Arts and Industries, (sculpture) - San Francisco, CA - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

These two bronze plaques were originally the doors to a hand operated elevator. The doors, designed by Lee Oskar Lawrie in 1930-1931 were in the Education Building of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Capitol Park in Harrisburg.

The sculpture was one of six sets of elevator doors that the artist originally fabricated. This set of door panels remained there until 1972, when the building’s hand-operated elevators were replaced with automatic ones. From about 1980 to 1989, the doors were in a private collection in Virginia. They were installed at the new Federal Home Loan Bank in 1990.

Lee Oskar Lawrie (1877-1963) was born in Rixdorf, Germany, and came to the United States in 1882 as a young child, settling in Chicago. It was there, at the age of 14, that he began working for the sculptor Richard Henry Park.

Description:

Two polished bronze panels, formerly elevator doors, depicting the Arts & Sciences. Each door contains four rectangular reliefs, partially painted with a gray nickel metal paint. The allegorical reliefs on the left panel depict, from top to bottom: 1) Exploration, 2) Literature, 3) Architecture, and 4) Drama. The allegorical reliefs on the right panel depict, from top to bottom: 1) Religion, 2) Physical Labor, 3) Sculpture, and 4) Music. The two panels are inset on a stainless steel building sign and flanking a black granite center section with identification plaque.

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TITLE: Arts and Industries ARTIST(S): Lee Oskar Lawrie DATE: c. 1930-1931 MEDIUM: Panels: polished bronze, painted; Base: stainless steel and black granite CONTROL NUMBER: IAS CA000996 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: 600 California Street San Francisco CA 94108 USA DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None

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