The Carson City Post Office is an imposing late 19th-century building encompassing an entire block in the heart of Carson City. It was the second Federal building erected in Nevada (the first was the U.S. Mint), although it housed the third location of the Carson City Post Office. The cornerstone for this building was laid in September 1888, and the building was complete and occupied by May 1891. The comprehensive use of brick in construction by architect M. E. Bell, the textural qualities, the immense squareness of the building and the clock tower, in addition to rectangular and arched fenestrations, are all typical of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. This style combines Romanesque Revival with Chateau-style massing and silhouette. This building is the only example of this architectural style within the state of Nevada.