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The Old Post Office:
1904-1973
Portville -- In hindsight, razing the old post office that majestically stood at the corner of Main and Temple seems
like another mistake of the 70's anti-preservation mentality. Portville residents still talk about the beloved
structure, wondering "Why did they tear that beautiful building down?".
It turns out that there were a couple of good reasons why the village leaders decided to demolish the icon. First
of all, the 1904 building was in very poor condition structurally and a danger to the employees who worked there.
The postmaster in 1973, Tony Wilson, fought to get a new building and even took Times Herald legend Chuck Ward on a harrowing
tour of the building's dreaded weaknesses. Even though the exterior appeared magnificant, the interior's mess was well-documented.
The building was originally built by funds given by local lumberman W.B. Mersereau and was called the Portville Opera
House, which later became the Portville Theater and a site of many school events. Through its lifetime, the building was
home not only to the post office, but had a jail, a confectionary store, the clerk's office, an insurance office, a millinery
establishment, an apartment, and various businesses.
A second reason for demolition involved the U.S. government. One year after the infamous '72 Flood, Portville received
a federal grant that stipulated that a new municipal building be constructed with the funds.
At the time, there was opposition to the demolition, but the money needed to restore the post office was not available.
Moral support was low and a "progressive" attitude was prevalent in the area at the time. The Preservation Movement
was much smaller in 1973 than it is today.
Demolition of the old post office commenced in April of 1973. It was replaced with the present municipal building-post
office complex.
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