Pacific Grove Sites

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.

Pico Park baseball field in Pacific Grove, California, was built in the early 1930s with a combination of private funds and New Deal relief labor -- from either the Works Progress Administration (WPA) or possibly the Civil Works Administration (CWA). It is still in use today and in good condition. The stands and scoreboard appear to be original and there is a lovely line of cypresses along the outfield fence that look about the right age to have been planted during the 1930s.   Behind the stands is a parking lot and a couple low wooden buildings that look to be of...

The historic post office building in Pacific Grove, California was constructed in 1938 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses a New Deal mural in its lobby, is still in use today. The design is "Monterey style" with tile roof(s) and stucco walls, but the bas-relief columns on the front give a classical touch.  

The historic post office in Pacific Grove, California, holds a mural by noted artist Victor Arnautoff (famous for his murals in Coit Tower and George Washington High School in San Francisco).  The mural was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and hung in the post office lobby in 1940, two years after the building was completed.  The large 4 x 15 foot, oil-on-canvas mural is called "Lovers' Point" and depicts an idyllic beach scene.