Downtown Raleigh post office dropped from closure list

The agency had slated the Century Postal Station, a 134-year-old facility in the restored Federal Building at Fayetteville and Martin streets, to close by March, citing a decline in mail volume handled there.

The Postal Service planned to move the Century office's operations to its facility on New Bern Avenue, but local outcry twice forced officials to re-evaluate the downtown site.

Raleigh officials expanded parking in front of the post office, and the federal bankruptcy court agreed to open the parking lot behind the building from 7 to 9 a.m. on weekdays for bulk mail pick-up.

The Postal Service is looking to close hundreds of facilities nationwide to slash costs and stem its losses, but spokesman Carl Walton said Wednesday that "a discontinuance of Century Station will not be pursued further at this time." He didn't elaborate on the decision.

Mayor Nancy McFarlane credited the efforts of former Mayor Charles Meeker and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance for changing the Postal Service's stance on the Century Station.

"Raleigh appreciates that beautifully designed and built buildings have served us well and represent an investment in our people and their future,” McFarlane said in a statement. “We want these architectural treasures to continue to be part of our daily lives. Raleigh appreciates that a building such as Century Post Office, that has served us daily through world wars, recessions and celebrations is essential to the fabric of who are.”