Decoding Cryptic Markings When Sending To White House P.o.

I tried sending something for a postmark from the White House post office — unsuccessfully — and I'm hoping someone can figure out what's going on. Here is the envelope, front and back, with all the mailstream markings and stickers:







The contents were the following cover; a SASE; and a letter requesting a postmark:





1. The letter was returned with an "Insufficient Address, Unable to Forward" sticker. Now, "1700 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20006-4700" is most certainly a deliverable street address, in the sense that someone could drive there. It is operational post office that's listed on usps.com. Google Maps knows where it is. It seems unlikely to be that.

2. Could they not have a postmaster, and that's why it was undeliverable? Seems unlikely. They have retail hours, lobby hours, and PO Box service. I've never been there, but it sounds like a functioning post office that's open to the public to me.

3. Would it have been "sufficient" if I addressed it to 20006-9998 instead of 20006-4700? Doubtful. I've actually had my best success mailing to the post office street address, with a letter addressed to the postmaster, rather than flagging it with 9998.

4. Could it be a security issue? Perhaps they don't allow incoming mail because of proximity to the White House. Therefore, it would not be "insufficient address" so much as "we are unwilling to deliver this". That's where my money is.

5. Additional data: My letter was unopened and not tampered with; it took 16 calendar days from when it entered the mailstream until it was returned to me in California (which at least suggests that it made a cross-country trip); and it ended up with pen cancels and a cryptic "IA 690" scribbled on it.

6. OK, so what's "IA 690"? A code of some sort, presumably. I can infer that "IA" is "Insufficient Address", but the string "690" only shows up five times in the 1,250-page DMM, and none is relevant.

So, what's going on? Has anyone seen "IA 690" before? Is this indeed a security issue?

I'd love to hear answers/thoughts/theories.

White House mailing address is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500

1700 Penn Ave NW is: http://www.akridge.com/property/78/...#description

Your address did not include United States Post Office. Looks like it went to a office building that has multiple tenants of which the USPS is just one. Your USPS link includes a 202 area code phone number. Why don't you phone them and ask if you have it correct and if they service this type of request.

1. The closest US post office to the White House is at 1750 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. Washington, D.C. 20006. It has nothing to do with the White House, it is just an ordinary post office that anyone can walk into and use. It is a block and a half away from the White House which is actually a fair distance away.

2. There is no public post office in the White House. They have an internal mail system where letters to and from the various offices of the White House are routed. Perhaps you were not aware of just how big and how many offices and buildings are part of the White House beyond just the white building where the President lives. There are almost 2,000 employees in the White House spread across about 10 buildings, two of which are very large office buildings next to and diagonally from the traditional White House building. What you see on TV shows that feature the White House as their "set" is not very close to reality.

3. No, a person cannot drive to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They have permanently closed off Pennsylvania Avenue from 17th Street to 15th Street. You can walk along that stretch of what used to be Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House but there is a high iron fence next to the sidewalk there and so you cannot get near the building itself unless you have special authority and high level clearance to be there combined with an actual need to be there at that time and on that day. For an ordinary person, the only way they can get to the White House is to get a ticket to one of the limited number of tours they have there - the tickets are free but you have to get them from your member of Congress or Senator, and they only take you through a limited part of the building that is set up for the special security requirements for tourists. Going through that bit of the White House is like seeing an old house where you walk along a corridor and peak into a few rooms along the way before the tour is over. If you want any souvenirs there are places within a few blocks of the White House where you can buy such things. If you ever do want to go to Washington and take the tour you should look out for con men and women who sell fake tickets on the street to unwary tourists. Tickets are free and the only way to get a real one that will get you in is from your member of Congress or Senator.


Washington, DC 20006

Someone is missing the point, and I'm fully willing to grant it may be me.

This one. This post office. That's listed on the USPS website as being called the "White House" branch. That's all I was trying to reach.

Here's the listing from the USPS website:



No one said anything about driving to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. I was not trying to get anything into the White House complex itself, including any of the adjacent office buildings. I was not trying to get something serviced inside the White House. I was just trying to get a postmark from this apparently-public post office with a published street address on the public USPS site, and my letter was returned to me. This facility's address is listed as "1700 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20006-4700". I was curious whether my letter was denied acceptance precisely because of its proximity to the very large White House complex.

I hope this clarifies.

With that out of the way: does anyone know what "IA 690" means?

IA=Insufficient Address as neatly defined on the yellow label. The manuscript markings were likely applied by clerk or carrier #690 to identify "who" determined the IA status.

The manuscript markings were likely applied by clerk or carrier #690 to identify "who" determined the IA status.

Thank you. This is a good possibility that had not occurred to me.

Why not just step over the fence, I'm sure someone will make a shoe postmark on your behind

I'm sure someone will make a shoe postmark on your behind

Ha! Good one.

For those curious, for the project, I wanted to be able to say "This is from the post office nearest the White House." But apparently I did misaddress it. cjpalermo1964 may be right in that I needed to have "US POST OFFICE" for it to be clear.

In any case, I've re-sent it to the central D.C. post office, and I'll just try to get a postmark from there.

I think you have 3 strikes on this one.....strike one - you are dealing with the US Postal Service; strike two - you are dealing with the Federal Government; and strike three - you are trying to get something done in Washington DC. Good luck.

I don't know why they list it as 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. when as I said, that post office is at 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. I have walked past it often and have used it from time to time. I know exactly where it is. It is a rather small post office with and entrance that that is basically a small store front at 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue.

I also do not know why they returned your letter to you since any letter carrier in that part of town would know that the sender most likely meant 1750 rather than 1700 as these addresses are not very far apart - a walk of a few minutes up the street.

Kimo, this one, right? That one is listed as the "McPherson" branch on the USPS website (at the 1750 address you describe), but the site also lists the "White House" branch at 1700:



As far as the USPS is concerned, those are different post offices — and the one at 1700 would be geographically closer to 1600.

The 1700 is an Office building, they have lawyers offices and a Well Fargo bank at first floor, so you need a suite # like the King & Spalding is 1700 suite 200

Mcgeesorg, maybe this helps. The White House ZIP code is 20500. The President has 20500-0001, the First Lady is
20500-0002 etc. If you go down the list, it says the 'White House Station' is 20500-0049. I have a feeling that this must be the ZIP code for the mailing room! Maybe try that?

Peter

Kimo: "I also do not know why they returned your letter to you since any letter carrier in that part of town would know that the sender most likely meant 1750 rather than 1700 as these addresses are not very far apart - a walk of a few minutes up the street."

The "Regionalization" move by the USPS last January has killed local postal service. This item may not have even made it to the local carrier. It was probably routed by the regional mail center who don't know a floor from a suite, much less what the OP wanted done. You cannot generalize anymore. .. Be precise or be rejected.

See this Thread: https://goscf.com/t/47622

My conclusion is that the USPS database has bad data and is still listing an office at 1700 that moved to 1750 or otherwise doesn't exist any longer.