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Robert Ripps book
History of Tribeca Buildings
Nosy Neighbor: Where have all the post office boxes gone?
J. writes: “For almost fifty years I have used the post office box at the northwest corner of West Broadway and Duane. It has now been removed.” J. went on to note that the one at Franklin and West Broadway is also gone. The one I use most frequently is also gone, at Warren and West Broadway. (The picture above is from Chambers and Bway, SW corner.)
A communications specialist for the USPS — Xavier Hernandez — promised (well, he didn’t really promise but…) that “the collection boxes you identified as missing were removed due to construction activity. Once construction projects are completed those collection boxes will return.”
This does not account for the fact that there is no obvious construction at West Bway and Duane, is there?? And is there still one on Greenwich at Jay or Franklin?
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I think it would make sense to remove the majority of those boxes as the amount of snail mail has dramatically decreased over the years. It can’t be very efficient for a mail-person to go from block to block to open them up only to find 1 or 2 letters in each.
The boxes pictured at B’way/Chambers are usually stuffed to the brim. So obviously many people still rely on snail mail.
I’m willing to bet good money that the HUGE majority, if not every single one, of the boxes that get clogged are due to businesses dumping their mail into them.
Which might be one of the reasons why they installed the new slots that limit the number of letters you can insert at once.
Another reason there might be fewer boxes on the streets of Tribeca is because so many condo buildings, for example Fischer-Mills at Beach and Greenwich, have their own mail collection systems.
The USPS should disappear as well.
And why is that? I find your comment offensive.
I could not disagree with you more. Bet away all you like – the mailboxes are used and used often and I want them to stay exactly where they are.
And have you noticed they changed the slots for depositing mail? I guess it was done to deter people from fishing mail out of the boxes and from depositing all their outgoing office mail.
I thought it was to keep people from putting stuff that is over 16 ounces in the collection boxes…
Were they removed or were they stollen? Linda, the beloved Walkers’ waitress, thinks the one on the corner of N. Moore and Varick was stolen. We talked about it because we noticed it was missing right after the city re-surfaced the corner sidewalk there. Linda said the mailbox was unbolted so the work could be done on a Friday, and was gone by Sunday morning.
That mailbox seemed to get a lot of use.
The one on the corner of W Broadway and Warren also disappeared recently, and a new one popped up in front of IPN/PS 150.
I have also noticed the removal of these mailboxes and have contacted Councillor Margaret Chin’s Office and CB1 about it. Both have responded that they will look into it, In Cllr Chin’s office’s case, they say it is a Federal matter and they will contact Rep Nadler for help. I am not holding my breath but it is good to see that others have noticed this stealth removal of mailboxes and are concerned about it.
Neighbors: don’t wait for Chin to do nothing about our do nothing post office. Contact Nadler’s office directly:
https://nadler.house.gov/contact/
Manhattan Office
201 Varick Street, Suite 669
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212-367-7350
The mail box at Jay and Greenwich is still there. It has the new type of slot.
The mailbox at Warren & Broadway was removed & never returned days after 9/11 for “security reasons” never to be seen again.
The corner drainage grates were paved over for “security reasons” as well & have never replaced. The massive puddles at corners (south of Chambers on Broadway) & warnings of West Nile virus along with spraying for mosquitoes all resulted from that particular decision.
I also miss the convenience of mail boxes. The USPS provides an essential service — the fact that some mailboxes are stuffed to the brim is an indication of that. I hope the missing Tribeca boxes return soon (selfishly, especially the Warren & W. B’way box!)