Last week I headed downtown to check out the old post office that has just been purchased by 601 W, which also owns the Aon Center here in Chicago. It seems with this acquisition plans to redevelop this behemoth of a building will actually occur. Unlike previous owners and stalled plans that never came to fruition.
This was once the world’s largest post office. The Chicago-based Montgomery Ward and Sears had huge mail-order businesses that demanded a post office of this size. However, despite its size it was often rated the worst in postal deliveries. In fact, in the 1960’s there was a jam of 10 million pieces of mail that halted the system for nearly a week. Hmm, not sure much has changed in the quality of Chicago’s mail delivery today.
The building has been vacant since the 1990’s and is falling apart, as you can see from the images below. Concrete is crumbling, windows are broken, there is razor wire surrounding a portion the building and nature is beginning to take over.









I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what 601W does with this landmark building. So much has changed in this area of the city and its location right along the Chicago River is fantastic.
To see the color versions of the images above and a couple additional shots head over here.