Plymouth Couple Seeks to Purchase Historic Post Office Building

Plymouth residents Mark and Patty Malcolm have two reasons for wanting to buy the historic Post Office building on Penniman Avenue - to preserve history and make it useful and active again.

The couple announced Monday during the City Commission meeting that they finalized a contract two weeks ago with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to acquire the building at 860 Penniman. They are not the official owners yet.

"It's unclear when sale will be finalized," Mark Malcolm said. "The earliest time is probably October, but it might not be until early next year. The relocation of the post office will be the main determinant in timing."

The USPS announced in a letter that it was selling the Plymouth Pursell Station building this past March. The post office is looking to relocate to a smaller building - a vacant former convenience store at 885 Penniman.

Malcolm said the original offer stipulated that the post office would remain in the building as a tenant, but it was their decision to vacate completely.

"Regarding historical preservation, our contract with USPS ensures that the mural will remain in place for the ongoing enjoyment of residents and visitors," Malcolm said. "We also have agreement that existing and original features such as brass mailboxes, wood paneling and even the stamp table in the lobby will be included in the sale. We will attempt to incorporate as much as the historical character as possible into the building's future use."

The Malcolms are not sure of what they intend for the building as of yet. However, they have legally ensured in a contract that the protective agreements put in place will transfer to all future owners of the building, according to Malcolm.

Malcolm also said that all renovations and construction will be approved in advance by the State Historic Office, which has agreed to support the Malcolms' planned application of listing the property on the National Register of Historic Places.

"In terms of tenants and uses we would hope to attract to add value to the community, nothing is yet arranged," Malcolm said. "Our lowest priority at this time is a bar or a restaurant. No disrespect intended to the city's existing bars and restaurants, but we believe it is not what the community needs in this building at this time. Our personal top preference is a gourmet market. It wouldn't be helpful to speculate at this early date on who could fit that bill, maybe more importantly, whether we could recruit such a business to this location, but we're going to try."