diff --git a/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js b/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js
index 3aa9a6a3a..e2a4430e8 100644
--- a/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js
+++ b/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ function normalizeParentIds(place) {
         // The default values via lodash _.get is used only when the value is `undefined`, in our case it may be null.
         let source = _.get(place, `${placeType}_source[0]`) || 'whosonfirst';
 
+        const layer = _.get(place, `${placeType}_layer[0]`, placeType);
+
         const placetype_ids = _.get(place, `${placeType}_gid[0]`, null);
 
         // looking forward to the day we can remove all geonames specific hacks, but until then...
@@ -46,7 +48,7 @@ function normalizeParentIds(place) {
           source = place.source;
         }
         
-        place[`${placeType}_gid`] = [ makeNewId(source, placeType, placetype_ids) ];
+        place[`${placeType}_gid`] = [ makeNewId(source, layer, placetype_ids) ];
       }
     });
   }
diff --git a/middleware/renamePlacenames.js b/middleware/renamePlacenames.js
index 281988e0d..36b909d32 100644
--- a/middleware/renamePlacenames.js
+++ b/middleware/renamePlacenames.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ const PARENT_PROPS = require('../helper/placeTypes');
 const ADDRESS_PROPS = [
   { name: 'unit',   newName: 'unit' },
   { name: 'number', newName: 'housenumber' },
-  { name: 'zip',    newName: 'postalcode', transform: (value) => { return [value]; } },
+  { name: 'zip',    newName: 'postalcode', transform: (value) => { return [value]; }, addOriginalId: true },
   { name: 'street', newName: 'street' }
 ];
 
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ function renameAddressProperty(place, prop) {
   else {
     place[prop.newName] = place.address_parts[prop.name];
   }
+
+  if (prop.addOriginalId) {
+    place[`${prop.newName}_gid`] = [place.source_id];
+    place[`${prop.newName}_source`] = [place.source];
+    place[`${prop.newName}_layer`] = [place.layer];
+  }
 }
 
 module.exports = setup;
diff --git a/test/unit/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js b/test/unit/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js
index 6d51879f6..142a8433c 100644
--- a/test/unit/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js
+++ b/test/unit/middleware/normalizeParentIds.js
@@ -329,6 +329,59 @@ module.exports.tests.interface = function(test, common) {
     });
 
   });
+  
+  test('address zip may override postalcode parent hierarchy', function(t) {
+    var input = {
+      data: [{
+        'address_parts': { 'number': '815', 'street': 'Tennessee Street', 'zip': '94107.0' },
+        'parent': {
+          'country_id': [ '85633793' ],
+          'country': [ 'United States' ],
+          'country_a': [ 'USA' ],
+          'postalcode': [ '94107' ],
+          'postalcode_id': [ '554784675' ],
+        },
+        'source': 'openaddresses',
+        'source_id': 'us/ca/san_francisco:819b088d2837cf5d',
+        'layer': 'address',
+        'country': [ 'United States' ],
+        'country_a': [ 'USA' ],
+        'country_gid': ['85633793'],
+        'postalcode': [ '94107.0' ],
+        'postalcode_gid': [ 'us/ca/san_francisco:819b088d2837cf5d:819b088d2837cf5d' ],
+        'postalcode_source': [ 'openaddresses' ],
+        'postalcode_layer': [ 'address' ],
+      }]
+    };
+
+    var expected = {
+      data: [{
+        'address_parts': { 'number': '815', 'street': 'Tennessee Street', 'zip': '94107.0' },
+        'parent': {
+          'country_id': [ '85633793' ],
+          'country': [ 'United States' ],
+          'country_a': [ 'USA' ],
+          'postalcode': [ '94107' ],
+          'postalcode_id': [ '554784675' ],
+        },
+        'source': 'openaddresses',
+        'source_id': 'us/ca/san_francisco:819b088d2837cf5d',
+        'layer': 'address',
+        'country': [ 'United States' ],
+        'country_a': [ 'USA' ],
+        'country_gid': [ 'whosonfirst:country:85633793' ],
+        'postalcode': [ '94107.0' ],
+        'postalcode_gid': [ 'openaddresses:address:us/ca/san_francisco:819b088d2837cf5d:819b088d2837cf5d' ],
+        'postalcode_source': [ 'openaddresses' ],
+        'postalcode_layer': [ 'address' ],
+      }]
+    };
+
+    normalizer({}, input, function () {
+      t.deepEqual(input, expected);
+      t.end();
+    });
+  });
 };
 
 module.exports.all = function (tape, common) {