Rogers City in Presque Isle County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Rogers City Post Office

Historic Site No. 15

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 23, 2018

1. Rogers City Post Office Marker

Inscription. Rogers City's art deco-style Post Office was built in 1940 at a cost of $60,365. The photo shows the building shortly after it opened in 1940. Both the exterior and interior have changed little during the intervening years.

One of the highlights of the Post Office is a mural of the Calcite harbor on the wall over the Postmaster's office. The mural was painted by artist James Calder, one of three he did for Post Offices in Michigan that were commissioned by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The mural shows the Bradley fleet's B. H. Taylor and Pittsburgh Steamship's Norman B. Ream loading at Calcite.

The cornerstone of the building is a block of limestone from the Calcite Plant.

The Presque Isle County Historical Museum provided sign text and images. A Vibrant Small Cities Initiative (VSCI) grant from MSHDA and the City of Rogers City funded this project. The City Council and Community Development Authority jointly obtained the VSCI grant. The Design Committee developed the concept. Sign design and engineering by Harry Wierenga of Fleis and VandenBrink Engineering. Valley City Sign manufactured the signs in 2010. The Department of Public Works installed the signs in 2011.

Erected 2011 by City of Rogers City & Vibrant

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Small Cities Initiative (VSCI) grant from MSHDA. (Marker Number 15.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Charity & Public Work • Communications. In addition, it is included in the Art Deco, the Postal Mail and Philately, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1940.

Location. 45° 25.218′ N, 83° 48.982′ W. Marker is in Rogers City, Michigan, in Presque Isle County. Marker is on North 3rd Street (Alternate U.S. 23) south of West Michigan Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker is a large, painted metal plaque, mounted at eye-level, just to the right of the main entrance, on the subject building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 188 North 3rd Street, Rogers City MI 49779, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Site of Presque Isle County Savings Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); Herman Hoeft & Son's General Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Emergency Steering Wheel (within shouting distance of this marker); Port of Calcite Entry Light (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Emil & Lizzie Poch Hardware Store (about 300 feet

Marker detail: post office photo, circa 1940s image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: post office photo, circa 1940s

away); Site of Bertram Building (about 300 feet away); Erskine Building / Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Lodge (about 300 feet away); Presque Isle County Courthouse (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rogers City.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Rogers City Historic Walking Tour

Also see . . . Post Office mural is a legacy of New Deal activism. The government began a program to decorate newly constructed federal buildings with “murals and sculptures appropriate to the embellishment of Federal buildings.” According to Art Historian Christine Ruby of the Detroit Institute of Arts, “The political roots of Depression mural art went beyond the need to provide artists with an income. Government art officials and others believed that mural art communicated most effectively with the public.” While many WPA workers worked on construction projects building dams and digging ditches, the artists employed by the government created murals, sculptures, carvings, photographs and other works of art. Forty-eight post office murals were created in Michigan during this period of which 43 are still viewable. (Submitted on August 24, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Rogers City Post Office Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 23, 2018

3. Rogers City Post Office Marker (wide view)

"Harbor at Rogers City" mural inside Rogers City Post Office image. Click for full size.

4. "Harbor at Rogers City" mural inside Rogers City Post Office

“Harbor at Rogers City” oil-on-canvas mural, painted by James Calder and installed on September 16, 1941.

Rogers City Post Office (<i>wide view; marker visible just right of entrance</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 23, 2018

5. Rogers City Post Office (wide view; marker visible just right of entrance)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 26, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 268 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on September 24, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 24, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.