Naperville's downtown post office likely for sale

Naperville's downtown post office is one of a handful around the suburbs that could soon have a For Sale sign in front of it.

In an effort to downsize operations, the U.S. Postal Service plans to put the office at 5 S. Washington St. on the market, but officials say they likely will still maintain a presence in the downtown area.

"Nationwide we're doing a national review of all facilities to see which ones are worth keeping and which are worth consolidating," spokesman Jose Aguilar said Monday. "Naperville ... (has) such a large facility on Ogden (Avenue) and on Book (Road) and financially the upkeep and maintenance on Washington exceeds the amount of revenue that's coming in."

Nationally, walk-in revenue at post offices is down almost 30 percent due to customers accessing services in other ways, such as via the Internet, according to Aguilar.

The downtown Naperville post office opened in 1940. Before putting it on the market, officials are finishing their "due diligence," including an appraisal survey, preliminary title work and property condition report, said Marla Larsen-Williams, real estate specialist for the Postal Service.

The sale will include the 32,000-square-foot building and the 8,700-square-foot parking lot just north of it. The asking price is not yet available.

Larsen-Williams said the post office is committed to making sure customers aren't negatively impacted and are looking at opening a retail center near downtown if the current office closes.

"The most important thing for the community to understand is although we're looking at putting it on the market for sale, we would not be closing a downtown presence," she said.

Postal Service officials will meet with city leaders this week to discuss the sale. They also are coordinating with the state's historic preservation office because of the age of the building.

Elsewhere in the area, Geneva's downtown post office is already on the market, as is the carrier annex in St. Charles, although it does not have a retail component. The Postal Service also plans to sell an office in Homewood and is studying offices in Hinsdale and Wheeling.