Old Post Office, W. Fort & Shelby

[Bearinabox]

One of the Post Offices on the national possible closure list mentioned a Harper Ave. Post Office. Is the Kensington Station the one they are referring to?

The Harper post office is on Gratiot near the Better Made factory.

[detroitcorky]

Amazing Job MikeM!

[DetroitPlanner]

If anyone ever makes it to DC there is an old Richardsonian Post Office that is run by the National Park Service. The building is very similar to the one being discussed. Its tower is the second tallest building in DC and you can take a tour of it that includes a ride to the top. It does not take long and is free, so if you're looking for something to do to fill in some time and happen to be in the Penn Avenue area, you should check it out. Nice vistas from up there, and a chance to see the bones of a great old building. The lower level was a food court last time I was there, but it was not doing so hot.

[buildingsofdetroit]

If anyone ever makes it to DC there is an old Richardsonian Post Office that is run by the National Park Service. The building is very similar to the one being discussed. Its tower is the second tallest building in DC and you can take a tour of it that includes a ride to the top. It does not take long and is free, so if you're looking for something to do to fill in some time and happen to be in the Penn Avenue area, you should check it out. Nice vistas from up there, and a chance to see the bones of a great old building. The lower level was a food court last time I was there, but it was not doing so hot.

Milwaukee still has its post office, too.

[vetalalumni]

Wow. Good job MikeM.

I used to go to the Brightmoor and Seven Oaks Stations [[and the Chase Library too).

[Andrew in Windsor]

Great stuff MikeM. Thanks!

[EastsideAl]

Great stuff Mike.

The Kercheval Station was my family's post office for many years. My grandmother and several uncles, aunts, great-uncles and great-aunts lived nearby. My father grew up around the corner and remembers when they built it.

I can vividly remember walking there with my aunt who lived on Eastlawn, and being all excited because we were going to stop at the bakery for some fresh bread [[and maybe a treat or two) and at the Monteith Library for some children's books on the way back. It was much nicer on the inside than its plain outsides would lead you to believe. Very "WPA deco." I was in there with my Mom on the day they closed in the late '70s.

[MikeM]

Thank you.

Some other former post office locations, now empty lots:

Station "A", corner of Woodward & Willis
Station "D", 2331 Gratiot, NW corner of Chene
Alfred Station, 60 Alfred Street
Eliot Station, 23 Eliot
Fox Creek Station, 14612 E Jefferson, between Phillip & Manistique
Grosse Pointe Station, 17140 Maumee
Hamtramck Station, NE corner Jos Campau & Tyler [[Dan Street)
Maxwell Station, Gratiot & Maxwell
Milwaukee Jct Station, 2405 E Grand Blvd, between DuBois & Chene
New Fairview Station, 11747 E Jefferson, NW corner of Hart
North End Station, prior to 1929, on Cass between Milwaukee & W Grand Blvd
North End Station, post 1929, 407 W Baltimore
Northwestern Station, 8664 Grand River, NE corner of Mackinaw
Porter Station, 1237 Junction, south of Howard
Thirty-First Station, 3724 31st Street, NE corner of Grand River
West Fort Station, 4761 W Fort, corner of Ferdinand

[MikeM]

This map from 1946 shows the postal zones [[forerunners of the ZIP code system) for Detroit. I think these were introduced around the time of WWII. Each zone had its own office and a lot of the zone numbers eventually became the last two digits of the ZIP code. As the city grew some of the zones were further divided.

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