May 8, 2015
Next week the Postal Service will close the post office and processing center on Franklin Street in downtown Houston. It’s a historic building, eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but it looks as though it is headed for demolition.

In a “memorandum of agreement” about the disposal, the Postal Service states that it “anticipates demolition of the Houston PO/P&DC in association with transfer of the property.”

The Postal Service first offered the property for sale in 2009, and there was talk then about turning it into a public park, an outdoor amphitheater for festivals and performances, or a mixed-use development with housing, a hotel, and entertainment venues.

The Postal Service didn’t accept any of the bids that were offered at the time, and the property has been on and off the market since. At one point it seemed that the city might buy the building and convert into a criminal justice complex. Developers argued that there were better potential uses for the property without the building.

The downtown post office is currently listed on the USPS-CBRE Properties for Sale website. The sales flyer doesn’t have much to say about the building. The flyer focuses on the 16.4 acres of “highly visible” development property with “exceptional views” and a location “in the heart” of Houston’s Central Business District.

Read more:  Historic Houston post office headed for demolition | Save the Post Office