PITTSBURGH—Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition (SHUC) representatives will present the Squirrel Hill Station Post Office with a commemorative plaque to honor the mural, History of Squirrel Hill, by artist Alan Thompson (1942) on Wednesday, May 7 at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Squirrel Hill Station located at 1800 Murray Avenue.
The historic mural was part of the New Deal effort to stimulate the economy by the federal government’s massive program of public works construction. Across the country, thousands of post-offices, courthouses, bridges and dams were built. By far, the most visible and publicly recognized of these constructions were the post offices. Not to be confused for the relief arts programs of the Works Projects Administration (WPA), the mural was commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts, which was tasked with selecting art of high quality based on merit to decorate public buildings. The Section administrators hoped to create a uniquely American art via the mural program.
Artist Alan Thompson, who attended Carnegie Institute of Technology and Pittsburgh Art Institute, painted History of Squirrel Hill, to reflect a combination of past and present scenes.
On October 17, 2013, the Coalition honored its 2013 Squirrel Hill Treasure Awards, and the beloved historic WPA Era Mural at the Squirrel Hill Post Office was selected by the Treasure Awards committee for its 2013 Place Treasure. “This true local treasure was being overlooked. We hoped the award would bring the attention this gem deserves and instill local pride in our community assets,” says Ceci Sommers, co-chair of the 2013 Treasure Awards Committee.
SHUC president Ray Baum and honorary committee member Robert Levin will be on hand to make the presentation to Western PA District Manager Jay Phelan.
| What: | Presentation of the “Treasure Award” plaque to the Squirrel Hill Branch Post Office by the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition. | |
| When: | Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 8:30 a.m. | |
| Where: | Squirrel Hill Station Post Office 1800 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 |
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| Who: | SHUC President Ray Baum; SHUC honorary committee member Robert Levin; SHUC committee co-chair Ceci Sommers; and Western PA District Manager Jay Phelan. |
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