Old Sewickley Post Office Relishes 100th Year Anniversary

Not every building can live to see 100 years, but thanks to the , the Old Post Office has reached this mile marker with a bright future still ahead.

The organization held a reception Saturday night to the success of the renovation and reopening of the building as the headquarters for the  and the Sewickley Valley Historical Society, which took place 25 years ago.  

The building, which is in the neo-classical style and was designed by James Knox Taylor at an estimated cost of $75,000, opened on Jan. 29, 1912.

“Domestically, the government was showing its power by building civic structures, such as this post office,” said Harton Semple, the executive director of the Sewickley Valley Historical Society, as he explained the history of the building.

“You may wonder, why such a lavish post office? Because the United States post office wanted it to be so. It was the perfect place to put a post office because Sewickley was an important town,” Semple said.

It remained open until 1981, when the post office relocated to its current Thorn Street location. It was only because of the efforts of the OSPOC that the building did not remain vacant and fall to shambles.

“The role of OSPOC is to serve as stewards of the building from those days to [today], keeping the building in excellent condition and historically relevant,” said current board president Susan Sour.

One major focus of the event was to highlight the efforts of the original board members to save the building from certain destruction.

 “We wanted Sweetwater to stay in the village of Sewickley, and we felt that the Post Office was worth saving and could possibly satisfy our needs,” said Alice Snyder, an original board member, through a statement that was read by Semple. “Other organizations were contacted to establish their interest in sharing the space. The historical society was a perfect match.”

Snyder said that they originally heard of other cases where old government buildings could be purchased for $1 if put to community use.

However, when all was said and done, the organization had to raise one million dollars to purchase and renovate the building.

In addition to honoring the accomplishments of the past, the event also focused on two current projects: a substantial donation to Sweetwater from the OSPOC to create a new kitchen, and the efforts to add the to the National Register of Historic Places.

“We look forward to more programming for our cooking, but also of course to use that facility for the many good cultural events that we have here at the Old Sewickley Post Office,” said Pete Schlicht, the treasurer of Sweetwater.

As for the process of adding the building to the national register, a committee headed by historical preservationist Jeff Slack has submitted the initial draft of their nomination to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which has 60 days to return comments and questions. The final draft will then be submitted for approval.