Sculpture and Bas Relief Sites

The historic post office in Jenkins, Kentucky housed New Deal artwork: terra cotta reliefs by F. Jean Thalinger entitled "Miner" and "Daughter." The works are reputedly missing since a 1970s post office renovation.

A Section of Fine Arts plaster lunette, titled “Sorting the Mail," hangs in the lobby of the Caldwell post office. It was made by Brenda Putnam in 1937.

A carved wood sculpture entitled "Eagle" by sculptor and film actor Stuart Holmes was installed at the post office in Claremont, CA. It is unclear when the sculpture was completed and whether it was funded by the Treasury Relief Arts Program (TRAP) or the Section of Fine Arts. Unfortunately, this sculpture is now missing. Note: TRAP (1935-1939) was the smallest of the programs to hire unemployed artists to create public artworks. The Section of Fine Arts (1939-1943) succeeded the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture (1934-1938) and the Treasury Section of Fine Arts (1938-1939) in overseeing artworks created to enhance public...

The post office contains a 1939 wooden relief entitled "Agriculture." It was funded by the Section of Fine Arts and created by William Krusen. The relief depicts a nude woman emphasizing fertility and the productiveness of the land, cradling a shock of wheat in her lap and a scythe in her left hand. There are minor condition issues. William Krusen was born in Philadelphia and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He worked with wood primarily and after moving to Florida was known for his sculpture and carpentry.

A Section of Fine Arts sculpture, “Transportation of the Mail,” was made by Robert Laurent in 1937. The sculpture hangs in the lobby of Garfield's main post office.

The post office contains a 1942 Section of Fine Arts sculpture by Carl Mose entitled "Family Group." The sculpture is a wood bas relief with the father in support at the base, mother supporting the child who is reaching for a dove. A church is in the background surrounded by trees. All is peaceful and tranquil in this scene with no fore-shadowing of war, save the child reaching for the bird of peace. Carl Mose was born 1903 in Copenhagen, Denmark, studied at the Chicago Art Institute, the Student’s Art League and Beaux Arts Academy in New York City. He specialized in...

Bernard J. (Tony) Rosenthal completed a wood carving, entitled "Coal Mining," in 1941 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The work is installed in the lobby of the Nokomis, Illinois post office.

The historic post office in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey houses an example of New Deal artwork: a cast stone sculpture entitled "Benjamin Franklin." The work, created by A. Stirling Calder, was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The historic Schofield Barracks branch post office contains a 1943 Section of Fine Arts wood carving by Roy King entitled "Primitive Communication." The work can be found in the upper corner of the right side of the retail lobby.

The wood carving "Construction" was created by Maurice Glickman for the new South River post office. The work was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts and completed in 1943.

"The well-preserved lobby features a bas-relief sculpture by Robert Kittredge illustrating the Apache chiefs, Geronimo and Vittorio, on horseback in battle. The sculpture was funded by the Section of Fine Arts, the U.S. Treasury Department’s New Deal art program."

The post office building in Union City, Pennsylvania houses an example of New Deal artwork: "The Lumberman," a relief sculpture commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The work was completed by Vincent Glinsky in 1939 for the then-new post office in Union City, which has since been demolished.

"Along the south wall of the lobby of the Post Office is a sculpture 'Potter and His Burro,' commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture in November 1938. It was created by Felix Schlag in honor of White Hall's pottery industry and installed in the building in November 1939."   (NRHP)

The historic Hammonton post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Harvest," a sculpture created by Spero Anageros in 1940. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Unfortunately, the sculpture is missing.

"Daniel Olney was commissioned for $750 to create a mural for Berryville, Arkansas on the basis of merit of the model submitted in the Salina, Kansas Competition. The figures were designed for Salina, Kansas, but were transformed into man and woman for Arkansas. Olney specifically created a plow and guitar to show a union of work and play. He encountered some trouble relating the sculpture to the wall, their smaller size, approximately three feet tall, does not entirely cover the space above the postmaster's door. In this mural, Rural Arkansas is characterized by the figures of a farmer on the right...

The historic Carlyle post office possesses a set of three sculptures by Curt Drewes. The sculptures, entitled "Farm," "Dairy Farming," and "Fish Hatchery," were funded by the Section of Fine Arts in 1939.

These eleven limestone reliefs by Boris Gilbertson are located around the outside of the old Fond du Lac post office. They represent "Birds and Animals of the Northwest." The post office now houses the organization Advocap.

Nina de Brennecke created three carved mahogany bas relief sculptures: "Peaches," "Dewberries," and "Drilling," in 1942 with funds provided by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts. They are viewable in the lobby of the historic Hamlet, North Carolina post office.

George Aarons' three cast stone reliefs, "Development of the Postal Service," were installed in 1939 in the then-new (and now former) Ripley, Mississippi post office. They were moved to the new post office in 1999 and installed on the back work room floor. As of 2014, access is "happily granted by the employees" (newdealartregistry.org).

The historic post office for Yellowstone National Park, located at the Mammoth Hot Springs community near the north entrance of the park, is home to an example of New Deal artwork: two stone sculptures entitled "Young Grizzly Bears," created by Gladys Caldwell Fisher. Commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts, the works flank the front entrance to the building. Annals of Wyoming: Fronting the post office at Mammoth Hot Springs in the Park are a pair of carved stone grizzly bear cubs. The two animals are the work of Mrs. Gladys Fisher, a Denver artist who completed the commission for...

The historic post office in Anthony, Kansas houses an example of New Deal artwork: a stone carving entitled "Boy and Cult," created by Robert Kittredge under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1942.

A mahogany wood bas-relief by Archibald Garner, entitled "Centinella Springs," frames a doorway inside the main post office in Inglewood CA.  It depicts early California settlers drawing water from a local spring. (Inglewood was briefly known as "Centinella" in the 19th century) The post office building was constructed in 1935 and Garner's relief was created in 1937 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts (not the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and its arts programs, as sometimes thought).

The historic post office in Dundalk, Maryland houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned relief entitled "Welding," produced in 1942 by Harrison Gibbs.

The historic post office building in Oakville, Connecticut houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Treasury Section of Fine Arts wood relief entitled “The Picknickers,” created by Theodore C. Barbarossa in 1941.

This 3' x 9' carving of four women on the exterior of the post office is titled "Indian Maidens." It was created by Zygmund Sazevich with funding from the Treasury Relief Art Project.

The wood carving "The Spirit of the Post," by Milton Horn, was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts funds. It resides in the lobby of the historic Swarthmore post office.

Four wooden grilles by Frederick H. Brunner adorn the historic New Deal-era post office building located at 28 Main Street in the Chicopee Falls community in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The carvings were commissioned by the federal Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP).

The post office contains a 1940 Section of Fine Arts carved wooden relief by Donlon P. McGovern entitled Lewis and Clark.

The Power of Water Fountain, designed by Henry Lion, Jason Herron & Sherry Peticolas c.1935 is one of hundreds of public sculptures created during the federally-assisted Public Works of Art Project. A cast central figure of a woman symbolizes the power of water, the flowing lines of her hair and garments evoking water; a bas-relief panel on the face of the lower basin depicts the eternal struggle to obtain the precious resource. The fountain/sculpture is owned by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.  

A great number of improvements to the General Grant National Memorial ("Grant's Tomb") were undertaken by the WPA between 1935 and 1939. As the National Park Service's David Kahn (1980) explains: "In 1938 the Federal Art Project selected artists William Mues and Jeno Juszko to design the busts of William T. Sherman, Phillip H. Sheridan, George H. Thomas, James B. McPherson, and Edward Ord. The WPA installed five busts in the circular wall of the atrium surrounding the sarcophagi. After the many contributions of the WPA, the Grant Monument Association held a re-dedication of the tomb on April 27, 1939." The Riverside...

The four large granite bas reliefs installed along the side of the William Penn Annex/Robert N. C. Nix Federal Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were carved by Edmond R. Amateis. They are collectively titled "Mail Delivery – North, South, East, West," and were created in 1941 with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The two large granite reliefs "Law" and "Justice", as well as two large stone eagles, were carved by Donald De Lue. They were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1940. They are installed around the exterior of the William Penn Annex/Robert N. C. Nix Federal Building.

Roosevelt Park is located in Edison, New Jersey. It contains a number of picnic groves and sports facilities. The WPA did major work on the park in the 1930s. In addition to general park development, a monument honoring the laborers who built the park was erected in 1933. There is also a WPA sculpture in the park by Waylande Gregory (see linked project page).

The "Guardian of Water" is a granite sculpture, with a mosaic and frieze around the base. It was created by Donal Hord in 1939, with support from the WPA. The sculpture is a 23' high figure of a woman holding an olla on her left shoulder, symbolizing the need for water conservation in southern California. She is surrounding by a mosaic of kneeling nudes- symbolizing clouds- pouring water from jars over a dam into a citrus-fruit orchard. The San Diego Historical Society Museum has on display a small scale plaster maquette and a film about the creation of this work.

These 7'4" x 4' tufa stone busts of "Leonardo Da Vinci" and "Thomas Edison" were carved by Frederick E. Olmsted, great-nephew of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, for the WPA exhibition "Art in Action" at the Treasure Island world's fair. They are located on the exterior of the Science Hall.

Albert Stewart completed four bronze reliefs showing the "Minting Process" at the San Francisco Mint in 1937 with Treasury Section of Fine Arts funds. Stewart also completed two sculptures, entitled "Eagles," for the Mint.  

The Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned bas-relief sculptures by Elliot Franz Sandow (1910-1976) at the Orinda Water Treatment Plant, part of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). They decorate an overflow weir at the plant.  Labor and materials for the project cost $1360. The artist completed similar bas-relief panels for the Labor Temple and Woodminster Amphitheater in Oakland. The sculptures remain in fine condition and are available for public viewing at the Orinda plant.

This 4' by 3' cast stone relief entitled "Comedy, Tragedy, Music" was produced by Olinka Hrdy in 1937 with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. It is located on the primary (east) façade of Barnum Hall and depicts stylized Greek comedy and tragedy masks as well as musical instruments. According to a 2018 Historic Resources Group report, "some sources credit this piece to Ella Buchanan and Stefan de Vriendt, but this appears to be erroneous" (p. 24).

A 5x5-foot carved wood bas-relief depicting four "Workers" is located in the library over the circulation desk. It was produced in 1937 with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. The artist is unknown. "Research suggests that the art piece was salvaged around 1970, when the library was relocated from the English Building to the Language Building and the original library space was converted to classrooms" (HRG Report, p. 89).

Several New Deal art works grace the Santa Monica high school campus, including a 7-foot-high cast stone sculpture titled "The Viking." Located on the patio between the Art and History buildings, the sculpture was created by John Palo-Kangas in 1937 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). "The sculpture is set upon a rectangular concrete basin which has been capped. The backdrop for the sculpture is composed of patterned blocks with a stylized wave design"—blocks which "also appear in the foyer of Barnum Hall and around the main entrance of the History Building" (HRG Report, p. 24).