Postal Service will keep open historic Kauai post office

LIHUE — A historic post office on Kauai will remain open after the U.S. Postal Service reversed a decision to shut it down.

The service had announced its decision to close the Lihue Post Office in December 2017, prompting hundreds of letters and coconuts to be sent to the service in support of keeping the post office open.

The agency planned to close the Rice Street office to consolidate operations at its carrier annex facility next to the Lihue Airport. The consolidation also aimed to solve ongoing parking problems and access issues at the historic building.

“After a thorough review of our options, we decided it would be in the best interest of our customers and the Postal Service not to relocate our retail services from our Rice Street facility,” said spokesman Duke Gonzales.

The Lihue Post Office built in 1939 is listed in both the national and state registers of historic places.

The Lihue community was committed to saving the post office, Historic Hawaii Foundation Executive Director Kiersten Faulkner told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The organization had partnered with the Lihue Business Association and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to keep the office in operation.

“I was just thrilled to see it and really excited to see this outcome,” Faulkner said.

Kauai County Mayor Derek Kawakami thanked officials for their work in keeping the office open, especially “the people of Kauai who saw the value of maintaining our sense of place and rural character.”