Downtown Post Office (historic)

1903 ²

The Downtown Post Office opened in 1903 at 17th and Broadway. The post office had previously leased space in the Albany Hotel. They formally took possession on August 1, 1903, while Thomas T. Dargie was postmaster. ^1,2

The construction was overseen by Francis W. Grant, and faced difficulties along the way. ²

By the 1920s, they had outgrown the space, and eventually built the Civic Center Post Office.

1903 ¹1903 Sanborn excerpt

In 1935, different options were discussed for the building, including the possibility of moving it the short distance to 17th and Franklin. ³ Being a federal building, it took longer for decisions to be made about it, but finally in 1937 it was demolished. ⁴

1937 ⁴

Links and References

1. Oakland Post Office Opens Business in its Commodious New Structure San Francisco Call August 2, 1903
2. New Postoffice Is a Credit to Oakland Oakland Tribune August 1, 1903
3. Alternatives Given City On Old Post Office Oakland Tribune September 11, 1935
4. 'Phantom Box' Hunted In Ruins of Old Post Office Oakland Tribune October 28, 1937