KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A post office that was housed inside the vacant Nazareth College campus and St. Joseph motherhouse is finding a new home nearby.
The new U.S. Postal Service location will be down the street from the former college at 5073 Gull Road.
The St. Joseph Motherhouse has been slated for demolition since April 2019. The former Nazareth College and surrounding buildings have been at the center of controversy as advocates pushed to preserve historic structures like the St. Joseph motherhouse.
The catholic college was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1914 at the site of their Kalamazoo-area convent. It shut down in 1992 due to a lack of enrollment and funding.
Since its closure several buildings on campus have been demolished including the former library and dormitories. Others have been repurposed by groups like Borgess Health Center for its Borgess Health and Fitness center.
The Nazareth post office had the distinction of being the only one located inside a convent since at least 1899. The Sisters of St. Joseph served as local postmasters up until two years before the college closed, thats when a postal employee took over the role
According to the U.S. Postal service the new location will retain the same name in honor of the former college and is expected to be fully operational May 4th, 2020.
