Restored Historic Post Office Celebrates Reopening by Coldwell Banker Caine

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The restoration of a landmark building downtown is complete,

Coldwell Banker Caine began the work two years ago on the restoration of the historic federal post office building downtown which served the community from 1909-1940, when it moved to a newer building.

The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Anderson Downtown Historic District, and Coldwell sought to keep the look and feel of the building consistent with the original, including finding and installing period-accurate post office boxes on the lobby wall in their original place.

In 1941 the structure became home for the McDougald-Bleckley funeral home, which became Sullivan-King Mortuary in 1949. Sullivan-King left downtown and Sosebee Mortuary operated for a while in the historic building, but soon relocated as well.

In 2021, the building was sold for $900,000 after a proposed mini-mall on the site fell through. Coldwell Banker Caine has made the site its Anderson real estate headquarters, and hopes the lobby of the building will be used for community purposes in the near future. The downstairs area, which includes a covered patio, has also been renovated and the company is looking to lease it to a new local business.

Coldwell worked with Preservation South to bring the building back in line with the original plans. The Beaux Arts-style building, designed by James Knox Taylor and was the first federal post office in downtown Anderson.