San Francisco Murals at Rincon Annex Post Office

Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa


Only in San Francisco could a post office prove so controversial. This art-deco landmark is lined with vibrant Works Project Administration murals of SF history, begun by Russian-born painter Anton Refregier in 1941 – but WWII and political squabbles ensued. After 92 changes to satisfy censors, Refregier concluded these murals in 1948 with War & Peace, pointedly contrasting Nazi book-burning scenes with postwar promises of 'freedom from fear/want/of worship/speech.' Initially denounced by McCarthyists, Refregier's masterpiece is now a National Landmark.


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