Report: USPS May Consolidate Bethesda Post Offices

The U.S. Postal Service is considering whether to consolidate the Bethesda post office at 7001 Arlington Road and the historic post office at 7400 Wisconsin Avenue, according to a Gazette report.

The Wisconsin Avenue post office, located near the Bethesda Metro and the Madonna of the Trail statue, is a community icon that dates back to 1938 and features historic interior murals. The statue and the structure are both designated historic by the county.

According to the report, USPS will hold a community meeting to discuss a proposal to close the two post offices and re-locate to a central office.

USPS sold the Wisconsin Avenue property in March to Donohoe companies, though Donohoe is leasing the space back to the postal service, the Gazette reported, citing the Bethesda Urban Partnership. USPS put out a call for bids on the post office in March of last year, a process triggered after the postal service was approached by a developer about the property, according to a March, 2010 Gazette report.

Any re-development of the historic Wisconsin Avenue property would require a historic area work permit, and may also require state and federal approvals, according to that report.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. July 27 at the

Residents may also contact Dennis Perry at 336-665-2863 or dperry2@usps.gov to learn more about the project.