ADDRESS: 225 Locust St. Hudson, Wisconsin 54016
ARTIST: Ruth Grotenrath
TITLE: Unloading a River Barge
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The mural no longer resides in the original Hudson Post Office building. It was moved to the Museum of Wisconsin Artists (MOWA) located in West Bend, Wisconsin. At the time of writing, the mural was in storage and not available for viewing by the public.
YEAR: 1941
I specifically set aside a time to drive up to Hudson so I could photograph this one and hopefully see the mural. My limited research told me there was a mural inside. So I just figured I drive on up here and find out. Little did I know that the building had already been sold and is now The Post Mark Grill.
Had I know when I went to visit I would have planned my trip better and actually eaten here. But we just ate before visiting the building and I didn’t even know it had become a restaurant. So for all those Post Office Fans, if you are headed to Hudson Wisconsin. I’d say make sure you plan your trip and try out the Post Mark Grill. If I ever get the chance to drive out this way again I’m definitely going to try to eat here.
So with that being said, the new owners did do a great job preserving this wonderful old building. They kept all the post office engravings on the front of the building. They keep the awesome eagle above the front entrance. The interior is also wonderfully done. The restaurant is filled with old photographs and artifacts. I really had a great visit here and enjoyed taking it all in. But it begs me to ask? Where is the old mural that once graced the lobby of this building? After speaking to the one of the staff and asking a few more questions, I was told the old mural is in a museum in West Bend Wisconsin. What museum is that I proceeded to ask. Turns out no one knew, and I’d have to figure this one out on my own.
So that is exactly what I did. After returning from this visit I did some research for Wisconsin Museums. What I found was the Museum of Wisconsin Artists, or (MOWA) for short. Now I have a place to start. I’m hoping they may also have some information on the other murals in the state. So stayed tuned, this is going to be a continuing post about the Former Hudson Wisconsin Post Office.
January 8, 2014 Update
Back in September of last year, my wife and I ended up visiting MOWA twice. The first time we were not able to view the mural and the staff wasn’t quite sure where the mural was. After looking through the glass storage windows, I observed something that resembled the post office mural.
Turns out I was right and after contacting the correct staff at MOWA, we were able to scheduled a visit and view this wonderful mural. Although it was in storage, Andrea took time out of her Saturday to let us view it, and for this I can not thank you enough. Hopefully someday this one will make it into the permanent displays. But for now you have a gallery of photos here on postofficefans to enjoy.
In addition to the Hudson Post Office Mural, MOWA also has another one of Ruth Grotenrath’s paintings on display. Its’s called “Modern Madonna”. I’ve included the plaque description with a small piece of the painting below. It’s unique that one gets to observe multiple works by the same artist in one place, which is especially true of post office murals, so I thought I’d mentioned this other work just in case you are interested in Ruth Grotenrath’s art.
UPDATE 2023
It appears the ownership has changed and the restaurant has been change to Post American Eatery. I’m anxious to re-visit and eat here.
Thanks,
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 6/05/2013 and 9/28/2013, 7/6/2016 by David W. Gates Jr.
- Wisconsin Post Office Murals by David W. Gates Jr.
- Wisconsin Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
- (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
- Museum of Wisconsin Artist (MOWA) (https://wisconsinart.org)
- The Post Mark Grill (https://www.thepostmarkgrille.com)
- Post American Eatery – (posthudson.com)
- A Creative Place: The History Of Wisconsin Art
