Nearby
Old Post Office, near the West Loop
The Old Chicago Main Post Office (433 W Van Buren) is a 2.5-million-square-foot Art Deco building on the southeast edge of the West Loop. Restored 2017–2020 after 23 years vacant, it now houses Class A offices (Walgreens, Uber, Cisco, PepsiCo and others) plus a small public retail floor. Most visitors arrive via Union Station or Ogilvie, both a short walk away.
Quick facts
- Distance from West Loop
- Roughly 0.3 miles from the heart of the West Loop — about a 6-minute walk west from the Loop, or 5 minutes south from Ogilvie / Union Station.
- Direction from West Loop
- South-east edge of the West Loop neighborhood, straddling the Eisenhower Expressway between Canal and Clinton.
- Coordinates
- 41.8757, -87.6390
- More info
- Old Post Office on Wikipedia
What it is
The Old Chicago Main Post Office is a landmark Art Deco building completed in 1921 with a 1932 expansion that doubled the structure. The U.S. Postal Service vacated in 1995; the building sat empty until 2017–2020, when 601W Companies completed one of the largest historic-building renovations in the country. The Eisenhower Expressway runs underneath the building — an unusual arrangement formalized when the expressway was driven beneath in 1955.
Getting there from the West Loop
From most of the West Loop, the Old Post Office is a short walk east or southeast. From Randolph Restaurant Row, head south on Halsted then east on Adams or Van Buren — about 12 minutes total. From Greektown or West Loop Gate, head east; from Madison Row, head south then east. The CTA Blue Line at Clinton or LaSalle puts you directly across the street.
Why this page exists
For most visitors, the Old Post Office is an office tenant's destination rather than a public-attraction stop. The lobby is open during weekday business hours; the rooftop deck is accessible to building tenants. If you have a meeting in the building, the West Loop's coffee, lunch, and after-work options are immediately to the west.
The Old Post Office building itself isn't a business with its own listing; the businesses near it that WLV does cover are pulled algorithmically from a 500-meter radius below.
Closest West Loop hotels
Sorted by walking distance from Old Post Office.
Closest West Loop restaurants
Sorted by walking distance from Old Post Office.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I visit the Old Post Office without a building badge?
- The ground-floor lobby is open during weekday business hours. The rooftop deck and upper floors are tenant-only. The food hall planned during the renovation was downsized; check the building's public-facing site for current public-access information.
- What's the closest place for coffee + lunch near the Old Post Office?
- The Chicago French Market directly under Ogilvie Transportation Center is the closest food hall — about 4 minutes north on Canal. Lou Mitchell's on Jackson is about 6 minutes northwest. The West Loop's broader dining starts at the Randolph corridor, about 10 minutes northwest.
- What was the Old Post Office used for before it closed?
- When operational, the Old Post Office was the largest postal-processing facility in the world. It served as Chicago's main mail-sorting hub from 1921 to 1995.