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Cool Geneva Post Office Mural to be Restored
Geneva Post Office's "Fish Fry in the Park" is a New Deal-era mural that's getting a new deal of its own—a face lift for the new year.
Murals are all over the place in Geneva, all of a sudden. Or at least we're noticing them a little more, with the addition of the Lincoln Highway Interpretive Mural on the side of the building at State and Second streets.
Kudos to the Geneva Masonic Lodge 139, whose members were honored at Monday's City Council meeting, for allowing the mural to be displayed on that place of prime real estate.
Another proud mural in Geneva, the Geneva Post Office's historic New Deal-era mural Fish Fry in the Park, will be temporarily removed for restoration on Saturday, Jan. 8.
According to a press release, the Postal Service has awarded a contract to PARMA Conservation Ltd., a Chicago-based specialist in restoration and recovery of historic artwork.
Parma has been restoring historic Post Office murals for more than 10 years, including the mural at the Lakeview Station in Chicago, the Melrose Park Public Library and the Downers Grove Post Office, the press release said.
"This restoration is a benefit to the community," said U.S. Postal Service Northern Illinois District Manager Robert Hart. "The Postal Service makes every effort to preserve and safeguard the art in our buildings for future generations."
The mural at the Geneva Post Office, 26 S. Third St., was painted by artist Manuel Bromberg in 1940. It will be remounted when the restoration is completed.
Here'a a fun fact: The Postal Service is the custodian of the largest public art collection owned by any federal agency, and currently houses more than 1,200 murals and 200 sculptures in Post Offices nationwide. The artwork was created from 1934-1943 during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal initiative and was intended to help boost the morale of people during the Great Depression.
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Geneva Masonic Lodge 139
10 S 2nd St, Geneva, IL -
United States Post Office
26 S 3rd St, Geneva, IL
reafly
9:21 pm on Thursday, January 6, 2011
Isn't the Geneva Post Office Building for sale? Isn't the USPS broke? Did anyone look in to how much asbestos may be in the wall this mural is painted on? If someone buys this building, who is to say that mural, original or restored will remain?
Mike Simon
6:29 am on Saturday, January 8, 2011
The mural is not painted on the wall. It is on canvas and hung on the wall, so it will be easily removed when the time comes.
Danny H
10:02 am on Friday, January 7, 2011
Yeah, keeping a beautiful work of art in decent shape after 70 years of display for the entire community to appreciate is stupid. Maintenance is a waste of money--government offices should be made out of concrete so that they can just be hosed down periodically.
Tax cuts! Hands off my Medicare!
Downtown Geneva Business Owner
3:07 pm on Friday, January 7, 2011
You know, I get SO tired of all these reactionary people leaving the type of comments seen above when they don't know the whole story. It's shoot your mouth off without having the facts. The FACTS are, that the US Postal service OWNS the mural. It will FOREVER own the mural. When the building is sold, either before or after the restoration of the mural, the mural will BE REMOVED from the building. It will then go on LONG TERM LOAN to a local museum. There are NO TAX DOLLARS INVOLVED, PEOPLE!!!
reafly
3:44 pm on Friday, January 7, 2011
"you know" not everyone posting here say it is tax dollars supporting this. i know that the USPS is a sole entity not supported by tax dollars. i simply stated isn't it going broke and isn't the building for sale? perhaps our print media should be more inquisitive when collecting facts for a story to be written so people can have all the facts. take a chill pill DGBO.