ADDRESS: 1101 Davis Street., Evanston, Illinois 60201
ARTIST: Robert Isaiah Russin
TITLE: Throwing Mail and Mail Handler
MEDIUM: Cast aluminum with gold leaf (sculptures)
STATUS: The Evanston post office is still an active, operating facility and the art can be viewed by interested members of the public. The art resides on the wall of the main lobby.
YEAR: 1938
ARTIST: Armin Alfred. Scheler
TITLE: The Message and The Answer
MEDIUM: Limestone (reliefs)
STATUS: The Evanston post office is still an active, operating facility and the reliefs can be viewed by interested members of the public. The art resides on the exterior of the building above the entrance doors.
YEAR: 1941
On Saturday’s I like to highlight some of the more elaborate post offices I have been too. Today’s featured post office is Evanston Illinois. Evanston was one of my first exposures to what would become my addiction to post offices. The sheer size and memorabilia inside the Evanston post offices is really amazing. At least at the time I started this post office obsession.
I initially visited this one in 2003 and remember spending more time than usual when I visit post offices. I had no idea the lobby had this great exhibit, It was like visiting a museum. The exterior of the building reminds you of the great museums downtown like the Art institute or the Field Museum.
The artwork is large and beautiful. I don’t think I really appreciated it at the time but looking back and reflecting on my visit, I’ve come to realize what a treasure the Evanston, IL Post Office truly is. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed my visit.
Thanks for reading
David W. Gates Jr.
Updated 11/17/2020
I made another trip to the Evanston, Illinois post office. The very fist time I visited this building was prior to me really taking my time and getting good photographs. I also never took a picture of the cornerstone on this building. It’s in the lower right, when facing the front of the building. Here are the new photos. I took a bunch of picture but only posted a few here. Enjoy!
“Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”
Sources
- Personal visit on 9/18/2003 & 11/17/2020, 05/03/2023 by David W. Gates Jr.
- (affiliate link) Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook
- United States Postal Service
- (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz