Since 1933, the historic and stately Cleveland Street District (Downtown) Post Office in Clearwater has added a sense of aesthetics and charm to an already picturesque neighborhood, but recently the adorable location was in danger of being closed.
The postal service, like many government institutions, is struggling financially. As a cost-cutting measure, several post office branches were being considered for closure, including three locations in the City of Clearwater: a branch on Clearwater Beach, the Countryside location, and the Downtown Clearwater branch in the beautiful building on the corner of Cleveland Street and East Avenue.
The Downtown Clearwater Post Office was opened on October 9th, 1933 as the city’s first government run post office, with Postmaster General James A. Farley officiating the opening. The building, an example of the Mediterranean-Revel style, captures the unique flair of Florida, and is authentically Floridian: designed by Clearwater architect Theodore Skinner and built by the Palm Beach construction firm Walt and Sinclair of Florida, using oolitic limestone from the Florida Keys. In 1981 the building was listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. More recently, Congressman Bill Young lobbied to keep the branch open.
On December 15th, when the vacancy of the building seemed nigh, U.S. postal officials announced that the Downtown Clearwater Post Office, along with both of the other Clearwater post office locations under consideration, would live to write another page in the region's history.
The Downtown Clearwater Post Office is located at 650 Cleveland Street and is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.usps.com.
