Wood relief artwork

South River New Jersey Post Office

June 11, 2021 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 44 Obert St., South River, New Jersey 08882
ARTIST: Maurice Glickman
TITLE: Construction
MEDIUM: Wood (relief)
STATUS: The South River post office is still an active, operating facility, and the relief can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1940

Hey David, I thought you said these were murals? Well, you are correct, but some post offices received other forms of art such as wood carvings, reliefs and even stone.

South River is unique in that it received a wood relief created by artist Maurice Glickman. Murals are great, but it’s really nice to see other forms of art mediums.

Obviously the ADA ramp was installed years after the building was completed. What prompted the construction on the right side of the building and not the left side, I have no idea. But it would have made more sense to put it on the left side of the building. That way the railing wouldn’t have covered up the cornerstone. I did my best and took several pictures from different angles to see this one.

Note to self, the lobby was open very early so I was able to get in and out quickly.

David W. Gates Jr.

South River New Jersey Post Office 08882 Cornerstone

South River New Jersey Post Office 08882 Relief

South River New Jersey Post Office 08882 Relief Signature

South River New Jersey Post Office 08882 Lobby

Sources

Personal visit on 5/22/21 about 6:20 AM by David W. Gates Jr.
(affiliate link) New Jersey Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
United States Postal Service
South River Historical & Preservation Society has a nice video about their post office history. (https://youtu.be/WWAhjG2yVqE)
NJ.com N.J. post offices showcase Depression-era public art – nj.com
(affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
South River Historical & Preservation Society: https://youtu.be/WWAhjG2yVqE

Boonton New Jersey Post Office

May 27, 2021 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 501 Main St., Boonton, New Jersey 07005
ARTIST: Enid Bell
TITLE: Morning Mail
MEDIUM: Wood (relief)
STATUS: The original Boonton post office is no longer extent. The relief was moved to the newer building shown here. It can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides on the wall in the retail section of the main lobby. It is only viewable during business hours.
YEAR: 1939

During my recent road trip to New Jersey, I stopped by the Boonton, New Jersey post office to photograph the wood carving. Boonton did not disappoint. They even have a wonderful Mr. Zippy in the lobby. Very cool!

It was a bit of a disappoint to see the carving covered up by the retail display. I completely understand the post office needs to operate a business and the carving was never intended to be displayed in this spot. However, it was nice to see the carving in good condition.

I wonder how many people miss this as they visit the post office?

It was exciting to read and see an historic photograph of the old post office on the Town’s website from the 1970s. As I was doing my research I happened to stumble on this. I’ll add the link below in the sources section.

The postmaster and staff were accommodating in allowing me to move the display in order to get unobstructed views and photographs of the work.

Thank you Boonton postal staff and postmistress.

David W. Gates Jr.

Boonton New Jersey Post Office 07005 Mural

Boonton New Jersey Post Office 07005 Mr Zippy

Sources

Personal visit on 5/20/21 about 10:00 AM by David W. Gates Jr.
New Jersey Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
The Town of Boonton (Boonton 1970’s | Boonton, NJ)
United States Postal Service
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz

Former Greeneville Tennessee Post Office

April 18, 2015 By David W. Gates Jr.

Former Greenville TN Post Office 37743 — Former Greeneville TN Post Office 37743

ADDRESS: 101 W. Summer St., Greeneville, Tennessee 37743
ARTIST: William Zorach
TITLE: Man Power & Natural Resources
MEDIUM: Wood (reliefs)
STATUS: The wood reliefs no longer reside in the original building shown here. They were moved to the newer court house building on Depot St. The reliefs are in a court room and NOT readily accessible to members of the public.
YEAR: 1940

What a great looking building. Today’s featured building is the old Greeneville, court-house and post office. My initial research told me there was a wood carving here. So naturally I was excited the bank was open and I was able to enter the lobby. There wasn’t much going on when I visited, and everyone seemed interested in this stranger from Chicago asking about the building.

I eventually met a gentleman that knew the fate of the old wood carvings and informed me they are now at the new court-house on Depot street. While we were chatting I also observed the old photos of the building. I excitedly asked if I could photograph them and was granted permission. The interesting thing is that when I was talking about Howard Hull’s book. The man I was talking to was also named Hull. To this day we are unsure if there is any relation but it was an interesting conservation piece. I finished admiring the old photos and wanted to visit the new court-house to find out the status of the wood carvings. I thanked the people at the bank and headed over to the new court-house.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

Former Greeneville Tennessee Post Office 37743

Former Greeneville Tennessee Post Office 37743 Artifacts

Former Greeneville Tennessee Post Office 37743 from 1904

After some investigation while in Greeneville, I learned the wood reliefs have been moved to the new court-house. I was not allowed to photograph but was able to secure the follow images from a local resident. Since this is a new modern building it comes with all the hassle of having to go through a metal detector and showing photo ID just to enter the building. After my security check I was told to wait around for one of the security guards to accompany me to court-room 420. I had no idea how long this was going to take but I was patient and eventually the guard showed up. Your name escapes me now but you also had a lot of knowledge of the area. It was great hearing about the town from a local person. Thank you so much for showing me the wood carvings. I sincerely appreciate everything you shared with me.