US Post Office Mural - Powell, WY - WPA Projects on Waymarking.com

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US Post Office Mural - Powell, WY

in WPA Projects

Posted by:  T0SHEA

12T E 677477 N 4958202

A WPA project completed in 1937, the Powell post office continues in service as it was initially intended.

Not only was the post office a WPA project, but within is one of six WPA commissioned Wyoming post office murals commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture. This one is entitled "Powell's Agriculture Resulting from Shoshone Irrigation Project" and was the work of Verona Burkhard, a Paris born American who was living at the Klondike Ranch near Buffalo, Wyoming at the time.

A mural entitled "Powell's Agriculture Resulting from Shoshone Irrigation Project" is located at the south end of the lobby over the postmaster's door (approximately 12 feet by 6 feet in size). The mural was executed by Verona Burkhard in 1939 for a sum of $880.

It was the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture that was established in the fall of 1934 (renamed Section of Fine Arts in 1938) under which the Powell mural and five other works were completed (in Greybull, Kemmerer, Riverton, Worland and Yellowstone Post Offices).
From the NRHP Nomination Form

Built in the months of May through December of 1937, the Powell post office was officially dedicated on December 17th, 1937, the post office moving in on December 30th. The one storey brick and sandstone building is actually steel framed, the brick and stone forming curtain walls. Devoid of significant detailing, this was not one of the renowned Art Deco or Renaissance WPA edifices, more Contemporary Commercial than anything, with a flat, tar and gravel roof. It has, however, served the community of Powell admirably since its construction. However, a one story addition to the rear of the building was completed in 1973, greatly expanding the available space.

The interior appears to be essentially original, retaining the original woodwork, many of the original post office boxes and, of course, this mural.

Powell Post Office Mural

It was the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture that was established in the fall of 1934 (renamed Section of Fine Arts in 1938) under which the Powell mural and five other works were completed (in Greybull, Kemmerer, Riverton, Worland and Yellowstone Post Offices). The Section, which was administered in Washington, dealt directly with the artists, and selected artists through national and regional design competitions. The Section sought the best decorative art that it could find for designated federal buildings. The intent of the program's administrators was that the work would reflect the themes and styles of the American scene, with a hope that it would strike a responsive chord in the general public.

The Powell mural, "Powell's Agriculture Resulting from Shoshone Irrigation Project", was completed by Verona Burkhard in 1939. As suggested by the title, the mural depicts a farm family surrounded by the fruits of their labor: cattle, sheep and bountiful fields. Ms. Burkhard was selected to complete the Powell mural on the basis of designs that she had submitted for a Dallas, Texas post office competition. After visiting Powell in July, 1938, she decided that local agriculture would be the theme for her painting. The final work was well received by the post office staff and local citizens.
From the NRHP Nomination Form