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Post offices with murals, includes new deal and non-new deal art.

Post offices with murals, includes new deal and non-new deal art.

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office – Part 3

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Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155 P5
Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155 P5

ADDRESS: 1720 Market Street, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63155
TITLE: Commerce and Trade
ARTIST: Edward Millman
TYPE: Mural
STATUS: The mural is on the wall in the lobby. It is viewable to the public during business hours.
YEAR: 1942

Welcome to part 3 of a 10 part series featuring the Saint Louis main post office. For the past two days we have been showcasing the murals inside this mammoth building. Since there are over 9 murals I’ve decided to highlight them each individually.  Today’s mural is titled “Commerce and Trade” and was done by Edward Millman.

This panel portrays the extremely important role of Missouri in our early national life. The commerce and trade originating in the Missouri territory were vital factors in the development of the frontiers west of the Mississippi.

To the left is a Missouri pack train on the Santa Fe Trail. In the center, a group of fur trappers are unloading their skins. To the right is Manuel Lisa, the most noted of the early fur traders in Missouri, who bought furs from trappers along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

Tune in tomorrow for the next mural titled “The Territory of Missouri”

Thanks for Stopping by, please comment and share below.

David W. Gates Jr.

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Commerce and Trade Plaque
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Commerce and Trade Left Side
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Commerce and Trade Center
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Commerce and Trade Right Side
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Commerce and Trade
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office 63155 P5

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

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Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office – Part 2

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Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155
Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155

ADDRESS: 1720 Market Street, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63155
TITLE: The Postwar Period
ARTIST: Mitchell Siporin
TYPE: Mural
STATUS: The mural is on the wall of the lobby and viewable to the public during business hours.
YEAR: 1942

Because there are more than 9 separate murals at the main post office I’ve decided to highlight each mural separately. To be honest I started to combine all 9 murals into one very long post. It became very clear this was too much material for one article.

So sit back grab a cup of coffee or tea and relax as I highlight the amazing murals of the Saint Louis Main Post Office.

Today’s featured mural is titled “The Postwar Period. It’s 29 feet by 9 feet and was painted between 1941 and 1942.

The first group at the left of this panel portrays the famous “Order Number Eleven. “This proclamation ordered all those living in Jackson, Cass, and Bates counties to leave their homes in fifteen days. In the background is the wreckage of a locomotive, a symbol of the destruction of the war.

In the center, the reconstruction is symbolized by two figures of railroad workers. the last group at the right side are portraits of eminent Missourians of the 1880’s and 90’s. Those portrayed are Mark Twain; George Caleb Bingham, the Painter; Carl Schurz, the Statesman; James S. Rollins, the “Father” of the University of Missouri; and Joseph Pulitzer, the Publisher.

Tune in tomorrow for the next mural in our series “Commerce and Trade”

Thanks for stopping by, please comment and share below.

David W. Gates Jr.

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Postwar Period Plaque
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Postwar Period Right Side
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Postwar Period Center
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Postwar Period Left Side
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Postwar Period
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office 63155

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

Sources

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office – Part 1

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Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155
Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155

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.

Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office 63155
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office Special
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office "RFD"
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office Parcel Post
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office Foreign
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office Domestic
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office Air Mail
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office 63155 Corner Stone

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

Sources