1300 Perry Avenue (Racine, Wisconsin)

1300 Perry Avenue is the current location of the West Racine Post Office in Racine, Wisconsin, which opened in 1988. The address sits at the northwest corner of Wright Avenue and Perry Avenue.

History

With the construction of the Perry Avenue Water Tower in 1930, the Racine Water Utility acquired what would become the site of 5005 Washington Avenue, Westgate Cinema, and the 1300 Perry Avenue. In 1962, the city of Racine was expanding Washington Avenue, requiring the purchase of a 44-foot strip of land along the north end of the Turn Style Family Center and Holleb House motel properties. The owner of the two properties, Spiro J. Papas, agreed to give the strip to the city on the condition that he be allowed to buy the 1300 Perry Avenue property for $15,000. The city accepted Papas' offer.

By 1984, the West Racine Post Office, then located at 1219 Grove Avenue, suffered from serious overcrowding. The Postal Service was also concerned by the office's location in a leased building, rather than one owned by the Postal Service. In December of that year, it announced plans to purchase land and construct a new building at the northwest corner of Wright Avenue and Perry Avenue. Construction of the new post office began in June 1987.

The final day of service at the old West Racine location was May 2, 1988. There was no window service in West Racine on May 3, as Merchants Moving and Storage spent the day moving equipment into the new facility, but mail delivery in the area was unaffected. The new post office at 1300 Perry Avenue opened on May 4. The mailboxes in the post office parking lot caused traffic issues and accidents, requiring them to be moved to the curb of Perry Avenue, where they led motorists to drive on the wrong side of the street to reach them more quickly.