Rock Falls Illinois Post Office

ADDRESS: 210 2nd Avenue, Rock Falls, Illinois, 61071
ARTIST: Curt Drewes
TITLE: Farming by Hand, and The Manufacture of Farm Implements
MEDIUM: Plaster (reliefs)
STATUS: The Rock Falls post office is still an active, operating facility, and the reliefs can be viewed by interested members of the public. They reside in the lobby on the same wall as the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1939

Welcome to another Saturday edition. Saturday’s I like to highlight older post office buildings most often these were created during the depression era of the 1930’s. My favorites have murals in the lobby or some other form of artwork. The Rock Falls is special in that it does not have a mural but rather plaster cast reliefs as artwork.

I’m not sure what to make of this one? I’m happy to see an older building but the front Blue Shade just doesn’t do anything for me. It almost looks as if this was an afterthought to get the name of the post office out in front where people can see it.

I also remember this being a challenge to photograph. One of the reasons for this is because the sun was setting behind the building, so naturally this sort of block out the front of the building and makes it darker and more difficult to see. What I end up doing is walking closer to the building and try to cut out the sun so it does not shine right into the camera. I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think?

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

“Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”

Sources

• Personal visit on 3/20/2012 by David W. Gates Jr.
• Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook 
• United States Postal Service
• Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover]  Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz