Alvaro de Lugo Post Office, Charlotte Amalie

At first glance, a visit to a post office may seem an unlikely stop on a cultural walk, yet the Alvaro de Lugo Post Office in downtown Charlotte Amalie holds a unique place in the artistic history of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Built in 1938 and often referred to locally as the Emancipation Garden Post Office, the building is still a full-service postal facility, but it is also home to some of the most important public artworks in the territory. For visitors interested in history and art beyond traditional museums, a brief look inside is well worth the time.

The significance of the building lies in its interior murals, commissioned under the Works Progress Administration’s Section of Fine Arts, a federal New Deal program created to support artists during the Great Depression. Completed in 1941 by renowned American illustrator Stevan Dohanos, best known for his work with The Saturday Evening Post, the two murals are the only surviving examples of New Deal federal building artwork in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are displayed at opposite ends of the lobby, making them easy to view during a short visit.

At the east end of the lobby is “The Virgin Islands, U.S. – The Outer World Significance,” which depicts an anchor, cannon, and pyramid of cannonballs surrounded by conch shells, with Fort Christian visible in the background. A banner wrapped around the anchor bears geographic coordinates pointing to St. Thomas, emphasizing the islands’ strategic and maritime importance. At the west end, “The Virgin Islands, U.S. – The Leisurely Native Tempo” presents a quieter dockside scene with bananas, fish, pots, and two figures in straw hats gazing toward the sea, capturing the rhythm of everyday island life.

Although many mainland post office murals have been lost or damaged over time, both murals here were carefully restored after suffering harm during Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Today, they remain in good condition, offering visitors a rare chance to encounter preserved New Deal–era public art in an active civic space, right in the heart of Charlotte Amalie.