The Fields Corner post office in Dorchester is set to close 'temporarily' on Oct. 26 when its lease expires. USPS will move post-office boxes to a Clayton Street annex and send retail customers to Codman Square.
People in Allston heard a similar promise in 2019, but that office never reopened — USPS now plans to close it permanently. The agency, which calls its financial position 'dire,' is shrinking its neighborhood retail network. On Oct. 5, five Bay State lawmakers demanded USPS halt the closures and answer by Oct. 20; Mayor Wu has vowed to sue if Allston isn't restored.
Why it matters
If 'temporary' closures keep becoming permanent, Boston neighborhoods lose their only post offices — and USPS's financial crisis is accelerating the trend.
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Key Indicators
$60,000
West Roxbury parking lease, per year
USPS will pay Boston $60,000 a year for five years for the parking lot behind its Centre Street post office, with two possible five-year extensions.
7 years
Time Allston has been without a post office
Closed since 2019; USPS now says it intends to make the closure permanent, leaving about 87,000 residents with one branch.
87,000
Residents of Allston-Brighton sharing one post office
The Brighton branch is the only post office left for both neighborhoods; nearby Newton has 10.
5
Bay State lawmakers demanding USPS halt closures
Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Pressley and Lynch wrote to Postmaster General David Steiner on Oct. 5, setting an Oct. 20 response deadline.
14 events
Latest: 2 days ago
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October 2026
Fields Corner post office scheduled to close
UpcomingClosure
USPS will suspend operations at 218 Adams St. when its lease expires. Post-office boxes move to the Fields Corner Annex at 18 Clayton St.; retail customers are directed to Codman Square.
Congressional delegation demands USPS halt closures
LatestCorrespondence
Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Pressley and Lynch wrote to Postmaster General David Steiner demanding he stop what they called 'a coordinated campaign' of closures in Watertown, Allston, and Fields Corner, with a response due by Oct. 20.
Fields Corner closure reported
Disclosure
Universal Hub reports USPS will close the Fields Corner post office 'temporarily' Oct. 26 after its lease runs out while it looks for new space.
September 2026
City approves West Roxbury post office parking lease
Regulatory
Public Facilities Commission approves five-year lease at $60,000 a year for the land behind the Centre Street post office, with two possible five-year extensions.
USPS announces Fields Corner closure details
Announcement
USPS said the Fields Corner branch at 218 Adams St. closes Oct. 26 when its lease expires. Post-office boxes move to the Fields Corner Annex at 18 Clayton St.; retail customers go to Codman Square.
Boston council holds hearing on Allston closure
Hearing
Sen. Markey and councilors criticize USPS; residents describe long lines and stolen packages. USPS declines to testify.
Allston residents told closure will be permanent
Notice
USPS letters say the agency intends to 'permanently close' the Allston branch, while noting the decision is not final and feedback is being collected.
July 2026
USPS cites financial necessity for Allston decision
Correspondence
Scott Slusher writes to Markey, Warren, and Pressley that USPS must weigh multi-million-dollar projects 'at a time when our financial position is dire.'
April 2026
USPS pauses Allston replacement search
Policy
USPS tells Councilor Breadon it will 'temporarily pause' looking for an Allston facility; Eden Properties says USPS backed out of its space.
September 2025
West Roxbury post office parking lease expires
Lease
The 20-year lease signed in 2005 for the Centre Street parking lot expires last fall.
June 2025
USPS says it will reopen Allston post office
Commitment
USPS official tells Mayor Michelle Wu of a 'final decision' to reopen Allston 'as close as reasonably possible' to the old site.
January 2021
Eden Properties buys old Allston post office site
Real Estate
Development firm purchases 47 Harvard Ave. and begins planning a new post office for the ground floor.
January 2019
Allston post office closes
Closure
USPS shuts its only Allston location at 47 Harvard Ave. after structural issues; no replacement opens.
January 2005
West Roxbury post office moves to Centre Street
Lease
City signs 20-year lease for the parking lot USPS uses behind its new Centre Street location.
Scenarios
1
Fields Corner joins Allston as another permanent closure
Likely
Resolves by Q2 2027
Discussed by: Postal Regulatory Commission suspension data; Allston's trajectory
USPS never finds a new Dorchester location. The office lands on the PRC's suspension dashboard and, after the 180-to-280-day resolution window, USPS files to close it permanently — the same path Allston took. The financial crisis and the agency's reversal in Allston make this the most likely outcome.
The agency follows its announced intention, secures a new lease in Dorchester, and reopens retail service. The Allston precedent and the financial crunch make this the harder path — Allston was promised the same restoration, then told the opposite.
3
Boston officials force a Fields Corner reversal or delay
Possible
Resolves by Nov 30, 2026
Discussed by: Boston City Council actions; Sen. Markey's statement
Following the Allston uproar, elected officials pressure USPS to postpone the Oct. 26 closure or find space quickly. But USPS declined to testify at the Allston hearing and ignored a 2024 council subpoena, so officials have limited leverage over the agency.
4
Congress forces USPS to halt the closures
Possible
Resolves by Oct 20, 2026
Discussed by: Massachusetts congressional delegation letter (Oct. 5)
Five Bay State lawmakers demanded USPS stop what they called 'a coordinated campaign' of closures in Watertown, Allston, and Fields Corner, with answers due Oct. 20 and public hearings requested. If USPS complies, the closures pause and the network cuts slow. But USPS declined to testify at the Sept. 22 council hearing and has kept cutting locations despite prior objections.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 2
2011–2012
USPS plan to close thousands of post offices (2011-2012)
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe proposed closing about 3,700 post offices, mostly in rural towns, to cut costs. The plan drew fierce opposition from Congress and small communities.
Then
Congress imposed a moratorium on post office closures in December 2011, shelving the mass shutdowns.
Now
USPS began using 'suspensions' instead — a temporary closure that district managers can impose when a lease ends. Many suspensions stretched on for years without resolution.
Why this matters now
Suspension is the exact mechanism USPS now uses at Fields Corner, letting the agency close an office without a formal, public closure review.
2 of 2
2010–2025
Postal Regulatory Commission suspension backlog (2010-2025)
Since 2010 the PRC has flagged post offices left in suspension for years. The backlog of offices suspended before FY2017 was only cleared in 2025; the Oshtemo, Michigan office, suspended in 2011, still remained.
Then
The PRC built a public dashboard tracking suspended offices and pressed USPS to resolve them within about 180 to 280 days.
Now
The longstanding backlog shows 'temporary' closures routinely outlast their resolution window and often become permanent.
Why this matters now
Fields Corner could follow the same path — a lease-ending suspension with no guarantee of restoration, monitored only after the fact.
