Hamburg Sites

The historic post office in Hamburg, Iowa was built in 1937-8 with Treasury Department funds. The building is still in service, though it was doubled in size and extensively remodeled in 1969-70, at which point the building lost much of its character (as well as the New Deal artwork created for the facility; see adjoining site page).

The historic post office in Hamburg, Iowa received an example of New Deal artwork: "Peony Festival at Hamburg," painted by William E. L. Bunn in 1941. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The post office was enlarged and extensively remodeled in 1969-70. Unfortunately, the following occurred, per WPAMurals: The Postmaster sought to expand his office out into the lobby, which required removing the wall the mural hung on. Instead of notifying the GSA of the problem so that experts could remove the mural, he enlisted the help of an amateur painter friend, retired dentist Dr. Harvey Bang....