Old Old Post Office
Originally, the Post Office was located on the corner of West Wisconsin Avenue and Church Street. The building was located in a block called the Sherry Post Office Block. The block was named after a wealthy lumberman, Henry Sherry, who constructed multiple buildings on the West side of Wisconsin Avenue. The dwelling/store combination is a two-story building with brick frame cornice, and iron supports on the outside.
Pictured Left: Old Old Post Office on the corner of Wisconsin and Church; Pictured Middle: Bert Cramer, a postman, standing in front of the Old Old Post Office with his Rural Free Delivery Wagon; Pictured Right: Old Old Post Office currently the host of Zacatecas Mexican Grill
Construction of Old & Current Post Office
In 1916, the permits for what is known today as the Old Post Office, were granted. Architects James A. Wetmore, and William Sample, designed the floor plan and the make-up of the building. The building contractor, Charles W. Grindele & Company, took part in the construction of the property and other buildings across the Midwest in Michigan, Minnesota, and various parts of Wisconsin. The architectural design is an example of a two-story Georgian Revival building, with a brick and limestone front. On the front face of the building there are two large stilted arch windows flanking an identical arched entry, which are very easily identified from the street. The entry is noted for its double-bronze doors, large bronzed lanterns and fan lights. Up until 1963, the Old Post Office ran as an operating post office. The land for the current Post Office was donated to the city to build. Upon donation, the land site had a mansion built on it, so the government demolished the building and built the Post Office as it is today.
Ownership Transfers
As for the Old Post Office on Commercial Street, entrepreneurs, John and Richard Bergstrom bought the building in June 1974. Bergstrom Enterprises instituted an extensive remodeling for the building in order to transform it into a disco-tech and restaurant. The disco-tech, a popular spot at the time for dancing, was located in the basement. The disco-tech included a large bar, dance floor with a railing around it, and several tables for sitting. A local man who grew up in Neenah, Robert St. Pierre, commented on the disco-tech, stating, "My friends and I always were at the club.". The upstairs became the 1920's themed restaurant known as the Gatsby House. In order to expand their interest in the hotel business, Bergstrom Enterprises sold the upstairs (Gatsby House) to Gene Telin. When contract arrangements fell through the building was sold to P.O. Inc in 1983, which at the time was headed by an individual real estate and prospective investor, Pat Schaller. Unfortunately, later that same year, P.O. Inc went bankrupt, and ownership of the Old Post office was transferred to Associated First Neenah Bank. The bank had other wishes than to preserve the building or to change it; they had plans to demolish the historic Old Post Office building. With the building playing a large part in Neenah's history, Landmarks voted in 1987 to add the building to Neenah's Register of Historical Landmarks. The success of adding the Old Post Office to the list of Historical Landmarks gave the building an opportunity for it to be saved by Neenah native, Stephen Gries who is a part of Gries Architectural Group Inc. today. He purchased the building in 1987 from the bank in hopes of establishing an office setting throughout the building.
Extensive Remodeling of The Old Post Office
One item to note about the Old Post office in its original form is the structure of the upstairs. The structure's second floor, originally was in the form of a 'H'; There were two office blocks on each side of the building connected by a passage way that overlooked the first floor. The intended use was for the mail workers to be observed while working when the building functioned as a post office. Gries set out in early 1988 to do some major remodeling, attempting to demolish the second floor passage way and create a universal second floor to optimize office space. Gries' ideas to remodel included a staircase and elevator along with the removal of two wooden structures on the outside of the building. Exterior remodeling was limited due to the building and its relation to the Register of Historical Landmarks in Neenah. The staircase to the second floor and the large windows in the main entrance are identifiable elements of the original structure. Most importantly, through all of the change, the building still remains with a large amount of character. The remodeling of the original interior would add about 3300 square feet. The third floor addition added 1500 square feet as well. With all the renovations, the total amount of leasable space added was 9,000 square feet. The renovations cost about a half million dollars on top of the $165,000 to purchase the building. In 1990, the building was officially declared by the Neenah Historical Sites Commission as a Historical Landmark.
The building still remains today in downtown Neenah, with local businesses occupying the space.
Sources:
“Post Office Block.” University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. Neenah Public Library Local History Collection; The State of Wisconsin Collection, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.
"Post Office."University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. Neenah Public Library Local History Collection; The State of Wisconsin Collection, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.
"Post Office Ground Breaking."University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. Neenah Public Library Local History Collection; The State of Wisconsin Collection, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.
King, Michael. "Old Post Office on National Registry." The Sunday Post Crescent [Appleton-Neenah-Menasha] 3 Feb. 1991: C2-1-2-2. Print.
Gries, Stephen. "Owner of Old Post Office." Personal interview. May 2014
Sharma, Asha. "Post Office Renovation Plans OK'd." The Post Crescent[Appleton-Neenah-Menasha] 1988: n. pag. Print.
Dillion, Anonymous. "Design of Disco-tech, Old Post Office." Personal interview. 26 May 2014. Dillion is a Neenah native who spent many hours in the Old Post Office while it was a disco-tech and while the building was owned by Bergstrom Enterprises he also did the taxes.
"Neenah, Wis., August. 1884." Wisconsin Historical Society. Sanborn Map Company, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 29 May 2014.
Modern Photographs courtesy of Meghan Born.