CHICAGO, IL — The U.S. Postal Service is offering interested parties the chance to put their stamp on a piece of Chicago history.

The Postal Service will conduct a public auction of the former Chicago Main Post Office Building, Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 1 pm.

The 3,000,000-square foot building, 433 W. Van Buren Street, has been vacant since 1995, when the Main Post Office moved to its current W. Harrison Street facility. Built in 1932, the building was once the largest postal facility in the world, with operations conducted on nine floors.

"The Postal Service has tried traditional methods to sell this property," said Tom Samra, vice president of facilities. "We are confident the innovation and transparency of an open auction will result in the sale of this building."

Rick Levin & Associates, Inc., a Chicago-based real estate auction marketing firm, will conduct the open, public outcry auction. The suggested opening bid is $300,000. The property is to be sold to the highest bidder.

“This is a restoration opportunity of a lifetime,” Levin said. “This is a true chance to leave one's legacy in real estate in the middle of one of the world’s greatest cities, Chicago, which is the United States’ candidate city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.”

On-site inspections will be scheduled for prospective bidders. A complete bidder’s information package will be available at the inspections for a fee. A cashier’s check, as earnest money, is required to bid.

For additional information on the auction, including location of the auction and terms of sale, call Rick Levin & Associates, Inc. at 773-252-4500 or visit www.ricklevin.com.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.