Old Post Office

A little over a month ago the old Post Office in downtown Naperville closed it's doors. Naperville Bank & Trust owns the building, and they have some great plans for it. Soon construction will begin to convert the space into offices for the bank. If you're interested in all the details of the plan, you can read more here:
Old Post Office Plans

They had an open house for the public to come and see the building. But before that happened I was allowed inside to photograph the interior. Above is an image of the original post office boxes. Below is what they look like from behind. 

 There are definitely some areas with historic charm to them, and I'm glad it's not going to be knocked down. But there are also a few interior rooms that look like someone stumbled upon a sale of wood paneling in 1978. And of course there are a few pieces of old equipment that will need to be ripped out.

The most interesting thing is also the most unexpected- the secret passageways! I once worked in a old converted post office, so I've run into them before. Many early post offices had hidden tunnels and areas where the employees could be watched as they sorted the mail. They were painted all black, and very dark. The image below is misleading- it's a 30 second exposure! 

The passageways in this building are in very good condition, but I believe a few of them might have to be removed during the construction.