ADDRESS: 622 Graceland Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois, 60016
ARTIST: James Michael Newell
TITLE: Death of Pere Marquette & Conquest of the Prairie Lands
MEDIUM: Fresco (murals) 2 panels
STATUS: The former Des Plaines post office building is now privately owned by Journal & Topics. The murals can be viewed by interested members of the public during business hours only. They still reside on the walls in the former lobby.
YEAR: 1940
It seems each relative I talk to mention this post office. Apparently it does have artwork inside but because it’s now privately owned and a Sunday I was not able to get inside. I’m putting this one on the back burner for now and will re-visit this one when I have more time. I’d really like to photograph the murals.
Can anyone guess why I choose to post this picture in July? You guessed correctly if you said it was to remind you of the cold winter months in the Chicago-Land area.
Anyone else out there have pictures of this post office they’d like to share?
UPDATE APRIL 2022: It appears a developer has plans to raze this building for a multi-use commercial and residential building. The fate of the murals remains unknown at this time.
UPDATE August 8, 2012: I initially posted this one back in July of this year. At the time I did not have pictures of the murals inside the building. Since it’s privately owned I needed to visit during normal business hours and finally had the chance to photograph them. I also wanted acquire permission from the company prior to driving all the way out there.
When I informed my father that I was taking pictures of post office buildings he almost immediately asked if I had visited the Des Plaines Post Office. My parents, uncles and cousins grew up in this area. So it has been on my radar to visit this one. My father recalls how brutal and violent the mural was as a child. So naturally I was intrigued and interested to learn more.
I have to say my first impression was similar to my father’s. The mural is slightly disturbing, with the man holding a knife against an indian. Upon further inspection of the mural you also start to notice the fallen lady behind the two main subjects in the mural. Disturbing or not I’m still appreciate both murals in the former Des Plains Post Office building.
I also wanted to thank Brian for posting the following links to his article regarding the former Des Plains Post Office. He has done a lot of research in regards to this wonderful building. Links in the comments section below.
Thanks,
David W. Gates Jr.
“Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”
Sources
- Personal visit on 1/15/2012, 6/25/2012, 5/13/2021 & 10/24/2023 by David W. Gates Jr. In addition David W. Gates Jr. has also attended the zoning and city council meetings to speak on behalf of preserving the building and the two murals. April 12, 2022, May 10, 2022, May 24, 2022.
- (affiliate link) Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
- (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
- Des Plains Patch: (https://patch.com/illinois/desplaines/the-1941-des-plaines-post-office-and-murals)
- Journal Topics (https://www.journal-topics.com)
- WBEZ Chicago: What’s That Building? Des Plaines’ former post office – Redevelopment of the city’s downtown endangers a pair of murals depicting white settlers’ takeover of Indigenous peoples’ land. Should the murals be saved?
- North American Insects & Spiders: https://www.cirrusimage.com/post_office_murals/
http://desplaines.patch.com/articles/the-1941-des-plaines-post-office-and-murals
also of note: http://desplaines.patch.com/articles/the-des-plaines-post-office-1930
Hi Brian,
Thanks for the links. I just now had a chance to read both pages. I appreciate the comment and the links. I love these older post offices.
Take Care,
David
There were several Des Plaines post offices years ago dotted in and around the city. The one I remember was at the southeast corner of Oakton Street and Maple Street. The yellow brick building is still there. You can see the docks in back where the mail trucks used to back up to unload. There was an old downtown station directly behind the Des Plaines Theater on Lee Street. I think that building is gone now. The window used to say “United States Post Office Des Plaines, Illinois – Rosemont Station” at the Rosemont branch which was (and maybe still is) a satellite of the Des Plaines operations. I guess the area known today as Rosemont was at one time considered Des Plaines. Post offices were vitally important communication centers for communities and neighborhoods of larger cities.
Scott,
Thanks for the bit of history and information. I’ve always been a bit confused about the Rosemeont/Des Plains boundaries. I appreciate the comment and information. Yes, post offices have played a vital part for communities and larger cities.
Take care,
David