In Training, Part II

In this GP entry from a few months back I detailed some post offices that share presence with train stations. I've recently found a few more, and thought it would be fun to show them off here!

Philadelphia Metro area:
1. Media, PA: Moylan Branch Post Office

Quite honestly, I was surprised this thing is still around. Not to say that I wish it to be closed, but there aren't too many 3.5-hour-a-day post offices left that are within one-mile proximity to two other post offices. Indeed, the postal service has tried to shutter it on multiple occasions, but the general wealth of the community and, from my understanding, the well-connectedness of a local resident have kept this location open. Fine by me!

2. [Discontinued] Upper Darby, PA: Terminal Station

I'm miffed because this post office closed June 17 and I didn't get to it in time. Located at the highly busy 69th Street SEPTA Station, the location was very well-used, but proximity to the Upper Darby Main Post Office was its death knell. It's close by, but considering you'd be using public transit to get to the post office to begin with, the commute would be a bit annoying because the walk crosses a convoluted set of busy and wide thoroughfares.

It's the story of this location (and that of the recently discontinued Washington Park Station in Newark, NJ) which leads me to believe USPS could potentially be obnoxious enough to close the 30th Street Station Post Office in Philadelphia.

New York Metro area:
1. Briarcliff Manor, NY: Scarborough Station

This is one of my favorite of my post office photos; the post office, the train station, and the Hudson River in the background. This office is open just three hours a day, but I sure don't mind having this around! As you can see, the train station is VERY well used. Presented is just a small portion of the parking lot.

2. Manhasset, NY: Plandome Branch

No commercial establishments in this wealthy community just outside New York City in Nassau County, but they've got their post office! First floor of the train station.

Ch- Ch- Changes: Springfield, PA

The Metro Philadelphia District has been aggressive in consolidating stations and branches in the Philly suburbs. The beginning of August saw two branches of Media, PA being combined into one. Namely, the following two facilities were consolidated:
Media, PA: Springfield Mall Branch @ 1250 Baltimore Pike #L13b2
Media, PA: Springfield Branch @ 32 N. Brookside Rd.

The new facility is located near the Mall Branch @ 1132 Baltimore Pike, in Springfield's Olde Sproul Shopping Center. It's accessible to more passers-through than the Mall Branch, but less accessible to residents close to the Springfield main streets. I visited all three today and took their photographs.

USPS had been looking to consolidate up to three facilities in a new location for two years, but only replaced the two Springfield branches. There are no carriers there; Delivery Unit Optimization has placed the Springfield carriers in the Lansdowne post office, three miles away. I'm personally surprised they couldn't put the carriers in a closer office such as Clifton Heights, or a more related office like Media.

The USPS Locator tool and Mobile App both misstate the hours of the new Springfield office, which are presently Mon.-Fri. 9-7 and Sat. 9-4. The old Springfield location had hours of 8-4 and 9-12; the Springfield Mall location had been open as long as the mall was during the week: it was open Mon-Sat. 10-8:30 and Sun. 11-4. (Many mall locations share this uncommon attribute.)

The Springfield Mall post office ceased retail operations on Aug. 4 and P.O. box operations on Aug. 5. The Springfield post office closed Aug. 5 and the building is currently for sale. The new Springfield office officially opened Aug. 6. Without further ado, I hereby present you photos!

Former site: Springfield Mall post office


Former site: Springfield post office


New location: Springfield post office

First Day in Philly

For my first day in Philadelphia I unpacked, and then managed to visit 18 post offices after starting at 11 a.m. Here are two architectural notes of interest:

1. Glenolden, PA:

Look at the font. This has got to be '60s, because the signage was created after the advent of ZIP codes, and there was a sign in the building that still referred to the "Post Office Department" (so the latest it could be is '71). It's unbelievably garish, but fantastic all the same. It looks more at home on a car dealership than a post office, but it's the uniqueness of individual offices that makes USPS's infrastructure wonderful.

The main signage, closer up:


And have a closer look at the ZIP code. It's just too cool:

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2. Ridley Park, PA:


A good example of when chatting with clerks in a non-busy office yields neat information. The post office might not look too interesting, but back when the building was completed in 1976, the office was heralded for its use of solar panels. Here a clerk directed me to a photograph on the wall -- an aerial shot of the new post office, complete with six rows of solar panels, angled diagonally on the roof. This was told to me by Clerk #2, at the right window of the office.

According to Kaiman Lee's Encyclopedia of energy-efficient building design: 391 practical case studies, the solar panels provided 20% of the post office's heating and cooling energy needs. The 6,000-sq.-ft. building, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, not only featured 2,500 sq. ft. of solar panels on the roof, but utilized other energy-saving materials in its construction as well. These included "insulated porcelain metal panels" as well as insulated glass windows.

(The solar panels were removed ca. 1990.)

I got to talking with Clerk #1, at the left window, about First-Day Ceremonies, to which he said that he'd only been to one, and it was held at that very Ridley Park office. The year after the Ridley Park P.O. was completed, USPS chose to inaugurate its 13-cent Energy Development stamp at Ridley Park.

Here's a First-Day Cover featuring a silk cachet; it's an item currently being offered for sale on eBay for $1.25: