Photo by NCinDC
The Georgetown Current reported yesterday that the Georgetown Post Office may be partially converted into condos. According to the article, the Postal Service is planning to sell the property to East Banc and Julian Josephs Co.
The developers would keep the post office open on the first floor, but the second floor would be converted into apartments. Also a new structure would be constructed off the back of the building for more apartments. The construction would result in 13 – 17 new units.
It’s still early in the planning. Many, many hurdles remain. But it seems that the USPS is keen to get the property off its hands. The second floor is empty and the loading dock isn’t really used much anymore. Plus the USPS is totally broke, so it doesn’t exactly feel like sitting on a huge real estate portfolio if it doesn’t have to.
GM is supportive of the addition of residential units like this to the neighborhood (this would join the Hurt Home as two new condo conversions of large historic buildings in the East Village being considered about the same time). They’ll bring more eyes on the street and will support more resident-specific retail like Uptown Valet right across the street.
So long as the post office is maintained in its exact current form and the addition is unobtrusive, GM doesn’t see any reason to object to the project. What do you think?
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
As long as they keep the ground floor a Post Office I suppose it is okay. I actually make a point of taking visitors past the Post Office – which as you may know was originally the old customs house back when Gtown was a tobacco port – on tours of the village because it is such a simple yet elegant building. There is something very English market town about it which is appropriate to Georgetown’s history.
Yeah, it’s hard not to feel a little wary about it, but I think with East Banc on board they’ll do a decent job of it.
I have always thought that front area with its landings and stairs would be a great place to do an outdoor performance of some Regency-era play. But you’d have to block off 31st Street to traffic.
Don’t like it. USPS budget issues notwithstanding, the building has great historic value and should be preserved as is, without renovation of upstairs and without addition. even if they could maintain the existing envelope (save the back) as is, there would undoubtedly be disturbance to the building – think of all the plumbing lines they would have to run, etc. Where would all these residents park? (to go to your other discussion re parking.) It wouldn’t come close to the (one time) revenue generation potential of selling the upstairs and land for condos, but they could renovate and rent-out the upstairs for public/private functions etc.
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