Remember When: New Kensington Post Office has had 4 homes since its start

Younger readers might not know that the City of New Kensington originally was named Kensington.

But when the residents living there applied to the federal government for permission to open a post office, they were informed there already was a town in Eastern Pennsylvania named Kensington.

The residents of that Philadelphia suburb previously had applied for and received permission to use the name Kensington as their postal address.

So the local residents decided to rename their community New Kensington.

New Kensington’s first post office was in the rear of the Leslie Building at Fifth Avenue and 10th Street. That location was used from 1892 until 1905, when the post office moved to the more spacious First National Bank Building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street.

As the community grew, so did the facility. In 1920, it became evident there was no more space for further expansion and a new location was sought.

The post office moved in November 1921 to the Evans Building at 1074 Fifth Ave. It remained at this location until 1933, when it again moved — to its present location at Fifth Avenue and 11th Street.

Initially, residents received their mail by going to the post office and standing in line at the general delivery window. As the community continued to grow, this soon became impractical.

On Feb. 1, 1907, the post office began offering free delivery to homes in a limited area of New Kensington. To qualify for home delivery, it was necessary to have a house number clearly displayed and have sidewalks installed. As homeowners in neighborhoods complied with these conditions, larger areas were included in home delivery service.

New Kensington originally had four mail carriers — three regular carriers and one substitute. The first mail carriers were Clyde Powers, John Bensinger and Henry G. Bachle; Joshua Leech was the substitute.

The land for the current New Kensington Post Office was purchased from a local resident, George M. Evans, for $107,000. The building cost $285,000 and was constructed of concrete, steel and limestone with aluminum trim.

Construction began in April 1932, and the building was dedicated on June 23, 1933. The general contractor was the Nicholas Co. of Philadelphia.

More than 1,000 people attended the opening ceremonies, demonstrating just how important the opening was to the city’s residents.