by Laurel | January 14th, 2014
14 January 1933
New Holyoke Post Office
Location at Dwight, Elm and Chestnut Streets — Will Cost $235,000 — Mayor Regrets Loss of Taxes
Washington, January 12 — Harris Poorvn, Holyoke real estate agent who broke precedents by coming to Washington to urge the selection of his site at Dwight, Elm and Chestnut Streets as a location for Holyoke’s new post office, had his reward today in the announcement that the interdepartmental committee on federal building has made this site as its choice.
Poorvn originally made the department two proposals, one asking $260,000 for 196 feet frontage on Chestnut Street, the other asking $229,500 for 160 feet frontage. Dickering brought the frontage to 175 feet and the price to $235,000, the figure accepted. The site also fronts 260 feet on Dwight Street and 210 on Elm.
Mayor Objects to Loss of Revenue By City
Holyoke, January 13 — Mayor Henry J. Toepfert tonight expresse himself as much displeased with the selection of the new post office site by the government officials, not that he had any grievance regarding the site itself, but because it meant loss of taxes between $4,000 and $5,000. The United Stated does not pay any tax for any property it owns in a city of town. The assessed value of the property that will be lost to taxation will be about $130,000.
“If the federal government had taken the Appleton Street school and land adjacent,” said the mayor, “the loss of taxable property would have been very slight comparatively and the city would have received a sizable sum that could be used to pay off some of the city indebtedness. It seem to me,” added the mayor rather mournfully, “that we may never get going good in the reduction of expenses but what something comes along and nicks us for $5,000 or so. But the federal government has the say and there is little we can do about it.”
The Holyoke Chamber of Commerce has not taken sides or favored any particular site, Secretary Conrad J. Hemond of the Chamber said tonight.
A large number of Holyokers expressed gratification because the new location was more central. The establishment of a post office now in its present location was much disliked by many Holyokers. It is, of course, too earl;y to assuredly forecast what will be done with station A on Maple Street only a block away from the new post office site, but it is highly probably station A will be transferred to a site near or on the present post office site.
Whether or not the present post office will be used as parcel post central station is of course equally problematical though it has been suggested.
Adapted from The Springfield Republican.
