PORT TOWNSEND — The United States Postal Service is attempting to sell 10 buildings in Western Washington, but the Romanesque building known as the U.S. Customs House is not one of them.
“We thought that we might try to sell the building at one point,” said Ernie Swanson, Postal Service spokesman.
“Right now, it’s technically off the market.”
Instead, a deal is under consideration in which the Postal Service would turn the building at 1322 Washington St. in Port Townsend over to the city in return for the city providing a separate facility from which trucks would sort and deliver the mail.
The historic building that now houses the post office would then be a project of the public development authority that the Port Townsend City Council formed in January.
The idea will be discussed by the PDA at a later date, said City Manager David Timmons.
Past plans included selling the building outright to a private party, or turning it over to the city for a token cost.
Swanson said that the new postal service facility would not be accessible to the public.
He said that it could be an existing building that is big enough to accommodate the delivery operation,
Neither Swanson nor Port Townsend Post Office Supervisor Butch Marx could provide an estimate of an adequate size.
“The ball is in the city’s court now,” Swanson said. “We are ready to proceed.”
After the trade, the current post office facility would stay open, with handicapped access constructed on one side.
Post Office operations, which include about 1600 post office boxes, would stay put.
The city hopes to develop the building as offices — and possibly as retail space.
First, however, it must be fully retrofitted for handicapped access.
The building currently does not meet federal regulations, and postal customers seeking full access are routed to a satellite location at Shopgirls by the Bay, 1117 Water Street.
Timmons said that an area of the building which previously housed combination safes that were situated on top of each other could be turned into an elevator shaft.
Access to the elevator could be supplied on the ground floor, which Timmons said would satisfy all federal requirements.
He estimated the cost of installing the elevator at “about $300,000.”
The building was constructed in 1893 and was both a post office and U.S. Customs House when it was first built.
It is still colloquially known as “The Customs House.”
It is the oldest federally constructed post office in Washington state, and is on the historic register.
Swanson said the historical designation lowered the potential asking price of the building, and contributed to the postal service’s willingness to swap locations.
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Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
