Murals Sites

In 1938 Eric Mose created murals for Lincoln Hospital (also known as the Lincoln Medical and Health Center) in the Bronx with funding from the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP) (Smithsonian Archives of American Art). The hospital (then located at 141st St. and Southern Blvd. in the Bronx) moved to its present location on 149th St. in 1976. The mural’s current status is unknown, but it was probably lost in the demolition of the old hospital c. 2010.

The two 9' x 34' panels of the mural "The Children's World" were painted by Francis Coan with WPA Federal Art Project funds. They were moved from the Hild Library and restored in 1998.  

https://clevelandhistorical.org: "Under the direction of the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Public Library, the Cleveland FAP employed needy artists adorning schools and public buildings throughout Greater Cleveland. The Cleveland Heights school district requested works pertaining to children's themes and the American Scene during the late 1930s and 1940s. Oxford Elementary received funding for two murals, two hydrocals, and thirty-five ceramics (though only some of the ceramics were completed)." "Early in 1937, two murals done directly on the walls of the first floor corridor were executed at Oxford School by Gladys Carambella. These showed the stories of the Pied Piper of...

Daniel Celentano completed this oil-on-canvas mural, entitled "Children in Creative & Cultural Activities," in 1940 through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It is currently located in the auditorium of P.S. 150 in Queens.

The school auditorium contains a set of murals by Sacha Moldovan entitled "New York Old and New," painted under the auspices of the WPA. "Drawing inspiration from historic images of New York as well as 1930s views of the city, Sacha Moldovan created a fanciful panorama of New York City, old and new, blending recognizable landmarks with a naïve sensibility. Moldovan was born in Russia but lived and worked in Paris, where he came of age artistically as a member of the School of  Paris, befriending Henri Matisse and Chaim Soutine. Moldovan’s paintings feature thick applications of brilliant color, heavy outlines, and...

In 1939, Herman Simms completed a mural for the entranceway of P.S. 216 in Brooklyn with funding from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The mural is entitled "Children in Vocational Activities and Children in Directed and Undirected Play." The New York Times explains that "...Herman Simms, a 29-year-old artist kept off the bread lines by the Works Progress Administration, painted a mural in the entranceway of Public School 216 in Gravesend, Brooklyn....It took him eight months. He was paid $20 a week." It describes the mural thus: "One piece of the mural dealt with classroom activities -- music instruction, home economics and...

August (Gus Gay) was hired by the Federal Art Project to paint a mural in the Pacific Grove High School Library in 1935.  It was a very ambitious mural that took three years to complete, even with the assistance of young artist Bruce Ariss. The 10 x 150 foot mural was one of the largest in California, depicting the Monterey coastline from Point Pinos lighthouse to Monterey Custom House, with Cannery Row at the center. The mural was completely destroyed by a fire at the school in December 1946.

"Palmer Park became part of the Chicago Park District in 1934, when the city's 22 independent park commissions were consolidated into a new unified system. Later that year, park district art director James Edward McBurney created three murals for Palmer Park as a Works Progress Administration project funded by the federal government. The three are: "Native Americans," "explorers," and "Dutch settlers."

The historic former Palmer Square post office in Princeton, New Jersey houses an example of New Deal artwork: a large mural, entitled "Columbia under the Palm," painted by Karl Free in 1939. The mural remains in place despite USPS having sold the building to private interests and the building undergoing multiple transformations since that time. "One of the distinctive features of the post office building is a controversial 1939 mural depicting Native Americans kneeling at the arrival of European colonists, a scene that some have denounced as racist."   (https://www.nj.com)

Harodl Bugbee completed two murals for the museum. "The Cattlemen" was completed with funds from the PWAP in 1934. "Ranch Headquarters" was completed in 1940 with support from the WPA Federal Art Project.

Ben Carlton Mead completed two New Deal murals for the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. One, "Coronado's Coming" was painted in 1934 with funding from the PWAP. Another, "Antelope Creek Focus" was painted in 1940 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project.  

This photo shows WPA Federal Art Project artists giving members of the Paragon Boys' Club a lessons in mural painting.

The former Parcel Post Building in Richmond, Virginia housed multiple examples of New Deal artwork: murals by Paul Cadmus and Jared French, respectively, which were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Paul Cadmus's work was a mural with respective titles: "Pocahontas Saving the Life of Captain John Smith," "Walter Raleigh," and "William Byrd." Believed to be removed from the Parcel Post Building in the 1960s, the mural was found rolled up in storage in Philadelphia. Since restored, the work is now housed in the library at the Lewis F. Powell Jr. United States Courthouse, which is next door to...

The former Parcel Post Building in Richmond, Virginia housed multiple examples of New Deal artwork: murals by Paul Cadmus and Jared French, respectively, which were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Gerard French’s work was a mural: "Stuart’s Raiders at the Swollen Ford," featuring companion portraits of Jeb Stuart, and John Pelham “in wings attached to either end of the scene.” Believed to be removed from the Parcel Post Building in the 1960s, the mural was found rolled up in storage in Philadelphia. Since restored, the work is now housed in the library at the Lewis F. Powell Jr. United...

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.

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...

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.

"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.

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...

Two murals facing each other across the gymnasium plaza.

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.

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.