VAIL, Ariz. (KGUN) — It was once a hub for letters and packages. Now, the Old Vail Post Office is being restored into something new: a welcome and heritage center that celebrates the region’s history and the everyday people who shaped it.
"I think we're all almost beyond words, really, enthused and amazed at the transformation,” explains J.J. Lamb with the Vail Preservation Society, who is leading the project.
From preserving original windows to reinforcing century-old adobe walls, the project has focused on maintaining authenticity. The building was first constructed more than a century ago, in 1908.
"This adobe with regular maintenance, because that's what adobe requires, um, it's gonna be around for the next 100 years," Lamb says.
Some students at Cienega High School also played a role in the restoration, thanks to a construction class partnership that brought young hands into the preservation process.
“I’ve driven by this building before I even knew that I was gonna be working on it," Wyatt Wilson, a student at Cienega explains, "and then I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if they would restore that?”
Funded through a mix of grants and community support, the effort aims to create a gathering place that honors the history of Vail.
"This is a part of the American story that I think often gets overlooked, kind of the everyday people. This building tells everyday people's stories. It's a humble building, it's an adobe building. But it tells the kind of the everyday stories of American life,” said Gerald Lamb with the Vail Preservation Society.
The goal is to have the building fully open by next year, just in time for America’s 250th birthday.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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