U.S. Post Office Relief Sculptures - Willows, CA - Relief Art Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Located above the main entrance to the U.S. Post Office are two beautiful examples of relief artwork in addition to some other relief work accompanying the sculptures. The relief sculptures of two females are very ornate and add a very classical look and feel to the overall design. The post office was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. And excerpt from the Nomination Form describes the construction of the building and it reads:

The facade is symmetrical, and consists of a central arcade flanked by two wings. The arcade is carried by a series of double, unfluted Doric columns with Doric Bases and Corinthian capitals. Classically-inspired terracotta reliefs are placed in the central spandrels, and a terracotta "keystone" articulates each arch. Terracotta quoining is placed at each side of the arcade, and on the corners of the front elevation.

This is a stylistically idiosyncratic building, combining an Italianate roofline and arched loggia, with Beaux-Arts detailing. Its most direct architectural antecedents would appear to be Italian Baroque of the 16th century. "Walter D. Bliss and William B. Faville received their architectural training at MIT and with the New York firm of McKim, Mead, and White, known for their interpretation of the Beaux-Arts tradition. Bliss and Faville were prominent San Francisco architects who designed the St. Francis Hotel, the China Basin Building, the Geary Theater, and the Oakland Hotel, all idiosyncratic Beaux-Arts buildings. The structure is significant on both the state and local levels as an intact example of a Beaux-Arts Italianate post office, a type common in the first two decades of this century, but rare in California.

Your impression of the sculpture?: Date Sculpture was opened for vewing?: 06/01/1917 Website for sculpture?: [Web Link] Sculptors Name: Walter D. Bliss and William B. Faville Where is this sculpture?: Not listed

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