Mural Facelift Brightens Post Office

It is very difficult for an observer to find where the patching occurred in the Depression-era mural at the Garden City Post Office.

Is Garden City full of "Huckleberries"? Well, how does one of Garden City's more famous residents celebrate a 70th birthday? How about with a facelift of its premier asset!

This particular septuagenarian is known to all, though some may not have realized just what a gem we have with her: the Garden City Post Office. Dedicated in 1936, this classic building has long been one of the focal points of the Village. Under the leadership of the Postmaster, Joe Agricola, a program to spruce up the grounds, building and other brick and mortar assets was initiated over the past years.

Most recently, the time came for a facelift of its crown jewel: the lobby mural "Huckleberry Frolic" which adorns the south wall of the post office. During the Depression-era 1930s, when the federal government used public building construction to revive the economy, they further aided unemployment by using noted artists to paint murals on some of the public buildings. Garden City was the recipient of one of these and the slightly mysterious harvesting mural adorns the full south wall of the lobby.

"Huckleberry Frolic" facelift.

However, as any 70-year-old will attest, time and use wear on everything and a major effort to protect and conserve the mural was undertaken recently. Performing the rehab is the world renowned EverGreene Studios, a major restorer of murals and other works of art. A. Bill Mensching and Gillian Randell headed up the crew, both having impressive credentials in the art conservation field.

"Huckleberry Frolic" was in generally fair shape but with some water damage, a few errant paint drops (from ceiling paint) and sections of paint flaking. The last problem is common on canvas over plaster murals due to shrinkage. There was also one serious piece of damage: a hole has been inadvertently drilled through it by workmen during earlier modifications on the other side of the wall. The hole dislodged a palm -size piece of plaster and canvas. Joe Agricola saw it as a good time to renovate the entire mural.

Errant paint drops were carefully carved off.

Mr. Randell, during an interview, indicated that the water damage was limited to the lower right corner where seepage had accumulated. It seems that as water drips down, the canvas and paint will repel it, but accumulated water will create problems. This accumulation occurred where the mural joined the marble lobby pieces.

Visitors to the post office during the repairs may have noticed what looked like large opaque Band Aids on sections of the mural. These serve to stabilize the flaking and improve paint adhesion.

The errant paint drops were carefully carved off without affecting the underlying paint. Similarly, the damaged plaster was removed and the canvas detached. The canvas was then placed over the newly plastered hole. the result is so seamless that one can search the entire canvas in trying to locate where the patching occurred without success. The entire mural was carefully cleaned and is absolutely sparkling. It is worth a visit.

There has been conjecture over why the "Huckleberry Frolic" theme was selected for Garden City. While there was a huckleberry festival in the Floral Park area during the 19th century, it did not involve Garden City. According to Dr. Natalie Naylor, professor emerita at Hofstra University and a noted WPA mural specialist, the mural portrays farmers harvesting blueberries! Sheep and other animals are also present. It is not Garden City's rolling topography, and wooded areas as shown.

One suspects that the artist took some liberties in his interpretation. The artist was, according to Professor Naylor, J. Theodore Johnson. Johnson did other post offices and related murals in his native Midwest, especially in Illinois (perhaps huckleberries are more common there).