Somebody on eBay is selling an old black-and-white "real photo" postcard that supposedly shows Memphis. You can see where they have even scribbled "Post Office Memphis" on it.
Well, I don't think this is Memphis.
For years and years, the downtown post office was housed in the nice building at Front and Madison that had originally been constructed as the U.S. Customs House (right). It was certainly a landmark, distinguished by its pair of towers and elaborate architecture. You will note that nearly every window opening is arched.
Over the years, the building has indeed been transformed rather dramatically. The towers came down, and the entire facade was reshaped into the edifice you see here (in the color postcard), noted for its row of paired columns across the front.
It's now home to the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and the building is, in fact, little changed from the color postcard you see here.
But take the time to compare these postcards with the one on eBay, the one at the top, and you can see that this is simply not the same building. The general size of it seems the same, but the details are different.
Just as one example, the most prominent feature in the top image is the arched pediment at the side of the building, supported by two columns. Neither the original, or the much revised, buildings shown here have that detail.
Where are the arches? Where are the columns?
You'll note also that the center of the "mystery" building seems to push out a bit. In the building here (the "newer" version in the color postcard), it's just the opposite. The central portion of the facade is even recessed a bit.
For that matter, this just doesn't look like Front Street to me. It's hard to say why, but the general appearance, the width, the other buildings along the street, and even the slight incline to the street (or maybe I'm imagining that) don't "fit."
But gosh, if you can't believe what you read on internet, or what you find on eBay, then what are we to do??
