James Michael

Former (Des Plaines) IL Post Office 60018

ADDRESS: 622 Graceland Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois, 60016
ARTIST: James Michael Newell
TITLE: Death of Pere Marquette & Conquest of the Prairie Lands
MEDIUM: Fresco (murals) 2 panels
STATUS: The former Des Plaines post office building is now privately owned by Journal & Topics. The murals can be viewed by interested members of the public during business hours only. They still reside on the walls in the former lobby.
YEAR: 1940

It seems each relative I talk to mention this post office. Apparently it does have artwork inside but because it’s now privately owned and a Sunday I was not able to get inside. I’m putting this one on the back burner for now and will re-visit this one when I have more time. I’d really like to photograph the murals.

Can anyone guess why I choose to post this picture in July? You guessed correctly if you said it was to remind you of the cold winter months in the Chicago-Land area.

Anyone else out there have pictures of this post office they’d like to share?

UPDATE APRIL 2022: It appears a developer has plans to raze this building for a multi-use commercial and residential building. The fate of the murals remains unknown at this time.

UPDATE August 8, 2012: I initially posted this one back in July of this year. At the time I did not have pictures of the murals inside the building. Since it’s privately owned I needed to visit during normal business hours and finally had the chance to photograph them. I also wanted acquire permission from the company prior to driving all the way out there.

When I informed my father that I was taking pictures of post office buildings he almost immediately asked if I had visited the Des Plaines Post Office. My parents, uncles and cousins grew up in this area. So it has been on my radar to visit this one. My father recalls how brutal and violent the mural was as a child. So naturally I was intrigued and interested to learn more.

I have to say my first impression was similar to my father’s. The mural is slightly disturbing, with the man holding a knife against an indian. Upon further inspection of the mural you also start to notice the fallen lady behind the two main subjects in the mural. Disturbing or not I’m still appreciate both murals in the former Des Plains Post Office building.

I also wanted to thank Brian for posting the following links to his article regarding the former Des Plains Post Office. He has done a lot of research in regards to this wonderful building. Links in the comments section below.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.