Rachel's SLC History: Old Post Office Apartments at 777 E 200 South SLC

30 March 2020

Old Post Office Apartments at 777 E 200 South SLC

Post Office Apartments, March 2020.

The Old Post Office Apartments located at 777 East 200 South SLC, is in fact, an old post office.

The building is made up of two attached structures: a house that was built in 1880 and the Post Office building constructed in 1904.

First let’s start with the old house (now 773 & 775 E. 200 South). This part of the structure was built ca. 1880 and changed hands relatively frequently, often being used as a rental.

The last person to rent the house before the post office was built was Reverend Frank Barnett, pastor of the SLC Eastside Baptist Church; he left SLC for health reasons in 1904.

The two-story Post Office building was designed by Richard Kletting (also designed the Utah State Capitol, Saltair, and many other building) and was built in 1904.

The top floor contained two apartments with all modern conveniences while the ground floor contained the post office and a commercial space occupied by a drug store. The post office was formally named “Station A” and was the first sub-station of the main post office, at that time located in the Federal Building in downtown SLC.

Station A served areas east of 500 East and was a fully functional post office with 14 carriers being assigned to the office. The Postal Service never owned the building, they merely rented it from owner Charles Crane (who owned several properties including the still standing Crane Building at 307 W 200 South).

The Postal Service abolished Station A in 1913 reasoning that it would be more economical to consolidate services at the main post office after additions had been made to the Federal Building. Once the postal service vacated the space was used for commercial operations including a drug store, an ice cream factory, and a dry-cleaning service.

In March 1939 the building was renovated into nine 3-room apartments. The large glass storefronts were bricked in a new residential entrance made.