It’s Been Called the ‘Sistine Chapel of the New Deal.’ Don’t Destroy It.
The rare
#murals in the Cohen Federal Building celebrate vital American values of dignity and community. Now they could meet the same fate as the White House’s East Wing. Gift article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/arts/design/wilbur-cohen-building-murals-guston-shahn.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KFA.qFyn.wElOFv3eXH7I&smid=url-share#NewDealArt #AmericanArt #ArtHistory #CulturalHeritage #CulturalPreservation #Modernism
Save the ‘Sistine Chapel of the New Deal’ in the Cohen Federal Building
The rare murals in the Cohen Federal Building celebrate vital American values of dignity and community. Now they could meet the same fate as the White House’s East Wing.
The Wilbur J. Cohen Building in Washington, D.C.—previously the Social Security Building—is architecturally important and notably includes some of the most important New Deal–era murals.
https://www.archpaper.com/2025/11/gsa-wilbur-j-cohen-federal-building-art-and-architecture-saving/#NewDealArt #Mural #AmericanArchitecture #AmericanArt #AmericanPainting #CulturalHeritage
The art and architecture of the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building is worth saving
The Wilbur J. Cohen Building in Washington, D.C. is managed like most federal office buildings by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the agency overseeing the government’s new “accelerated disposals” process. The building is architecturally important and notably includes some of the most important New Deal–era murals.
Call to halt the sale of the Wilbur J. Cohen Building in Washington D.C. — the “Sistine Chapel of the New Deal” — a cornerstone of American history and culture that belongs to the people of the United States.
https://www.change.org/p/save-the-wilbur-j-cohen-building-the-sistine-chapel-of-the-new-deal#ArtHistory #MuralArt #ReliefSculpture #CulturalHeritage #NewDeal #NewDealArt #PublicArt #Landmark #HistoricPreservation
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Save the Wilbur J. Cohen Building — the “Sistine Chapel of the New Deal”
Regina Kammer