster, Hugh Eldrige (1860-1939). Civic leader Eldrige, citing the needs of the elderly and the handicapped, insisted that all public entries to the Post Office be at ground level. This design direction contrasts with the typical and more imposing placement of the main entry and floor level above grade accessed by a grand staircase. When the Bellingham Federal Building/Post Office was constructed, it was the only federal building having an entrance level with the sidewalk. Today, this unique aspect of the original design contributes to a building that is an integral part of its street context of commercial building with on-grade retail storefronts, and one that is more easily accessed by the disabled."