The General Services Administration (GSA) recently reclaimed five New Deal era Thomas Laman-Hardy murals that had been commissioned by the Treasury Relief Arts Project (TRAP) for the Eureka Federal Building in California.
A GSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) special agent was notified by a concerned citizen that there were plans to sell or donate five New Deal Era murals. The murals had been located in the Eureka Federal Building, which GSA had sold to a private company in 2002. It was discovered that the murals were under the care and control of a non-profit organization, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Historical Society (the Society). Working together, GSA OIG and GSA were able to determine that the murals belong to the United States. GSA contacted the Society and expressed interest in reclaiming title to the artwork. Subsequently, a loan agreement was executed between GSA and the Society.
The murals are being restored for a subsequent long-term exhibit at the new federal courthouse in McKinleyville, California.
Thomas Laman-Hardy mural, Deer
