June 27, 2013 -- The battle to keep Downtown Santa Monica’s main Post Office open may be over, but the war to preserve the historic 75-year-old building at Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue is just beginning.

On Saturday, the last day the Depression-era facility will be open to the public, the Santa Monica Conservancy will hold a rally at 11 a.m. in front of the building, which will be put up for sale by the debt-riddled United States Postal Service.

“The Conservancy strongly supports an appropriate new use of the structure, but we are very concerned that the Post Office is closing without any formal protection for its character-defining features,” said Carol Lemlein, the Conservancy’s president. 

The post office is dedicated on July 24, 1938 (photos courtesy of the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum)

“We share the community’s disappointment over the loss of the convenience of the Fifth Street location, but now we must focus on putting the needed protections in place or we could lose yet another important, iconic Downtown building,” officials said.

The Moderne building with Art Deco appointments was added to the list of endangered buildings last year by National Trust for Historic Preservation. But the Landmarks Commission must wait to declare it a landmark until it is sold to a private party because it has no jurisdiction over federal structures.

Still, Conservancy officials said it is important to act quickly to protect the building and its features before it is declared a landmark.

“We cannot wait until after the Post Office passes into private hands and then landmark it,” Lemlein said. “This process takes time, during which unacceptable alterations could be made to the building. 

“Once the Post Office is closed, the lobby is no longer a public space and the Commission loses its ability to protect the important interior features,” she added.

Under Federal law, the Postal Service must identify the entity that will preserve the building and protect the property by enforcing the covenant describing its important features before the building can be sold. 

 “The current draft of the covenant leaves out important character-defining features like the 1937 plaque commemorating the building’s dedication and could be weakened further in the sale negotiations if the City is not proactive,” Lemlein warned. 

“It is important to ensure local control over the building’s future,” she said. “The Landmarks Commission must better define the attributes of the building listed in the covenant and the City should agree to accept enforcement responsibility.”
Starting Monday, July 1, all services that had been offered at the Fifth Street post office will be available at the new location on Seventh Street, north of Olympic Boulevard.

The Landmarks Commission is expected to take up the issue of protecting the Post Office building at its meeting July 8.