The Smithsonian Envisions 20 More Years With the Postal Service

Postal Service History Display Continues at National Postal Museum

WASHINGTON, DC — The Smithsonian Institution will continue to showcase the history of the nation’s mail service for at least the next 10 years under the terms of a renewed agreement with the United States Postal Service to operate the National Postal Museum.

The new agreement, ratified Nov. 1, extends the Smithsonian’s current stewardship of the museum in the historic City Post Office Building in downtown Washington, DC, for the next 10 years, with options for both parties to extend the agreement for two consecutive five-year periods beyond that.

The National Postal Museum has been devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service since it was created on Nov. 6, 1990, through a joint agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the Postal Service. The National Postal Museum has since exhibited the largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps and philatelic materials in the world. 

“Our joint venture with the Smithsonian has for years given Americans an opportunity to explore the rich history of the Postal Service, and we are thrilled to extend our arrangement with them, ” said Patrick Donahoe, deputy postmaster general and chief operating officer of the U.S. Postal Service. “This agreement will give many more Americans the chance to see how the Postal Service helps bind the country together through the mail, and to see the prominent role we have played in our nation’s history and the development of our culture.”

The National Postal Museum is on the lower level of the postal-owned City Post Office Building, which was constructed in 1914 and served as the Washington, DC, Post Office from 1914 to 1986. The museum opened July 30, 1993, and occupies 75,000 square feet of the building, with 23,000 square feet devoted to exhibition space. The museum also houses a 6,000-square-foot research library, a stamp store and a museum shop.