Historic Post Office Will Close Soon

This story was updated March 21.

The 1938 Art Deco post office on the corner of Arizona Avenue and Fifth Street could close as soon as this summer.

The U.S. Postal Service is not ready to nail down, or at least release, a specific date, but spokesman Richard Maher said it would "probably in the next few months."

"When we market the building, it will immediately go on the open market and it will be sold to the highest bidder," he said.

When it does shutter, services will be relocated to an annex facility less than a mile east near the Big Blue Bus yard on Olympic Boulevard and Seventh Street. That outpost is currently being remodeled, Maher said.

The New Deal-era building is one of about 200 properties the Postal Service has put up for sale as it wrangles with plummeting revenues. Of those, about a dozen, Santa Monica included, are "architecturally distinctive," according to the New York Times.

Its architecture and history were two of the reasons why so many residents and local and federal officials objected to the closure when it was first proposed last year. They fear the site will be transformed into another mixed-use housing and commercial development.

According to the Times:

When these post offices close, preservationists say, important public buildings become private preserves as they are refurbished into commercial spaces like high-end retail stores.

Though many of the buildings’ exteriors are protected by local landmark laws, many of the interiors are not and developers tend to make changes like renovating lobbies.

Santa Monica's Landmarks Commission is scheduled discuss the post office at its April meeting, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.

Venice's New Deal era Post Office was sold to film producer Joel Silver, who will convert it into his private offices for Silver Pictures. But he has to adhere to strict restoration standards, and is currently restoring a 1941 mural by Edward Biberman that will be accessible to the public.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story, based on a report in the Santa Monica Daily Press, misstated the Santa Monica post office would be marketed first to federal agencies, then put on the open market. According to USPS spokesman Richard Maher, federal and other government agencies do not have the first rights to the building.

SEE ALSO:

Movie Producer Shows off Restoration Progress on Post Office [Venice Patch]

Residents to 'Fight Like Hell' Against Post Office Closure

Final Decision Made on Historic Post Office