Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) Sites

Ann Rice O’Hanlon’s was commissioned in 1934 through the Treasury Relief Art Project to create a fresco featured in Memorial Hall on the University of Kentucky’s Lexington campus. "The large fresco in the lobby of Memorial Hall depicts scenes from early Lexington and central Kentucky and images of cultural development. It was completed in 1934 by Ann Rice O'Hanlon, a University of Kentucky graduate..."

"Mail, Transportation and Delivery" and "Early Present Day Indianapolis Life" are two sets of murals painted by Grant Christian in 1935-6 with funding from the Treasury Relief Art Project. The artwork, which is not accessible to the general public, consists of multiple vertical panels. The medium is oil on canvas. U.S. Courts Visitors' Guide: "In 1935, Grant Christian, a 24-year old graduate of the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, won a competition run by the Treasury Relief Art Project, a Depression-era program, to produce murals for the Court House. Located in the southwest corner of the third floor, the panels on...

Gladys Caldwell Fisher completed these two Indiana limestone sculptures, entitled "Rocky Mountain Sheep" and "White Ram," in 1936 with funds provided by the Treasury Relief Art Project. They are viewable on both sides of the entrance to the Byron White US Courthouse, which was originally the U.S. Post Office Building.  

A New Deal mural, "The Jicarilla Apache Trading Post," was created for the 1930s old post office building in Carlsbad, New Mexico. It is now housed at the Carlsbad Museum. Treasures on New Mexico Trails: A large mural-size painting, 42" x 50" by La Verne Nelson Black (1887-1938) under the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) titled, "The Jicarilla Apache Trading Post," is a dramatic work of Jicarilla Apache Indians at the trading post some of whom are on horseback. The time of day is dusk with dark winter clouds in the background and with brighter colors on the individuals.

On the third floor of the federal courthouse (then the post office) is a 1936 TRAP mural entitled "Morgan's Raiders" painted by Daniel Boza.

"Justice Tempered with Mercy (Uphold the Right, Prevent the Wrong)" by Emil Bisttram was originally installed in the courthouse at Roswell, NM. It was painted with Treasury Relief Art Project funds in 1936 and moved to its present location in 1983. "Cooperation" and "Strife" are two smaller (3' x 3') murals that flank "Justice Tempered With Mercy" to form a triptych.  

In 1938, Thomas Laman painted five egg tempera on canvas murals for the Eureka post office and courthouse under the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP). The murals depict mining, farming, railroad building, and fauna of northern California.    The 0ld Eureka post office and courthouse was privatized (sold off) in 2002 and the murals were in danger of being lost to the public. But public pressure led the   General Services Administration (GSA) to reclaim and restore the murals, which were later transferred to the new federal courthouse in nearby McKinleyville, completed in 2015.

The General Services Administration's former Regional National Capital Office in Washington DC is graced by a magnificent set of murals by Harold Weston commissioned under the New Deal. The building was originally the headquarters of the Treasury Department’s Procurement Division. In 1936, Harold Weston was employed by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) to paint 22 murals inside the main lobby area at the 7th street entrance.  The murals depict construction-related activities carried out by the Procurement Division and the private construction firms it contracted with.  The 1942 WPA Guide to Washington DC says:  "In the main lobby, 7th Street entrance, murals illustrate...

This wood relief "Horseman" by Gordon Newell and Sherry Peticolas depicts a man leading two horses. It was funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project in 1937.

This 1912 post office building serves as the Main Post Office for New York and houses two 1938 murals by Louis Lozowick, entitled "Triboro Bridge in Process of Construction'' and ''Sky Line and Waterfront Traffic as Seen from Manhattan Bridge." The murals are located at the Eighth Avenue side of the building. They were funded under the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP).

The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. Louis Bouché painted a large oil on canvas mural, "Activities of the Department of Justice" in 1937.   This is the only artwork at the Department of Justice paid for by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) rather than...

Langston Terrace Dwellings, opened in 1938, was the first U.S. Government funded public housing project in Washington and the second in the nation.  Initial funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); later the U.S. Housing Authority stepped in to complete the job. The International Style complex was designed by African American architect Hilyard Robinson, a native Washingtonian. It embodies Robinson's belief in the ability of fine buildings and art to inspire and uplift residents. Langston Terrace is enhanced by its artworks. Daniel Olney's terra-cotta frieze, "The Progress of the Negro Race",  lines the central courtyard and chronicles African American history from enslavement...

This 3'6" x 4'6" bas relief of limestone located on the outside of the Berkeley Main Post Office titled "Post Office Activities" was created by David Slivka under the auspices of the Treasury Relief Art Project. Man at center is holding a package addressed: "From: D.S. To: All Mankind, Truth Abode on Freedom Road"

This tempera and oil on canvas mural "Incidents in California History" by Suzanne Scheuer was painted in 1936-37 with funding from the Treasury Relief Art Project. Located in the Berkeley Main Post Office. This mural depicts the earliest inhabitants of Berkeley. Scheuer was also one of the artists contributing to San Francisco's Coit Tower mural.

In 1936 Roland Schweinsberg was commissioned by the Treasury Relief Art Project to complete a 15-foot lunette titled "Old Bennett Pottery Plant," which depicts the 1839 pottery of James Bennett, East Liverpool's first commercial potter. In 1937 the painting was installed in the post office building in East Liverpool, which now houses the Museum of Ceramics. The painting remains on public display and hangs above the door to the museum's archives and library.

The New Deal years 1933 to 1941 were arguably the best years in the history of the National Zoo, thanks to the many projects undertaken by the Roosevelt Administration.  Labor was provided by work-relief programs — the Civil Works Administration (CWA), Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), and Works Progress Administration (WPA) — and construction was funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and, later, the Federal Works Agency (FWA). New Deal agencies built or improved virtually every aspect of the zoo.  The PWA paid for a new elephant house and small mammal house and an addition to the bird house.  It funded...

Elizabeth Fulda was commissioned to make glass mosaics – 9 by 6 foot panels – to be placed over two entrance doors to the new addition to the Bird House done in 1936.  Those were never done.  Instead, her designs were used to create colored concrete panels carved by Dominico Mortellito. Mortellito's  initials are carved in the panels, but the design is Fulda's, as can be seen from her drawings submitted to the Fine Arts Commission. One panel depicts dodos and the other moas.  The panels still exist on the rear of the building – though the doors have been bricked up...

Charles R. Knight produced a frieze of Pre-Historic Animals inside the Large Mammal House at the National Zoo in 1937. They were cast in aluminum by the Manhattan Terrazzo Brass Strip Company. On the floor are roundels by Knight in marble and aluminum depicting various large mammals. Those were also carried out by the Manhattan Terrazzo Brass Strip Company. These artworks were commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Relief Art Project, which aimed to put unemployed artists back to work.    

Two one-foot square cast-aluminum plates, depicting the  "Pied Piper of Hamelin," were produced by Domenico Mortellito in 1936 and installed in the Small Mammal House at the National Zoo. These pieces were commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP), which gave work to unemployed artists in the Depression.

In 1937, Domenico Mortellito painted habitat background murals for the Bird House and the Pachyderm (Elephant) House and added murals to the zoo restaurant.  These murals were commissioned by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP), which aimed to put unemployed artists back to work.   Mortellito used a rubber-based paint for the animal house murals and carved linoleum for the restaurant.   It appears that all have been lost over the years, though two murals at the Bird House are said to survive (this  needs to be verified). Mortellito is shown in the photos below painting the background murals in the Elephant House, including...

Erwin Springweiler designed the sculptures of elephants and mammoths above the interior doors in the Elephant House at National Zoo. The actual carving was done by Lombard & Ludwig, architectural sculptors, during construction of the Elephant House in 1936-37. These works were paid for by the Treasury Relief Arts Project (TRAP).    

Sculptor Richard "Dick" O'Hanlon created two wooden bas-relief panels for the Salinas, California post office and federal building -- now called the Steinbeck Station Post Office.   The works were funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) and installed in 1936.  One is titled "Cowboy and Bull" and the other "Cowboy and Horse."  They are carved in black walnut. The reliefs hang at either end of the long lobby. They appear to be in very good condition. Originally from Long Beach, California, O'Hanlon (1906-1985) joined other young California artists like Frederick Olmsted apprenticing with Diego Rivera at the San Francisco Art Institute...

This large decorative map painted by Jenne Magafan and Edward Chavez was funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) for the Glenwood Springs post office in 1937. The mural remains in the original building which now houses the White River National Forest Building. (The mural is in a cramped stairwell, hence the difficulty of photographing the full map, the acute angles of the photos and the poor lighting)

In 1936, Charles Kassler painted a series of eight lunette murals for the former Beverly Hills Post Office (today's Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts). Located at either end of the Grand Hall's interior, the lunettes "Post Rider" and "Air Mail" were funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA) and depict the past and future of the mail service. The remaining six lunettes, collectively titled "Construction–PWA", were funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP).

Mount Kisco's historic post office building contains two New Deal murals: painted by Thomas Donnelly in 1936, they are entitled "Indian Cornfield" and "Mount Kisco in 1850." The works were commissioned by the federal Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) and installed post office ca. 1936-7. The building is now privately owned.

There are 6 murals in the now-former post office building at 151 West Street in Rutland, Vermont. Painted in 1937 by Stephen J. Belaski, the works depict the "Early History of Vermont." The artwork was commissioned under the auspices of the TRAP (Treasury Relief Art Project). Though the post office has moved to an adjacent property, the murals are still accessible for public viewing.

These two terra-cotta bas reliefs—one of a boy and one of a girl, both standing by a post office box—are about 5 feet tall and made from terra cotta. They are titled "RFD 1" and "RFD 2," and were created by Helen Bruton with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1940.

"Limestone Quarry Workers" Moved to this location in 1989 Medium: terra cotta

The historic Geneva post office is home to five exterior Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP)-funded stone reliefs by Theodore C. Barbarossa and his assistants. They depict respectively "Industry," "Education," "Eagle," "Aviation," and "Agriculture." The post office also contains a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural inside.

The post office in Milton is home to five sculptures by Louis A. Maene, all completed in 1936 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and viewable on the exterior facade. There is the bronze sculpture entitled "Milton Topography," the limestone bas relief entitled "Native Americans," and the limestone bas reliefs depicting modes of transporting the mail and entitled, "Truck," "Locomotive," "Ship," "Plane," and "Pony Express,"

Four plaster bas-reliefs, depicting a buffalo, bear, ram, and lion, decorate the exterior of the Inglewood CA main post office. They sit between the first and second floor windows of the front of the building. These sculptures were created by Gordon Newell and Sherry Peticolas in 1937 and funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts (not the arts programs of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), as sometimes thought). The artist and provenance of the abstract relief with an eagle over the entrance of the post office is unknown to us. The 1940 granite statue of the dog "Rex" in front of the...

The main Santa Clara post office contains a 4' x 3.5' wood carving, "Early Pioneers" by Michael von Meyer, created under the auspices of the Treasury Relief Art Project, c. 1935.

The post office contains multiple TRAP funded murals by Mr. Rosen that depict views and maps of the mid-Hudson region.  

In 1937, Milford Zornes (assisted by George Biddle) painted an enormous oil-on-canvas mural, "California Landscape," in the Claremont, CA, post office. The mural was funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP). The 58' x 3'4" mural wraps around all four walls of the lobby. "There are clusters of trees, people walking along a road, a farmer leading two plough horses, and a couple in Mexican finery dancing. Bridges Auditorium, meant to represent Pomona College and the importance of higher education, is also portrayed" (Dunitz, p. 343). Zornes was an Oklahoma-born watercolorist for whom Western landscapes were a favorite subject. He also...

In 1936, artist James Redmond painted a mural, "Early California," for the post office in Compton, CA. Funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP), the mural depicts the mythic history of early California and wraps around all four walls of the lobby. "One of the most beautiful sets of mural panels executed under government sponsorship during the depression is James Redmond's panels for the Compton Post Office. Unfortunately, because of their location, they are also one of the least visited sites, which is a pity since they are so captivating in person. In his letter to TRAP administrators describing...

Vincent D'Agostino painted the mural entitled "The Perils of the Mail" in 1937 with the help of TRAP funds. The mural was installed in the lobby of the Gloucester City post office and is still visible there today.

In 1940, Ruth Grotenrath painted this lush scene, highlighting the local dairy cows and horses, through the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP).

The oil-on-canvas mural "History of California" is a seven-part mural spanning the large lobby of the historic Huntington Park Post Office. It was painted by Norman Chamberlain, assisted by Jean Swiggett and Ivan Bartlett, in 1937 with funding from the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP). "The scene of a racially integrated workforce on the south wall is noteworthy because this kind of depiction is rare in southern California New Deal murals" (Dunitz, p. 229).  

The historic New London post office houses magnificent examples of New Deal artwork. Tom La Farge painted a six-panel mural for the lobby of the New London post office. Sources suggest that the work was initially commissioned by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and later installed under the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP). NHRP nomination: Murals painted in 1933 and installed in 1938 depict scenes typical of early whaling, and are integrated well into the lobby design. The murals were commissioned as part of the Public Works of Art Program and painted by Thomas Sergeant Lafarge of New York, an...

These three egg tempera panels on plaster board entitled "Life in Early California" were completed in 1935 by Tom Laman, under the auspices of the Treasury Relief Art Project.