ADDRESS: 244 North Seltzer Street, Crestline, Ohio, 44827
ARTIST: Gifford Beal
TITLE: The Crossroads – Crestline, Ohio
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Crestline post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1943
Another Ohio gem is the Crestline Post Office. During my visit in November of last year. I specifically set out to photograph the buildings with artwork. I was not disappointed when I arrived in Crestline. The very fist thing that stood out for me was the size of the building. Most of the building’s in smaller towns are just the one story box type. The Crestline building is an impressive two-stories.
In addition to the size of the building is a wonderful mural in the lobby. Although, it appeared rather dark to me, the subject matter was interesting. I like the locomotives in the painting, they just kind of stuck out to me.
Another feature that stood out, was the two people in the center forefront of the painting. Why would the artist paint them so close together? Maybe the artist was thinking this was a noisy place and in order to hear the other person you needed to be right up in the other person’s face to hear them. On the other hand, it almost looks like they are starting to fight, or maybe they are just lovers. What do you think?
I’d love to hear your impressions of this painting.
Thanks,
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 11/30/2013 by David W. Gates Jr.
- United States Postal Service
- (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz.