Historic Transformation A timeless Stillwater building becomes the future home of OSU’s Postal Plaza Gallery. A building that once served as the hub for Stillwater mail service soon will become the home of OSU’s permanent art collection, providing an important connection between the university and downtown. Acquiring and renovating the former U.S. Post Office, on Husband Street a few blocks south of Sixth Street, is the first step toward fulfilling OSU President Burns Hargis’ vision of elevating the arts at the university and in Stillwater. OSU officials unveiled plans for creating the Postal Plaza Gallery in January during a private event at the historic building, constructed as a Works Progress Administration project 80 years ago but decommissioned in the 1970s when a new mail facility opened a few blocks east. Since the 1930s, the university has been building its permanent art collection, which represents cultures from around the
Downtown Stillwater’s WPA building was the city’s post office from the 1930s until it was decommissioned in the 1970s. world with more than 1,500 pieces. Until now, OSU has lacked a state-of-the-art facility for storing and displaying the collection, limiting its ability to benefit from gifts of art. The Postal Plaza Gallery will provide a secure and environmentally controlled location for the collection, as well as room to grow. “I’m proud that this project not only benefits the university but also the city, and that an architectural landmark is being restored rather than torn down,” Hargis says.
“I’m proud that this project not only benefits the university but also the city.” — OSU President Burns Hargis
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