Bozeman, Mont. — The federal building on Babcock Street that houses the downtown post office is being sold after 60 years of service, leaving questions about what comes next for the location.
NonStop Local met with Gallatin County Commissioner Ryan Finn, who says people in Bozeman are worried about the future of the downtown post office.
"It's important for this to be here. We want to make sure that we can keep the building, keep the post office in a downtown corridor, in a downtown area," Finn said. "If the federal government ends up having to find a new building rather than this one that's paid off already, then that means it's going to cost the taxpayers more money," he said.
The building first opened in 1966. Now in 2026, 60 years later, it's heading to the market.
USPS also gave NonStop Local a statement about the sale and said no final decision has been made about the future of the downtown Bozeman post office, or potentially moving the postal retail services.
"The postal service is aware of the planned sale of the federal building. USPS evaluates facility needs on an ongoing basis to ensure safe, reliable service for customers. There is no final decision currently regarding any relocation of postal retail services in downtown Bozeman. Our priority is continuity of service, and any potential relocation would follow the process required under federal regulations, including public notice and opportunity for public comment," Natashi Garvins, a strategic communications specialist with USPS said.
For now, the downtown Bozeman post office will remain in place until a decision is made on a possible relocation.
The city of Bozeman says the post office would need to move if it was not kept on as a tenant in the building. However, the city also explained that possible relocation could change in a couple of ways.
If the General Services Administration, which is selling the building, decides to keep the post office as a tenant, the postal service would be allowed to stay in the building. The city also said it could claim the post office as a tenant through the Historic Surplus Property Program, a program run through the national parks service, which lets local governments obtain historic federal buildings at no cost.