Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office – Part 1

ADDRESS: 1720 Market Street, Saint Louis, Missouri 63155

Part I of a 10 Part Series on the Saint Louis, Missouri Main Post Office.

Before heading to Saint Louis, I knew the main post office had a mural. To be honest I was just thinking to myself that it would be great to get some photographs of it. Little did I know the Saint Louis Main Post Office is graced by not one mural but nine. yes, you  read that correctly, 9 murals. They are also the large 9 feet by 29 feet version only found in larger buildings. Needless to say I was impressed with the immense size of the Saint Louis Main Post Office.

I was really taken-back by the sight of all this artwork in one place. For me the highlight of visiting a post office is finding a single mural or other artifact. So discovering 9 large murals in Saint Louis blew me away. I don’t even remember how long I was here. I kept taking pictures and admiring them for who knows how long. It became apparent how interested I was, after a while I was approached by a security guard.  No they did not haul me off to Jail or question why I was photographing the entire lobby of the building. He was logical enough to know I was only interested in the artwork and murals.

Apparently this is a common thing because when he approached me he had something in his hands. After our introductions he handed me a five-page document that described each mural. I was thankful for his act of kindness and generosity. It seems that this has happened before and so security just has this worksheet already printed out for interested parties. Very cool!

This blog entry marks the first of 10 different post. I don’t think it would be fair to highlight all murals in one post so I decided to give each mural its own separate entry. Not only are the murals an important feature but the exterior of the building has these great sculptures depicting the services of the United States Post Office.

Folks there is a lot of art here and the murals are huge. Its like being at a museum. If you ever get the chance to visit I highly recommend it. Tune in tomorrow for the first mural in the series “The Post-War Period”.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

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

Sources

• Personal visit on 8/10/2012 by David W. Gates Jr.
• United States Postal Service
• (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover]  Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz.