Old Post Office, Washington, DC - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

This “new” post office building opened in 1899 but was first referred to as “old” just fifteen years later. During the seven years it took to build, technological advances in electrical wiring and heating and ventilation techniques practically rendered it obsolete before the paint was dry. In addition, upon completion, the building was no longer big enough to hold all the agencies for which it was designed. Moreover, the American Institute of Architects thought it “supremely” ugly.

Plans to demolish the “old” building began shortly after the main post office moved to a larger facility out near the new Union Station in 1914. The demolition was to make room for the new neoclassical collection of office buildings known as the Federal Triangle. But with things moving at the speed of Congress, those plans eventually ran into the Great Depression and stalled.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that the specter of demolition began to rear its head again. For over a decade, various Presidents had noted the deteriorating conditions along Pennsylvania Ave. and appointed commissions to recommend changes. (After all, who wouldn’t want to improve their own neighborhood?) These commissions of course recommended the demolition of the “old,” “ugly” building, but this time, preservationists stepped in to save it. With the building added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, plans were suddenly switched to renovation.

After many years of planning and tens of millions of dollars in renovations, the Old Post Office building was repurposed for a combination of government office space and retail use and renamed the Old Post Office Pavilion. The government agencies occupied the upper floors and stores and restaurants occupied the lower floors. The grand opening took place on 19-Apr-1983 complete with a speech by Vice President George H. W. Bush and the first day of issue ceremony for the postal card.

For a variety of reasons, including the usual accusations of mismanagement, the joint government/commercial venture never seemed to work out very well. By the year 2000, proposals to convert the Old Post Office building into a luxury hotel began to surface. Today, the main occupant of the building is the Trump International Hotel. The clock tower, however, is still administered by the National Park Service who conduct tours of the tower. I’ve never been to the top but from what I understand, it’s worth a trip as the view from the observation deck is said to rival that from the Washington Monument.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 19-Apr-1983 Denomination: 13c Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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