The following is a list of all the artists that created murals in Illinois post offices during the New Deal. As I’ve been doing my research I felt it might be helpful for others so I decided to write-up an article with my findings.

If you ever visit the National Archives in Washington DC, then you may notice this comes in handy. Some of the records and files are organized by state. Other records are organized by the name of the artists.

I found it useful to have a listing of both. So here it is.

Illinois Post Office Mural Artist

Abingdon, Illinois – Newell Hillis Arnold
Berwyn, Illinois – Richard Haines
Brookfield, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
Bushnell, Illinois – Reva Jackman
Carlyle, Illinois – Curt Drewes
Carmi, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
Carthage, Illinois – Karl Kelpe
Chester, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
Chicago, Former Chestnut – Frances Foy
Chicago, Former Chestnut – Gustaf Dalstrom
Chicago, Kedzie – Peterpaul Ott
Chicago, Lakeview – Harry Sternberg
Chicago, Logan Square – Hildreth Meiere
Chicago, Morgan Park – John Theodore Johnson
Chicago, Uptown – Henry Varnum Poor
Chillicothe, Illinois – Arthur Herschel Lidov
Clinton, Illinois – Aaron Bohrod
Decatur, Illinois – Edward Millman
Decatur, Illinois – Edgar Britton
Decatur, Illinois – Mitchell Siporin
Des Plaines, Illinois – James Michael Newell
Downers Grove, Illinois – Elizabeth Tracy
Dwight, Illinois – Carlos Lopez
East Alton, Illinois – Frances Foy
East Moline, Illinois – Edgar Britton
Eldorado, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
Elmhurst, Illinois – George Melville Smith
Evanston, Illinois – Robert Isaiah Russin
Evanston, Illinois – Armin Alfred Scheler
Fairfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
Flora, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
Forest Park, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
Galesburg, Illinois – Aaron Board
Geneva, Illinois – Manuel Abraham Bromberg
Gibson City, Illinois – Frances Foy
Gillespie, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
Glen Ellyn, Illinois – Daniel Rhodes
Hamilton, Illinois – Edmund D. Lewandowski
Herrin, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
Homewood, Illinois – Maurine Montgomery Gibbs
Kankakee, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
Lemont, Illinois – Charles Turzak
Lewistown, Illinois – Ida Abelman
Madison, Illinois – Alexander Raymond Katz
Marseilles, Illinois – Avery Johnson
Marshall, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
McLeansboro, Illinois – Dorothea Mierisch
Melrose Park, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
Moline, Illinois – Edward Millman
Morton, Illinois – Charles Umlauf
Mount Carroll, Illinois – Irene Soravia Bianucci
Mount Morris, Illinois – Dale Nichols
Mount Sterling, Illinois – Henry Bernstein
Naperville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
Nashville, Illinois – Zoltan Sepeshy
Nokomis, Illinois – Bernard J. Rosenthal
Normal, Illinois – Albert Pels
Oak Park, Illinois – John Theodore Johnson
O’Fallon, Illinois – Merlin F. Pollock
Oglesby, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
Oregon, Illinois – David B. Cheskin
Park Ridge, Illinois – George Melville Smith
Peoria, Illinois – Freeman Schoolcraft
Petersburg, Illinois – John Winters
Pittsfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
Plano, Illinois – Peterpaul Ott
Rock Falls, Illinois – Curt Drewes
Rushville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
Salem, Illinois – Walter Vladimir Rousseff
Sandwich, Illinois – Marshall Maynard Fredericks
Shelbyville, Illinois – Lucia May Wiley
Staunton, Illinois – Ralf Christian Henricksen
Tuscola, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
Vandalia, Illinois – Aaron Board
Virden, Illinois – James Daugherty
White Hall, Illinois – Felix Oscar Schlag
Wilmette, Illinois – Raymond Breinin
Wood River – Roxana, Illinois – Archibald Motley Jr.

Sources

David W. Gates Jr. on site visits to each location.
Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
National Archives Records and Administration, College Park Maryland
Who was who in American Art, 1564-1975: 400 years of artist in America, Peter H Falk; Audrey M Lewis, Georgia Kuchen, Veronika Roessler, Madison, CT, Mount View Press. 1999.
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz

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.