A skirmish over the fate of Ross Moffett’s iconic mural may be in the offing as the city, potential developers and concerned citizens negotiate a resolution to the question of where the work of art should ultimately reside.

By Jeremy F. van der Heiden

The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) held a public meeting Thursday, March 6, to hear comments from the public regarding the impending sale of the Union Square Post Office, as well as the fate of the historic mural therein. Members of the Somerville Arts Council, the Board of Aldermen and the community at large attended the meeting to discuss the any adverse effects of the sale.

Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the United States Postal Service (USPS) identified the city as a consulting party, while its officials tapped the HPC to host the public meeting and provide its own comments regarding the fate of the building and its historic mural.

Because the building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986 and has further protection through its designation as a local historic district last July, the Massachusetts Historic Society and the HPC can directly regulate the exterior. However, the use of the property and any internal alterations are outside of the two groups’ jurisdiction.

The main focus throughout the meeting, though, was decidedly the mural that is located on the east wall of the building’s interior in the main lobby.

“A Skirmish Between British and Colonists Near Somerville in Revolutionary Times,” completed by artist Ross Moffett in the late 1930s and commissioned under the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, holds significant cultural and historic value that is specifically tied to the city. Moffett, an accomplished artist, has a wealth of work in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, including oil paintings that served as the guide for the mural.

Residents came prepared to discuss the contextual importance of the mural itself, with several art historians explaining the gravity of the situation. The biggest question continued to be whether residents would prefer the mural be removed should the building become private and inaccessible to the public after the sale.

By the end of the meeting, the only shared and consistent preference was to keep the mural in its current location and try to ensure that the building would remain publicly accessible for a comparable amount of time each week as it is currently. However, should the building be sold to a private developer and closed off to the public, members of the HPC and those in attendance were split on what should be done with the mural.

Removing Moffett’s work would be a weighty task, and several people in attendance argued that the mural was specifically made for the Union Square Post Office and relocation would likely undermine the context of his work.

As a note, the mural is the legal property of the USPS, though the organization’s officials have agreed to restore the piece, whether it is retained in its current environment or moved to an alternative public place per the recommendation of the city.

At the time of the meeting, many aspects of the deal were still undetermined, including whether the building had been sold, who the prospective buyers were and what types of steps the city had taken by way of zoning to protect the interior.

So many aspects of the current state of affairs was unknown that some in attendance raised the question of if the USPS already sold the building, which would potentially be in violation of its own due process. In January, federal officials held a congressional hearing to try to block the sale of historic post offices until a review was completed.

However, the Bronx General Post Office, as well as several other similar buildings, have already been sold by the USPS.

Those in attendance, as well as HPC’s Vice Chairman Abby Freedman, pointed out the similar issues that other cities and towns across the country have experienced in the years since the USPS began to contract and sell its properties. As part of the New Deal, post offices built in the 1930s were decorated with Depression-era murals like Moffett’s in Union Square.

Although the post offices from that time are often protected by certain clauses of the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Post Museum has cited that many of the murals have disappeared or are in need of substantial restorations. The recent recession, as well as other factors hindering profitability for the USPS, has further compounded the threat to these historic pieces.

The HPC drafted and sent a letter that included the public’s comments, as well as its own, to state officials, who will then discuss the matter with federal agencies and the USPS.

As for the fate of the Union Square Post Office and Moffett’s mural, nothing seems to be sure quite yet, but all in attendance agreed that every possible action must be taken to protect the mural and other aspects of the building’s interior.