Art Crawl

The Mother and Child mural by Paul Huba originally dominated a staircase at the Hamilton Street end of the former public postal hall. The mural is made from hand-crafted tiles and is 5-metres (16 feet) tall. During the revitalization of this building, the entire mural was taken down and restored, tile by tile, and then remounted where you see it now. Hungarian-born Huba, who was also the sculptor behind The Postman bas-relief, arrived in Vancouver in 1954 after training in Austria and the UK. He was a strong advocate for the public art movement and using local materials wherever possible.

Orville Fisher was born in Vancouver in 1911 and studied under renowned Group of Seven painter Fred Varley. Before being commissioned to paint this mural for the former post office, Fisher was a war artist, and the only Allied artist to land with the troops on the beaches of Normandy in World War II. This mural from 1957 features Mercury, messenger to the gods, in gold in the centre and surrounded by depictions of the evolution of mail delivery in British Columbia. Can you spot the steam train, sailing ship, horse-drawn carriage and helicopter?

Discovered behind the cornerstone — a slab of red granite weighing approximately four tonnes — was the copper time capsule you see today. Dedicated by The Honourable Robert H. Winter, Minister of Public Works on November 20, 1955, the time capsule was sealed behind the cornerstone of the former Post Office until it’s secrets were finally revealed by a team from the Museum of Vancouver on April 24, 2023. Included in the historic cache was a newly minted coin set from 1955, a penny (which Canada hasn’t made since 2013), stamps in various denominations, historical photos of Vancouver, and three local newspapers dated November 28, 1955.

Find out what else was discovered inside the time capsule, here.

On the Georgia Street frontage of The Post, you will see the Arms of Canada, two Canadian coats of arms. These emblems are made from cast aluminum and stand 5.8-metres (19 feet) tall. After 1867, Canada’s coat of arms evolved as more provinces joined Confederation, and what you see here is the latest iteration, based on a design that was adopted in 1921 and proclaimed by King George V. If you look closely, you will see the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and France, with Canadian touches, such as maple leaves at the bottom of the shield and in the paw of the lion at the top of the crest. To the left of the shield is a lion holding the Union Jack and to the right a unicorn holding the ancient banner of France.

Paul Huba’s 4.9-metre (16 foot) bas-relief, carved from Swedish red granite, was installed in 1956, before the new post office opened in 1958. As part of the heritage redevelopment, it had to be moved by specialized forklifts and cranes to protect it from damage during construction. It was later reinstalled in this location where it’s more visible to the public.