Photographs of 1936 Works
Progress Administration Murals for Port Chester Post Office, 1997 |
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These photographs represent two of
the Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals that are located
in the Port Chester Post Office. The murals were painted by Dominico
Mortellito during a six-month period in 1936. They are reminiscent
of the work of Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. In
fact, Mortellito was a great admirer of their work and was a personal friend
of Orozco.
The mural of the Port Chester docks measures 10 feet by 10 feet.
The port played a key role in the development of Port Chester.
The mural of the policeman is one of the smaller murals, measuring
43 inches by 6 feet. Mortellito said, “I wanted to capture
the significance of human beings. What makes a city is its people.”
The
murals were completely restored in 1980, and the post office
was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
This record is associated with:
Port Chester
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