Church Street Post Office Reopens

The 67-year-old post office at 90 Church Street — across the street from Ground Zero — reopened today for the first time since September 11, 2001. On the outside, the building had no obvious damage, but the insides were contaminated with 9/11 pixie dust. The facility had to be almost entirely gutted, and most of the windows replaced.

The building is still girthed in scaffolding, which I hope will come down soon, but as of this morning it was open for business once again. I was one of its last users before the terrorist attacks, having stopped there to mail a package early that morning.

Any return to normalcy is to be welcomed, but I have particularly selfish reasons for welcoming back the Church Street post office, because it’s on my route to work every morning. For the last three years, I’ve had to go well out of my way to buy stamps or get an overweight package mailed. From now on, I’ll be back home at Church Street.

Update: If you never thought a building from the 1930s could look and smell brand-spanking-new, then visit the post office at 90 Church Street. I spoke to one of the employees about it. They love the fresh paint and bright lighting. And all of the self-service kiosks actually have pens that write! (I wonder how long that’ll last.)