Post Office in the Park
Post Office in the Park
Post Office in the Park
Post Office in the Park
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Post Office in the Park

Man, Yellowstone is so eclectic. So many wondrous things catch our collective imagination.

I have always loved the Post Office.

Partly because I love those limestone bears. Turns out the sculptress was Gladys Caldwell Fisher. She was a Colorado artist who also studied in Paris with Aristide Maillol. The architect was Louis A Simon. He was the Supervising Architect in the Office of the Treasury at a pivotal time. The building was completed under his specifications in 1936. His office then came under the auspices of the WPA and Fisher's bears were part of the Public Works of Art begun in 1939 and finished in 1941. At about that time the Mammoth Hotel underwent a massive remodel by Reamer. All of this work is considered part of the French Renaissance Moderne movement.

Of course, I didn't know any of that. I just love those bears. They seem right at home. At once charming and impressive. That Indiana limestone weighs in at 3 tons, but the clean lines defy that weight. One source contends that the artist watched Grizzly bear cubs at one of the feeding grounds.  I certainly think she had a fondness for them. Judging from the extent of the "bear jams", it is a fondness we all share.