Art Works Sites

This large five-part mural "History of the New World" by Ralf Henricksen was completed with the help of WPA Federal Art Project funds in 1938.

Artist Lucile Ward painted two extensive friezes for the Pasteur School in 1937, with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. "Numbers" is a 2'6" high frieze covering four walls of Room 112. "The Alphabet" (4′ high) covers all four walls of the kindergarten room.

Peace and Harvest, 1938-1939 Artist: Mary Andersen Clark Each statue is approximately 8 ft. tall (male figure “Peace”, female figure “Harvest”) These statues were designed by Ms. Clark as part of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project of Illinois. These statues have been moved several times, and originally did not have the bases they are placed on. Their original location was on the grounds of the Peoria Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium, which closed in 1975.

Cleveland's historic Pearlbrook Station post office houses one of many examples of New Deal artwork commissioned for northeast Ohio post offices by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The mural, "Ore Docks and Steel Mills," was completed by Richard Zoellner in 1938.

What was then Peekskill High School received murals in 1934 painted under the auspices of the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) in 1934. Created by B. Janes Thornley (a.k.a. James Thornley), the work "Technology Advancement" and its companion pieces "History Procession from Egypt to Modern Times," decorated the Ringgold Street building that was Peekskill High School from 1930 to 1972 and Peekskill Middle School from 1972 to 2008. That building "was demolished to make way for the new middle school, which opened in 2009," and the mural has since been restored and placed in what is now Peekskill Middle School. Patch: "The mural was...

"In addition to its architectural importance, the contains a noteworthy relief sculpture entitled Speed by Wheeler Williams that was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture in 1936. This was one of the New Deal art programs during the 1930’s which created murals and other public art for public buildings. Williams emphasizes the speed of communication by mail with his sculpted image of Mercury, the messenger and god of commerce and travel. The Penataquit Station Post Office was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on November 17, 1988." (www.bayshorecommerce.com)

Karl Kelpe painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "Pioneers," in 1936 with WPA Federal Art Project funding. It measures 16'11" by 8'. From the New Deal Art Registry: "This mural and a companion piece "("Early Farmers") were originally in the main entrance of the old Julian School building." "Early Farmers" is now located in the Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School.

This oil on canvas mural "Child and Sports--Winter" measures 16'10" by 6'2." It was painted by Ethel Spears in 1937 with WPA Federal Art Project funding. The mural was originally at the Lowell School in Oak Park. Its companion piece, 'Child and Sports--Summer,' is now located at the Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School.

Formerly known as Stuyvesant Square, the park in which this statue sits was renamed Cooper Square after Peter Cooper, a 19th century industrialist and philanthropist. As the NYC Parks site documents: “Following Cooper’s death in 1883, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), the preeminent 19th century sculptor and one of the earliest alumni of Cooper Union (class of 1864), was commissioned to design a monument in honor of the great visionary. Saint-Gaudens collaborated with the renowned architect Stanford White (1853–1906) who created the piece’s marble and granite canopy… In 1935, coinciding with reconstruction of the park, the newly created Parks Monuments Crew, with funding from...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) produced sketches and other works for what is now known as Petersburg National Battlefield. The status and present location of these works is unknown to Living New Deal. Wallace and Conway: "In time, additional displays included a number of attractive water colors, pastels, and charcoal illustrations done under a Works Progress Administration art project sponsored by the park in 1937. These illustrations depicted uniforms, battle scenes, and maps of battlefield areas around Petersburg and Richmond." Richmond Times-Dispatch: "The WPA art project for the Petersburg National Military Park in progress for a year and a half has been...

"The Economic Activities of the Narragansett Planters" is a Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural, painted by Ernest Hamlin Baker, that was originally installed in the Wakefield, Rhode Island post office. The mural was relocated in 1999 and currently resides at the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society. Medium: oil on canvas Size: 98 sq. ft.

The iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art was improved and developed by Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor during the Great Depression. "The WPA had permitted extraordinary construction and growth at the museum, while even allowing it to save money." Philadelphia Museum Bulletin: Everywhere, behind the scenes, the Museum is filled with workmen. Steelworkers, smiths, masons, plasterers, painters and men of the dozens of other building crafts ply their trades behind doors through which, as these open and close, we catch a glimpse of strange and delicate shapes—vast pillars of carved stone from India, tall red columns from China, gilded French panels of...

The black granite sculpture "Python," which can be found to the right-front of the entrance to the Philadelphia Zoo's Reptile House, was created by Aaron Ben-Shmuel and was completed and dedicated in 1940. "The sculpture is approximately 18 inches x 31 inches x 34 inches with the base being approximately 12 inches in height."

In 1934, Roger Noble Burnham sculpted a bronze bust for Phineas Banning High School in Los Angeles, CA, of former principal W. I. Travers. The portrait bust is listed as missing by the Los Angeles Public Library. Burnham also contributed to the Astronomer's Monument (1934), a Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) in Griffith Park (Los Angeles, CA). A different artist was responsible for each of the six astronomers depicted; Burnham sculpted the William Herschel figure.

Artist James Redmond painted a mural, "History of San Pedro Harbor," at Phineas Banning High School in Los Angeles, CA. He was funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). The mural "shows high points in the harbor's history beginning with a group of aborigines watching the landing of Cabrillo" (Wells, p. 21). Redmond's other New Deal–funded works in the region include a post office mural in Compton, CA, and a mural at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA.

"Chesapeake Fishermen" This mural was originally proposed for the Eutaw, Alabama post office. Since it depicts nothing in the Eutaw area, the Section reassigned it to Phoebus, Virginia. Note: Phoebus was a separate incorporated town during the 1930s. It was consolidated into Hampton, VA in 1952. Medium: fresco

"In 1939 Phoenix College moved from its old location to a new site at Thomas and 15th. The architectural firm of Lescher and Mahoney was hired with Public Works Administration funds to design the first six buildings for the new campus. The Liberal Arts and Science buildings; a gym; a combination library, auditorium and administration building; a cafeteria; and a central heating plant formed the core of the college for many years. Although some now support different activities, all six buildings are still standing. The lower level of the new library contains two paintings funded by the Federal Emergency Relief...

Piedmont High School was graced with four New Deal artworks in the 1930s, two of which have disappeared. They were commissioned by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which also constructed a new library and a classroom building.  This work was done c. 1937-39. Edgar D. Taylor created two mosaics for the school: "Modern Education" was on the wall in the library; "Ancient Education" was in the corridor behind the library.  These works are evidently still in the current library. Two other works are reported as missing and any information on their fate would be greatly appreciated: •Joseph Sheridan...

The building contains three murals by artist Burton Callicott in 1934, commissioned under the CWA's Public Works of Art Project. The murals are titled "Conflict with the Indians" (left panel), "Coming of De Soto" (center panel), and "The Discovery of the Mississippi River" (right panel). "For over fifty years, few visitors to the original building of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum have failed to notice the three large murals over the staircase in the lobby. There, in bold oranges and greens and in a dramatic style, is depicted the coming of Hernando De Soto to West Tennessee. The first mural...is filled...

This totem pole stands in the middle of historic Pioneer Square, known as the "first neighborhood of Seattle". The Pioneer Square Totem Pole stands tall but unobtrusive in the middle of this square. It is actually a replica of a previous totem pole that was damaged by vandals in 1938 and restored by CCC woodcarvers and then restored again in 1972. It is one of three structures that are listed as a National Historic Landmark as well as being a contributing structure in the Pioneer Square Skid-Road District. It's also, coincidentally, listed as part of three structures in the National Register...

Two murals facing each other across the gymnasium plaza.

This colorful 38' x 22' mosaic, "Recreation in Long Beach," was created under the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). Produced by a large group of artists—whose tile signatures surround the giant artwork—it was the largest WPA mosaic upon its completion in 1938. The mosaic depicts a variety of recreational activities associated with 1930s Long Beach, including swimming, croquet and horseshoes. Notably, it depicts both men and women at play, with a range of skin tones and dress, including uniforms. The mosaic originally adorned the Municipal Auditorium, which was demolished and replaced by the Terrace Theater. In 1982, the mosaic was relocated to...

The mural "Ranchers of the Panhandle Fighting Prairie Fire with Skinned Steer," painted by Frank Mechau in 1940, was created for what was then the post office in Brownfield, Texas. The building now (2014) serves as the Brownfield Police Station. Mechau described his mural as follows: "The prairie fire was a demon of the Panhandle. Sixty square miles of range could be destroyed in a day's time. Once the flame began to spread there were few efficient ways to combat it.  Plowing a line was too slow. Backfiring too dangerous. Cowboys would fight the fire with wet sacks or kill a...

" Fritz worked on various WPA projects during the thirties, including a mural for the Falmouth police station, which was situated just behind the old Town Hall, near the Falmouth Public Library. Regrettably, the old station and its attached mural are gone, but another of Fritz's wall creations depicting the history of book printing is well preserved and prominent in me main hall of the Brockton Public Library."

Ivan Bartlett and Jean Swiggett—alumni of Long Beach Polytechnic High School—completed this tempera fresco, entitled "Industrial Activities in Long Beach," in 1938/39, under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). The mural, which wraps around an interior stairwell between buildings 300 and 400, measures 18 by 32 feet and depicts a crowded city scene of local people at work and play near the harbor.

An unknown WPA Federal Art Project (FAP) artist—possibly Eugene Broachs—created a 5' by 6' painting for Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, CA. Painted in 1939, the work "is made of two textured canvases hanging in a wooden frame above the main entrance hallway. The work depicts ten students either engaged in various activities or holding objects representing scholastic activities such as the arts, sports, reading etc. The brushstrokes have a sketchy drawing-like appearance" (LBUSD WPA Artwork Collections Assessment Guidelines Survey, p. 21).

Re: a photograph "taken in 1944 in what is now the Popular Library of the main Burroughs-Saden Branch of the Bridgeport Public Library at Broad and State streets in downtown Bridgeport ... was the library's children's room... The murals in the corner were painted as a Works Progress Administration project, according to Mary Witkowski, who heads the library's historical collections. "It's still there," she said."

The two panels of the New Deal mural "Development of St. Johns" were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts for the St. John's Station post office. The building served as the St. John's Station Post Office and is currently the Portland Baha'i Center. These wall murals, located in the entryway, "depict the history and industrial development of the St. Johns area." (portlandbahai.org)

Four murals depicting pivotal scenes from the history of Portsmouth, New Hampshire were commissioned by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) and painted by artist Gladys Brannigan. They were installed in the auditorium of Portsmouth Middle School (on Parrott Avenue) in 1936. The current location or status of the murals is unknown.

The historic post office in Appalachia, Virginia was constructed in 1938 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in use.

The historic post office in Frankfort, Michigan was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which was constructed in 1940, contains an example of New Deal artwork and is still in use today.

The historic Hobart, Indiana post office was constructed in 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

"Discovery of Ore" by Betty Carney. This mural in the Chisholm Post Office was completed with the help of New Deal funds.

The historic post office in Russellville, Alabama was constructed in 1940 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service today.

The historic post office in Sebastopol, California was completed in 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in use today.

The historic U.S. Post Office and Customs House in Wrangell, Alaska was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which was completed in 1942, houses an example of New Deal artwork and is still in use today.

Two murals by the Italian born American artists Peppino Mangravite were painted for this post office with funding from the Section of Fine Arts in 1939. "Youth" and "Family Recreations" together show more than 130 figures participating in a range of seaside activities. "What Mangravite depicted was the busy, carefree image of middle-class America enjoying a vacation at the shore before the Depression. It taps into the period of time when Atlantic City was the 'Queen of Resorts'... (https://wasahockey.github.io). The post office containing the murals has been demolished. According to a website devoted to Peppino Mangravite, murals have been restored by Parma Conservation...

The historic post office building in Fairport, New York housed a example of New Deal artwork inside: a Treasury Section of Fine Arts-commissioned bronze relief entitled "The Harvest." Henry Van Wolf completed the work in 1939, and it was installed in the post office lobby. The present whereabouts of the work is unknown to Living New Deal.

The historic former post office building in Morrisville, Pennsylvania houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Canal Era," a mural by Yngve Soderberg. The work was completed and installed in 1939.

Mount Kisco's historic post office building was constructed as a federally sponsored Public Works Administration (PWA) project with Treasury Department funds in 1936. Postal operations moved to a newer building on the outskirts of the town in the early 1990s. The Depression-era post office building, which houses examples of New Deal artwork, is now privately owned. The old post office "a one and one-half story building constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond with a limestone foundation and slate shingles. The interior of the post office is intact. The main entrance opens into a vestibule. The main hall contains a barrel-vaulted...