Rumors that the very busy Nat King Cole US Post Office on 3rd and Western may be closed are raising concerns among Hancock Park residents who regularly use the facility. Henrietta Cosentino of Gramercy Place learned from a distraught clerk at the facility on Monday that employees there had received a letter stating the following:
With today’s economic climate and the continuing decline in mail volume, the Postal Service has had to find ways in which to reduce costs. One off the cost reduction strategies we are utilizing is the consolidation of facilities that are in close proximity to another facility. Â This is advance notice that it is the intent of the Los Angeles District to relocate empolyees currently domiciled at the Nat King Cole (Oakwood) Station located at 265 S. Western Ave, LA 90004 to the Los Feliz Station, located at Vermont Ave LA, CA 90027. The distance between the two stations is approximately 2 1/2 miles.The drive to Los Feliz seems out of the question for many local residents who like the convenience and walkability of the post office located next to St Brendan School, with its entrance on Manhattan Place. If it closes, many would be more likely to head to the small USPS station on Wilshire at Detroit, or the always-packed facility on Beverly Blvd at Sierra Bonita. There is no word yet on the fate of these two locations.
The Buzz spoke with Councilman Tom LaBonge’s office who said it was a federal matter and not under City jurisdiction, while repeated calls to the office of Representative Karen Bass have not provided any information as yet, only that they’ll get back to us on this matter as soon as they can.
The local 90004 station,  formerly known as the Oakwood station, was renamed for Nat King Cole in 2003 through Congressman Xavier Becerra’s efforts and outreach with the local community. According to Consentino, who was involved in the discussion,  “The community’s brainstorming session was fruitful in many ways because though only one name was finally chosen, it heightened their awareness of the many celebrated folks who’d lived in this vicinity, from politicos to literary types to film stars like Mary Pickford.”
The Nat King Cole site was not on a recent list of 677 post offices nationwide marked for potential closure or consolidation, as provided by the US Postal Service and published by the Washington Post. In December 2011 however, the USPS announced that they will be closing almost half of the mail processing centers across the U.S, and perhaps the 90004 office falls under this cut.
Residents may write to Representative Karen Bass at or email her District Director  Sylvia Castillo or call the office at (323) 965-1422. Consentino hopes to get the neighborhood organized in a letter-writing campaign or rally, to keep the Nat King Cole branch open. While his most famous song may be “Unforgettable”  the community may soon wish the US Postal Service felt that way about the 90004 post office.
According to my mail carrier, this one’s scheduled to close in May and then they’ll be operating out of the Vermont Ave. office. And the building/site will be for sale.
might not be a bad idea to close it. It is the worst post office in the area service-wise.
Back in the good old days we had a USPS contract station right on the ‘mont. Yep, it was in the back of the old Landis store for many years & then a bank provided space for a number of years.
How will this affect the elderly who depend on being able to walk to this facility? It would hinder their independence. I also prefer buying my stamps from a location nearby.
Does the Vermont facility have adequate parking?
I have emailed Ms. Castillo. I haven’t heard anything back but I urge everyone to email Ms. Castillo. This should certainly have an effect. Urge them to stop this action of reducing our federal postal service.
No point in contacting Representative Karen Bass about this. She is worthless.