• Atlantic Station Post Office (demolished) - Virginia Beach VA
    The former Atlantic Station post office was originally constructed as Virginia Beach’s Main Post Office in 1937. A Section of Fine Arts mural by artist John H.R. Pickett was installed in the post office in 1939. Unfortunately, the building was razed in 2009 after being purchased by Walgreens. The re-development of the property took place despite opposition by local officials, businesses and other citizens. A 2009 local newspaper reported: The 72-year-old Oceanfront post office faces possible demolition next year. ‘Walgreens has purchased that building,’ said Mac Rawls, chairman of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. ‘They are scheduled to tear it down – they’ve already...
  • Creeds Elementary School - Virginia Beach VA
    Creeds School was constructed for the 1939-40 school year with funds provided by the Works Progress Administration. The twelve-room structure served students from first grade through high school in the rural community of Creeds in Princess Anne County, Virginia. In 1954 when a new high school was opened in the county, Creeds School no longer offered upper level classwork. Creeds Elementary School, now located within the city of Virginia Beach, remains a vital and vibrant part of the Creeds community.
  • Post Office Mural - Virginia Beach VA
    During the Great Depression the federal government commissioned a mural upon completion then-new post office in downtown Virginia Beach. The work by John H. R. Pickett was completed in 1939 with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, and it is alternatively known by two titles: "The Arrival of the First White Women at Jamestown" and "Old Dominion Conversation Piece." The artist was paid a total of $710 for the mural: $200 once the preliminary sketches were approved; $200 upon half-completion; and $310 upon completion, installation, and final approval. The Section formally invited Mr. Pickett to compete for the commission in...