On this Date in History: WPA Murals Dedicated at WPL - December 14, 1972

"Farming in the Worcester Region"

If you've ever visited the Main Library, you've probably seen the three large murals hanging on the wall above the second floor. The themes of the murals aren't related to libraries, so you may have wondered why we have them. Hopefully you'll have a greater appreciation of the murals after reading today's blog post! 

"Reading of the Mail - Communication of Ideas"

Did you know that WPL was not the first institution in Worcester to have these murals? In fact, our murals originally resided in the lobby of the former Parcel Post Building at Franklin and Harding Streets. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, the U.S. government created the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project to employ artists to create and/or teach art throughout the then-48 states. Most of the art would be displayed in public buildings, including post offices, schools, and hospitals. A jury contest was held to select the artist that would win the commission for the creation of murals in the Parcel Post Building. The winner? Ralf Edgar Nickelsen of Auburndale, MA.

Nickelsen was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1903. His art training included studying at his father's stained glass studio and the State Art School in Hamburg. Nickelsen immigrated to the United States in 1922, where he continued his studies at the Art Students' League in New York and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. At one point Nickelsen was a supervisor for the Massachusetts WPA Federal Art Project in Boston, where he oversaw projects in such institutions as the Medford Public Library. 

Image of Ralf E. Nickelsen from Worcester Daily Telegram, June 25, 1938

The awarding of the Parcel Post Building murals to Ralf Edgar Nickelsen was not without controversy. According to an article from the June 25, 1938 edition of the Worcester Daily Telegram, the chairman of the local jury committee that handled details of the contest alleged that the officials from Washington allowed Nickelsen to submit extra sketches for the mural. Apparently the subject matter of the sketches Nickelsen originally submitted did not fit the brief of "local history, local industry, or local pursuits." The drafts included tornadoes, floods, and sandstorms, which were not as common in the Worcester area! The local jury had selected Nickelsen as only their third choice out of the 47 New England artist contestants when they submitted their recommendations to Washington, and felt that the government violated the rules of the contest. However, Nickelsen was ultimately awarded the $2400 job to create the murals.

The news of the murals reached across the Atlantic. The Hamburger Anzeiger, a German newspaper based in Hamburg, proudly reported on their former resident's accomplishment in 1939. Hugo Sieker wrote about Nickelsen's artistic motifs in the winning drafts and praised the fact that Nickelsen maintained his "North German character" even after living in the United States for sixteen years. It was certainly fascinating (in a horrified sense, knowing what we know today) for this librarian to read a German article from that era.

"An Artist from Hamburg victorious in America," Hamburger Anzeiger, January 13, 1939.
Note the "Sandstorm" image depicted.

Nickelsen created three oil on canvas murals in the social realism style for the Parcel Post Building project. The three murals were entitled "Reading of the Mail - Communication of Ideas," "Street Building- The Foundation of All Communication," and "Farming in the Worcester Region." "Farming in the Worcester Region" is the largest mural at 33 by 8 feet, while the other two murals are 18 by 8 feet and 18 by 7 feet four inches.  The largest mural depicts harvesting grain from circa 1910 and the other two murals depict 1930s Worcester scenes. The murals were installed in the Parcel Post Building on November 10, 1940. 

"Street Building- The Foundation of All Communication"

When the Parcel Post Building closed in 1970, Dr. Samuel Bachrach, former president of the WPL Board of Directors, and Dr. Anthony Polito, chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee of the WPL Board of Directors, advocated to have the murals remain in Worcester and proposed the library for a site. The Parcel Post building was turned over to UMASS Medical School for use as a storage facility. However, before the murals could be transported to the library, it was discovered that the U.S. General Services Administration had taken the murals for safekeeping. Worcester would only be allowed to have them back on permanent loan if the murals were restored and if the Friends of the Worcester Public Library would raise the funds to transport the murals back and to rehang them.  Hiram Hoelzer restored them in New York and the Friends raised the $1200 necessary to transport and rehang the murals. 

Fun fact: the murals originally had rectangular holes to account for the air registers on the post office's wall. However, when the murals were restored, the restoration team filled in and repainted the holes. You can still see the lines of the rectangles if you look carefully (the rectangles are a different shade than the rest of the mural as seen in the photograph below). Nickelsen reportedly was not as thrilled with the restoration job.

"'Farming in the Worcester Region' mural by Ralf Edgar Nickelsen at Worcester Public Library,"
image date and photographer unknown

The murals were rehung in Worcester on the wall above the second floor of the Main Library in the then-social sciences division. Hoelzer and his team put the finishing touches on the work and then on December 14, 1972 at 4 PM, officials held the dedication ceremony. Mr. Nickelsen and his wife Ingeborg attended the ceremony. 

"Mr. & Mrs. Ralf E. Nickelsen at dedication of Nickelsen murals
in Worcester Public Library Dec. 14, 1972"

These murals remain on permanent loan from the National Collection of Fine Arts of the Smithsonian Institution. Ralf Edgar Nickelsen died in 1990 and his papers are held in the Archives of American Art of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

So what became of the old Parcel Post Building? After over 30 years of use by UMASS Medical School, the building was demolished. The City built the Union Station Garage on the site in 2007.

Site of the old Parcel Post Building, circa mid-1990s

A special thanks to Benjamin Korstvedt, Ph.D of Clark University for translating the article from the Hamburger Anzeiger for us!

More information:

"Charges Rules Violated In Making P.O. Mural Awards." (1938, June 25). Worcester Daily Telegram.

Dempsey, James. (1993, January 25). Library mural has own history. Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Massachusetts Historical Commission. "U.S. Post Office Parcel Post Station." https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=WOR.2416

McKie, Jr., Lincoln. (1972, December 7). WPA Murals of City Hung at Library. Worcester Telegram.

Nemeth, Robert Z. (1972, March 20). How to Save a Landmark. Worcester Telegram.

Nickelsen, Ralf E. (1972, April 10). Appreciates Effort to Save His Works. Worcester Telegram.

Ralf E. Nickelsen Papers, 1929-1993. https://www.npg.si.edu/object/siris_arc_214062 

Sieker, Hugo. (1939, January 13). "Ein Hamburger Künstler siegt in Amerika" [An Artist from Hamburg victorious in America]. Hamburger Anzeiger.

"The Mural is Back." (1972, December 13). Worcester Telegram.

Yasko, Karel. (1972, July - September). "Treasures from the Depression." Historic Preservation.