Historic Post Offices

Approximately 50 people attended a meeting Wednesday night hoping to hear about the future of the earthquake-damaged Franklin Station post office building in Napa, California.  The Postal Service wanted to discuss the relocation of postal services to a new facility, but residents wanted to talk about the preservation of the building.  The Postal Service would not provide any details about the … Read More

In an abrupt about-face, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it won’t pursue demolition of the historic Franklin Station Post Office in downtown Napa. Instead, the federal agency plans to sell the quake-damaged building to a buyer who can repair the structure and preserve its architectural integrity. A public notice of the intent to sell was posted on Tuesday on … Read More

A coalition of local, state and federal officials is rallying to save the earthquake-damaged downtown Napa post office following an announcement by U. S. Postal Service that it plans to demolish it.  “We need to have more information on how the USPS came to the conclusion that demolition is the only alternative,” said Ken MacNab, Napa city planning manager. “It seems … Read More

For residents concerned about the deterioration of the historic post office in Fernandina, Florida, and the Postal Service’s continued neglect of its facility, there was a glimmer of hope that repairs would begin when scaffolding appeared on the north side of the building. Information obtained but not confirmed by the Fernandina Observer indicates the scaffolding is in place to fix an electrical issue as … Read More

To the dismay of locals, the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C. has proposed to demolish the Franklin Street post office building damaged by the Aug. 24 earthquake.  According to a June 26 letter from Daniel Delahaye, a federal preservation officer at the USPS, consultation on the demolition plan is “just commencing,” and residents are invited to share their … Read More

Fissured, battered and fenced off since the magnitude-6.0 quake of Aug. 24, the downtown Napa post office leads off the annual Ten Threatened Treasures, the list of at-risk properties released last week by the Napa County Landmarks group .A lack of clarity from the Postal Service about the building’s future – and a fear the agency may choose demolition as the easy … Read More

The Postal Service has taken another step toward selling the historic 1932 post office on Hamilton Avenue in Palo Alto, California.  On May 28, there will be a public meeting to discuss the relocation of retail services.  Dean Cameron, USPS real estate specialist Dean Cameron says, ""If the Postal Service decides to move forward with its relocation, it anticipates offering … Read More

In late January 2015, the Postal Service discontinued the post office in Plant City, Florida.  As reported in this previous post, it was the first discontinuance in over 16 months.  The community had until Feb. 27 to file an appeal with the Postal Regulatory Commission, but no one did so, and now the Postal Service is reviewing the property for … Read More

In her introduction to the 2012 Forum Journal on Section 106, National Trust president Stephanie Meeks notes that Section 106 requires federal agencies to “stop, look and listen” before jeopardizing historic resources. This valuable tool has saved thousands of historic sites across the country. But it only works as long as all players—preservationists and federal agencies—clearly understand Section 106 and their … Read More

"Save the Berkeley Post Office" has a great article on how the Postal Service has been flouting the intention of preservation laws and ignoring the recommendations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.  Read more.