Demolition work is underway for the residential-retail building at 14th and Wallach NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.
Demolition started on the old Post Office building on the 1900 block of 14th Street NW this week. The brick building that used to house the branch, along with Yum’s, was fenced off last week and construction signs were posted. Level 2 Development is starting construction on 1919 14th Street, a mixed-use apartment building of seven stories at the southeast corner of 14th and Wallach Place NW. That branch of the Post Office has reopened at the Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U NW.
Work is underway at the Arena Stage building where Matchbox will open another restaurant. (Luis Gomez Photos)
The entire block running north from T Street to Wallach Place on the east side of 14th Street is undergoing some major changes — and new businesses. In addition the building at Wallach Place, renovations are underway at the Arena Stage Theater building, where Matchbox restaurant will add another location (wood-fired pizza, anyone?) According to Zagat, the estimated opening date is late September.
Level 2 Development had to make changes to its original design after facing opposition from neighbors of Wallace Place on the height and design.
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com
A new post office located at the Reeves Center is scheduled to open on Saturday, June 30, according to a message posted by Councilmember, Jim Graham, on the U Street News forum. This new location replaces the former post office 14th Streets between T Street and Wallach Place NW, which closed this past spring.
Work is underway in the relocated Post Office Branch in the Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U Streets NW. The entrance is on the 14th Street side. (Borderstan)
The Reeves Center site occupies a larger space on the ground floor with direct street access and (hopefully) shorter lines than the old location. The Reeves Center is at 2000 14th Street NW, the northwest corner of 14th and U. The post office at 1915 14th Street left its location — in a one-story post-1968 building — following a decision to transform the space into an apartment building with first-floor retail at the southeast corner of 14th Street and Wallach Place NW.
Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) announced on March 30 that the lease for the new post office branch was a done deal. Given the U.S. Postal Service’s budget deficit (and the closure of many branches nationally), there was a real possibility this branch would not be relocated.
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The Post Office at 1915 14th Street NW closed Saturday. It may reopen as soon as late June in the Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U Streets NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
The post office branch at 1915 14th Street NW closed on Saturday, April 28 in preparation for its eventual move to a new space at the Reeves Municipal Center. The sign on the door says that the post office hopes to re-open in its new location at 2000 14th Street NW by late June.
For now, all parcels for zip codes 20009 and 20010 must be retrieved at the Columbia Heights Finance Unit at 3321 Georgia Avenue NW.
The post office at 1915 14th Street leaves its home – in a one-story post-1968 building – following a decision to transform the space into an apartment building with first-floor retail at the southeast corner of 14th Street and Wallach Place NW.
Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) announced on March 30 that the lease for the new post office branch was a done deal. Given the U.S. Postal Service’s budget deficit (and the closure of many branches nationally), there was a real possibility this branch would not be relocated.
Related Posts
- 14th Street Post Office Will Move to Reeves Municipal Center
- Post Office at 14th & T Gets 2-Month Reprieve
- Postal Service “Committed” to New Location for 14th Street Branch
- No Relocation for 14th & T Post Office?
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The 14th Street Post Office between T Street and Wallach Place NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Michelle Lancaster. Got news, a hot tip or want to complain about what is or isn’t in this? Let her know on Twitter @michlancaster or via email at [email protected]
Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) announced Tuesday that a deal was reached between the landlord and the Post Office to provide a two-month extension on the lease for the Post Office at 14th and T Streets NW.
While negotiations continue over a future location — including possible space in the Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U Streets NW — the successful negotiation by the U.S. Postal Service will ensure that the branch remains open for business through April.
Like reading Borderstan’s Politics & Government stories? Get an RSS Feed for the P&G Section, or an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories.
Related Posts
- Postal Service “Committed” to New Location for 14th Street Branch
- No Relocation for 14th & T Post Office?
The T Street branch of the Post Office at 1915 14th Street NW will remain open until February and then likely move to a temporary location in the U Street area. (Luis Gomez Photos)
It appears that the U.S. Post Office branch at 1915 14th Street NW has gotten a new lease on life. The building that houses the branch will be demolished to make way for a new residential-retail development at the corner of 14th and Wallach NW. Under intense financial pressure, the U.S. Postal Service had apparently used that opportunity to consider shutting down the branch for good. But it now seems that the branch will be relocated somehwere in the U Street area. (The Post Office officially refers to it as the T Street location.)
Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) posted a message on neighborhood listservs last night after a community meeting that included DC Postmaster Gerald Roane. The T Street branch will remain open until February by which time there should be a temporary location in the U Street area. In addition, the Kalorama/Adams Morgan branch at 2300 18th Street NW will remain open.
Graham’s full listserv message is below.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Dear Friends,
At a Ward 1 community meeting convened by USPS and myself, DC Postmaster Gerald Roane acknowledged some 2500 messages he had received to preserve both 14th/Wallach and Kalorama/Adams Morgan post offices.
Postmaster Roane then announced that Kalorama would be removed from the list of post offices “under study” and that it would not be considered for closing. Further good news, USPS is committed to finding a new U Street area location for the 14th St P.O. to replace the current location which is set for redevelopment. Until the end of the lease in February 2012, the Post Office will remain open. Hopefully by then we will have at least a temporary location in the U Street neighborhood.
For weeks now, I have been working with Postmaster Roane and his staff to find a new location. We have been in discussions with the DC gov over a possible Reeves Center relocation, and also other private properties nearby.
These post offices are just too important to lose. The long lines at what exists today, the new development up and down 14th Street, indeed the positive revenue stream from both locations–all argue for keeping both locations now and in the future.
Thanks to all for the work that it took to get these positive results! Thank you Congresswoman Norton, our neighborhood associations, our ANCs and the overwhelming public support!
With every good wish for the Holidays, Councilmember Jim Graham
Looking south toward W Street NW from Meridian Hill Park. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Mike Kohn. Got a tip? Send Mike an email.
Arrivederci Post Office
As reported by DCist and U Street Girl (who heard it through the grapevine themselves), it’s looking like the old post office at 14th and T Streets NW is bidding us adieu. Despite the lack of warm experiences at this particular branch, it has been pretty convenient to have one so conveniently located. The next closest ones are at 2300 18th Street NW and at 1921 Florida Avenue NW.
The quality of post office branches in DC might seem like a rather inane topic to people who don’t struggle with service-at-the-post-office in the big city. But Borderstanians and urbanites in general know it is serious business. My partner is a self-employed photographer and he sometimes has to send DVDs and the like to clients from the post office at 1915 14th Street NW. (I will let him provide his own critique, but I think he is rather satisfied with the ladies who work there as they have come to know him.)
