The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been trying to unload its office buildings in an effort to cut down on expenses and refurbish the losses it had incurred over the past few years. Some of these buildings contain historical murals of the New Deal era (1933 to 1939) and are of immense architectural value.
The USPS' losses had reached a record $15.9 billion by the end of 2012. Considering the huge amount of monetary trench, the authorities are trying to sell off their buildings to private developers.
The USPS has hired famous commercial real estate firm, CBRE, to look after the sales of its buildings. Currently, a total of 58 post office buildings are listed, six of which are named in the National Register of Historic Places, reports USA Today.
The Nat King Cole Post Office in L.A, which spans an area of 16930 square feet, is listed for around $8.3 million, while a small 1262 square feet post office in Petersburg, Virginia is asking for just $55,000, reports AZCentral.com.
"Due to decreasing mail volumes, the Postal Service has an infrastructure that is too big, and we have spent the past two years consolidating mail processing facilities in an attempt to right-size the organization," Sue Brennan, Postal Service spokeswoman, said in a statement.
USPS' efforts of selling its buildings to save money had kicked off two years back. According to the Business Journal, in 2011, the U.S. Postmaster General declared that they would be selling 252 mail processing units of its 487 operating ones.
According to Savethepostoffice.com, a website which provides detailed reviews and information on post office closings and consolidations, five large post office buildings could be closed in the coming few months. The Bronx General Post Office and the Old Chelsea station are two of the five 'to-be-sold' buildings. Employees working in these buildings are expected to be shifted to other facilities. After the buildings are sold to developers, the structures are most likely to be converted into retail complexes.
All the noise about closing down the historic buildings have urged preservationists and civilians to raise their voices against the selling spree.
"Unless the U.S. Postal Service establishes a clear, consistent process that follows federal preservation law when considering disposal of these buildings, a significant part of the nation's architectural heritage will be at risk," The National Trust for Historic Preservation, said in a citation.
The post office buildings are an integral part of the community, not only for delivering mails and parcels but are also a public hub where people meet and interact. Some municipalities have purchased post offices to keep them open. As a society, the people don't want to let go of these historic structures.
