Great Preservation Opportunities

           In the face of operating deficits, the United States Postal Service has announced plans to close hundreds of post offices across the country. In many cases, the loss of these important institutions will hurt community life, and residents and local officials are trying to find ways to keep the offices open. But it’s clear that many post offices will close, and communities have an opportunity now to encourage that the buildings continue to serve the public good.

Post offices are often important local landmarks. Many are on the National Register, either individually or as part of historic districts. Many more could qualify for National or State Register listing. They serve important roles as local symbols of the federal government and as places where citizens meet, exchange news, and carry out the business of being a community.

The rapid growth of electronic communications and the proliferation of private delivery companies have changed the Postal Service’s business prospects and led to the announced closings, predominantly station and branch offices. In Connecticut, sites being considered include the Barnum and Noble branches, in Bridgeport; Blue Hills and Old State House, in Hartford; Baybrook, Kilby and Westville, in New Haven; Trolley Square in East Haven; and Glenbrook and West Avenue in Stamford.

In other cases, the USPS is consolidating operations and merging offices. In Greenwich, the main post office was recently sold to a private developer, and postal operations will move to a smaller site nearby.

In Norwich, the Postal Service plans to move most of its downtown functions to an existing facility three miles out of town, on the Bozrah town line, and sell the downtown building, which was built in 1905 and is listed on the National Register (pictured above), both individually and as part of the Downtown Norwich district. Its lobby is decorated with a New Deal mural titled “Taking Up Arms—1776,” painted in 1940 by George Kanelous.

Norwich city officials have expressed concern about the fate of the downtown post office building and questioned the ability of downtown residents to get to the remote new location. They, like officials in many other communities, hope to keep their full-service facility, but it is unlikely that many of the targeted offices will remain open.

However, closing a post office, even a branch, takes time, so communities will have an opportunity to make plans for reusing significant buildings.

One thing they can do is initiate historic designation to allow buildings to qualify for preservation incentives. The recently expanded Connecticut historic rehabilitation tax credits represent a significant new opportunity for renovating historic post offices. The credits originally were conceived to encourage the conversion of historic commercial or industrial buildings to residential or mixed residential and commercial use. This year the General Assembly approved language broadening the types of buildings which qualify for the credit to include, among other things, government buildings.

Communities also have time to consider what kind of use would compliment surrounding areas, to make sure proper zoning is in place. And they can alert potential developers so they can have plans in place when buildings become available. The Connecticut Circuit Riders are available to help towns and cities to ensure that historic post office buildings continue to serve their communities.