Yes, building have birthdays and we celebrate the Castle Building’s as July 3, 1898. On that date – and without great fanfare – the Saginaw Courier Herald reported: “The Fine New Postoffice [sic.] building . . .Is now open to the public.”
The following day, paper published a glowing description of the new building. Although the building has been greatly enlarged and some of the landscaping details altered, 124 years later the opening paragraph of the article still accurately captures the impression the Castle Building imparts on those who visit and work in it:
“Standing Complete in all its symmetrical beauty of architecture, majestic in its imposing grandeur, located in one the prettiest elevated sites possible to conjecture, surrounded by nature’s carpet of handsome green that slopes in absolute perfection to the grand nine-foot stone walks, and parks of maple trees, is Saginaw’s new government building – the handsomest one of its dimensions in the United States. Handsome because of its exclusive design, its rich trimmings, its imposing style – not one thing to detract from or mar its symmetry, it is a most fitting companion building to the beautiful Hoyt Library, and the two, with their natural surroundings, form a block that will forever be an emblem of Nineteenth Century grandeur.” The Saginaw Courier Herald, July 3, 1898.
Other than reminding you to visit the Castle Building on its birthday, there is really nothing we can add that description.