Post Office pledges to fix leaky roof damaging mural in Westhampton Beach - 27 East

Arts & Living

Arts & Living / 1376279

Post Office pledges to fix leaky roof damaging mural in Westhampton Beach

icon 4 Photos
Vinyl wall coverings by Trove.   MARSHALL WATSON

Vinyl wall coverings by Trove. MARSHALL WATSON

This mixed-income, multigenerational, urban cohousing community in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts is has 30 units and was completed in 2005. COURTESY DOROTHY REILLY

This mixed-income, multigenerational, urban cohousing community in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts is has 30 units and was completed in 2005. COURTESY DOROTHY REILLY

Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc wait at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton for election results to come in on Tuesday night.   MICHAEL HELLER

Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc wait at Rowdy Hall in East Hampton for election results to come in on Tuesday night. MICHAEL HELLER

authorJoseph Shaw, Executive Editor on Dec 19, 2008

Several leaks in the ceiling of the Westhampton Beach Post Office on Main Street are slowly damaging what some consider to be an important piece of American art—painter Sol Wilson’s mural titled “Outdoor Sports.”

According to Isabelle Hyman, a retired art history professor at New York University in New York City, the approximate 3-foot-by-7-foot mural that depicts sports that are popular in Westhampton Beach—such as golf, hunting and tennis—has been slowly deteriorating for at least the past year due to leaks in the building’s roof. The mural, completed in 1942, is located near the ceiling on the eastern wall of the post office.

Tom Gaynor, a spokesman for the New York Metro area branch of the U.S. Postal Service, said the post office is addressing the situation by repairing the building’s roof. He noted that the repairs should be completed within the next 30 days, though he did not know how much the work would cost to complete.

“The Postal Service is committed to the mural and will do anything necessary to protect the mural,” Mr. Gaynor said.

“Outdoor Sports” was funded by the Works Progress Administration, a federal program that provided jobs to out-of-work people, including artists, during the Great Depression, according to Ms. Hyman, a part-time Westhampton Beach resident since 1970. One of the best known projects funded by the Work Progress Administration (WPA), which received its money from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, was the Hoover Dam.

Mr. Wilson’s painting is one of many featured in post offices across Long Island. Ms. Hyman noted that the majority of the local WPA-funded murals can be found adorning the walls of Nassau County post offices.

Ms. Hyman explained that while Mr. Wilson might not be a household name, he did hold his own on the American art scene. Originally from Vilnius, Lithuania, Mr. Wilson lived in New York City and taught at prestigious art schools there, such as the American Artists School and the Art Students League.

“He has paintings recorded as being in the collections of significant museums,” Ms. Hyman said. “He had a real life as an artist; He was not an amateur.”

Ms. Hyman said she first noticed a small fissure in the upper left-hand corner of the mural more than a year ago, noting that, since then, the fissure has extended farther into the painting, compromising its quality.

“I’m hoping that, somehow, whoever is responsible for the condition of the post office will see to it that the leak is repaired and that whatever damage that is just at the top left hand of the painting is repaired as well,” Ms. Hyman said.

Mr. Gaynor explained that the repairs Ms. Hyman is advocating is part of the post office’s “long-term strategy” for the mural, which includes its full restoration.

You May Also Like:

A Few of Your Favorite Things Hit The Suffolk Stage

The Suffolk comes alive with its second annual “The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long.” On Friday, July 25, at 8 p.m., the theater will present the fan-favorite Julie Andrews classic with a brand-new spin that brings interactive fun and nostalgic joy to the timeless tunes. Complete with a costume contest for cash prizes and themed drink specials, audiences can celebrate the film and serenade the night away to every iconic melody from “Do-Re-Mi” to “My Favorite Things!” A 1965 classic by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the film version of “The Sound of Music” was directed by Robert Wise and it tells the ... 6 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

Tony Nominee Liz Callaway Headlines ‘Broadway and Beyond’ at LTV Studios in the Hamptons

LTV Studios has announced that its Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea series will present ... by Staff Writer

Saxophone Luminary Jane Ira Bloom Brings Her Quartet to The Church

Acclaimed soprano saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Jane Ira Bloom will bring her boundary-pushing all-star ... 5 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

Tickets on Sale for East Hampton Library’s 21st Annual Authors Night Fundraiser

The East Hampton Library will host its 21st Annual Authors Night fundraiser on Saturday, August ... 4 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

Tales Told in Sound: Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Celebrates Its 42nd Season

The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival (BCMF), Long Island’s longest-running classical music festival, returns this summer ... by Staff Writer

Santi Debriano’s Bembé Arktet Brings Global Jazz Fusion to Sag Harbor

Hamptons Jazz Fest continues its summer season with bassist and composer Santi Debriano and his dynamic ensemble, Bembé Arktet, on Friday, July 18, at 6 p.m. at The Church in Sag Harbor. Panamanian-born and Brooklyn-raised, Debriano is a powerful force in Afro-Caribbean jazz, known for his work with legends like Archie Shepp, Randy Weston and Freddie Hubbard. With Bembé Arktet, he blends complex polyrhythms, folkloric melodies and modal improvisation into a vibrant sound that is both deeply spiritual and rhythmically propulsive. The ensemble’s name draws from “bembé,” an Afro-Cuban sacred celebration of drumming and dance, which reflects the group’s mission: ... by Staff Writer

Joy-Ann Reid to Speak in the Hamptons at ‘Equality Matters’ Lecture, Part of Stony Brook’s ‘Thinking Forward’ Series

Journalist, author and Emmy-nominated broadcaster Joy-Ann Reid will headline “Equality Matters in the Hamptons” on Thursday, July 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Avram Theater at Stony Brook Southampton. The event, moderated by Ken Miller, is part of the “Thinking Forward Lecture Series,” presented by the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center (The Center) in cooperation with Stony Brook University. The series aims to educate, inspire and foster dialogue on important cultural and social issues. A limited-space VIP reception will be held at 5 p.m. and includes a signed book by Reid. Reservations are available at stonybrook.edu/reid. Reid is best ... by Staff Writer

Ted Hartley To Be Inducted Into Hamptons Artist Hall of Fame, Exhibit at Hamptons Fine Art Fair

Artist Ted Hartley will be inducted into the Hamptons Artist Hall of Fame during the ... 3 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

Sara Nightingale Gallery Debuts Rose Cameron’s Dreamlike ‘Forever. For Now.’ Exhibition

Sara Nightingale Gallery will present a solo exhibition by artist Rose Cameron titled “Forever. For ... by Staff Writer

Childhood Friends and Authors Scott Johnston, Michael Cannell Discuss New Books at Bridgehampton Barnes & Noble

Authors Scott Johnston and Michael Cannell, longtime childhood friends who grew up on the East ... by Staff Writer