Chicago’s massive, vacant post office being fought over: Linn’s Buzz

By Colin Sallee

1. Not Chicago’s Old Main Post Office

The well-known Old Main Post Office building that stands on 11 acres of land just west of Chicago’s Loop will not be handed over to the city without a fight, Fox 32 Chicago reports.

Bill Davies, the developer of the site, has said as much. His company purchased the vacant 2.5-million-square-foot property in 2009 for $17 million. Since then, plans for a mixed-use development have been discussed, but the giant building remains empty.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has recently hinted at invoking eminent domain to take over the site, according to Fox 32, as a means to redevelop what the mayor calls “one of Chicago's iconic structures.”

The United States Postal Service has not occupied the building since 1995.

Read this Chicago Sun-Times report for a better understanding of the old post office’s interesting history. 

2. USPS resumes Cuba service

After a 53-year hiatus, the United States Postal Service is delivering mail to Cuba. 

“The Postal Service announced March 17 that it has resumed mail service to the island nation after President John F. Kennedy suspended it in 1963 at the height of the Cold War,” Michael Baadke reports.

The return comes on the heels of President Obama restoring civil ties between the United States and its estranged island neighbor in late 2014. 

3. Celebrating a historic sculptor

“The Statue of Freedom atop the United States Capitol dome was sculpted by Thomas Crawford, who was born March 22, 1814, in New York City.”

Crawford’s Statue of Freedom appeared on several U.S. stamps over the last 90 years.

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5. Hot topics

Check out three more interesting articles recently posted on Linns.com:

            1. Vintage Curtiss Jenny biplane to be displayed at World Stamp Show–NY 2016
            2. Panes of United States 8¢ Pershing getting scarce: Stamp Market Tips
            3. USPS Inspector General report sees trouble ahead for 2016 political mailings