finance
Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building Faces Potential Sale and Demolition Amid Preservation Efforts
The Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington, D.C., a key example of New Deal architecture and art, has been added to a list of federal properties for accelerated disposition. The structure features murals by artists Ben Shahn and Philip Guston illustrating the Social Security Act's impact. Preservation groups are campaigning to save it as regulations for historic buildings weaken.
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It was designed by an architect, incorporating modernized classical lines, Egyptian Revival elements, and Art Deco flourishes.
The building's interior includes green marble walls and bronze-clad elevators, reflecting efficient bureaucratic design. This followed the passage of the Social Security Act under President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, which established protections against economic hardships like child poverty, old age, and unemployment. Artists received major commissions for the ground floor, alongside other artists, who painted a mountain landscape for the fifth-floor boardroom.
Two murals, each approximately 70 feet long and 24 feet high, depict the struggles of economic hardship on one side and post-Social Security prosperity—such as basketball games, public works, and harvests—on the other.
One artist titled them The Meaning of Social Security and regarded them as his finest work.
“It’s the ‘Sistine Chapel of the New Deal,’ in the words of the founder of an organization.”
Context and Artistic Significance The New Deal programs under Roosevelt funded tens of thousands of public buildings, including courthouses, post offices, and recreational facilities, while employing up to 10,000 artists for decorations. These efforts aimed to explain the era's social contract to the public through art and architecture.
The building exemplifies this integration of policy and aesthetics. The murals and sculptures directly address the shift from Herbert Hoover's emphasis on "rugged individualism" to Roosevelt's vision of state-supported security. Four granite bas-reliefs adorn the building's pediments over its entrances.
