The City of Welland has a rich heritage that can be traced back well over a hundred years. One of the vintage structures, which has presided over various eras of the municipality’s storied history, is a former post office, located at 3438 King Street.
The building was constructed at the dawn of the 20th century and served the community for about 50 years before a successor establishment was erected on Division Street.
The retired facility has lain dormant for years. Over this period, it has decayed and fallen into disarray, and has now become a burdensome problem, particularly as the city seeks to carry out plans to revitalize its downtown. There are growing worries regarding the safety of the building, the potential for it to drive away business, and hurt the reputation of the community, if it remains in its current state.
With these concerns in mind, Frank Campion, who currently serves as the Mayor of Welland, penned a letter to Joel Lightbound, the new federal Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement Minister.
“The abandoned Post Office building on King Street has been on my radar since the late 1980’s prior to me being elected to Welland City Council,” Campion told The Niagara Independent. “At the time I was Chair of the Welland Downtown BIA.”
Ultimately, Campion would like to see the ownership of the out-of-service post office transferred from the federal government to the City of Welland.
“The building, based on its prominent downtown location across from the recreational canal, has great potential,” said Campion. “It is my opinion that the city should have control of this building – first to ensure that part of our heritage does not fall victim to irreversible disrepair or destruction like some of our historic buildings have.”
Campion chronicled how significant discourse has been taking place regarding the location for many years.
“This led to discussion with various levels of officials from the Post Office beginning around 2015, which were quite fruitful,” The Mayor recalled. “Conversations have continued on and off since then.”
“The situation with the building has become more urgent which prompted a letter to the Federal Government to express that to them and re-ignite the conversation. This will hopefully result in a transfer of the asset to the City of Welland if supported by the Feds and Welland City Council.”
While there is still more work to be done in bringing about a resolution to the matter, Campion is optimistic that positive results could lie ahead.
“I expect that an agreeable arrangement can be made in the not-too-distant future,” he shared. “There are potential opportunities through federal housing and other programs that may enable cost-effective and mutually beneficial results.”

Nick Redekop completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labour Studies at Brock University. He has previously served in municipal and federal politics. In his free time, Nick enjoys following sports, taking part in outdoor activities, and reading biographies. Nick resides in Niagara Falls