VAIL, Ariz. (KGUN). — Every town has its properties that deserve preservation. In Vail, one such property is the old Vail Post Office, which was first constructed more than a century ago, in 1908.
After years of fundraising, the Vail Preservation Society has gathered enough money through donations and grants to start rehabilitation.
The goal throughout rehabilitation is to keep as much of the original building as possible. “All of the adobes are just made up of dirt here from the site. And here they are, after a hundred years. They’re actually still in pretty good condition," said Eric Means. He has lived in Vail for the majority of his life, and works at Means Design and Build.
“This is not just a building. This is a monument, a monument to those people that came here before us," said Royce Davenport, Vail resident and volunteer.
J.J. Lamb, founder of the Vail Preservation Society, said "historic preservation is certainly about restoring old buildings, but it's also about relationships, the future, all while involving youth in our projects."
“You can drive down the street and you can’t get home without someone waving at you that you don’t know. That doesn’t happen in a lot of places in this country anymore," said Bill Lloyd, a volunteer.
Lamb says the expectation for the post office is to be finished by August of 2025.
Lamb says they are seeking volunteers to help with outreach and preservation efforts. One local Vail resident, Aiden Vaughan, says that the post office being part of the community for as long as it has been is important. "It's really cool to see it start coming together. I think that history says a lot," said Vaughan.
“It’s very important we all understand that we are here writing our own page of history," said Davenport, "and in the future, people might see what we've done as a group and think all of our work and energy is what has preserved what we have now."
