Preservationists Petition to Save Wilbur Building, the 'Sistine Chapel of New Deal Art'

"Preservationists are petitioning to save Washington, D.C.'s Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, dubbed the "Sistine Chapel of New Deal Art" for the 20th-century masterpieces its houses, including murals by Philip Guston and Ben Shahn. Despite its landmark status, the Trump administration has listed the building up for sale, raising fears it could be demolished. Living New Deal, a California-based nonprofit building a database of New Deal public artworks across America,"

""As powerful interests move in haste to sell this historic building, we call for the process to be paused and conducted with transparency, respect, and public participation," the petition reads, adding that "selling or privatizing this building without proper review would strip the American people of their rightful heritage and deny us any voice in the fate of our shared cultural property.""

"Charles Z. Klauder-the architect behind the Yale's Peabody Museum and the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning-began constructing the building in 1938. Located two blocks from the US Capitol on Independence Avenue, the building opened in 1940 under Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal to house the Social Security Administration, then known as the Social Security Board."

The Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington, D.C., contains significant 20th-century murals by Philip Guston and Ben Shahn. The building opened in 1940 as part of the New Deal to house the Social Security Administration and features interior art reflecting that mission. The Trump administration listed the building among 45 federal properties for "accelerated disposal," enabling swift sale with limited public input. Preservationists and the nonprofit Living New Deal launched a petition to pause the sale, demand transparency and public participation, and prevent privatization or demolition that would remove public cultural heritage.

Read at ARTnews.com