Historical Art

The Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in mid-1935. The nation was in an economic depression; millions were unemployed. The WPA’s mission was to take 3.5 million people off relief and put them to work. Within a year, some 5,000 artists were tasked with creating works of art across the country. Clare’s Middle School auditorium was the recipient of one such mural by Grand Rapids artist, Gerald Mast. The mural lives on today, a national treasure in our own community, located at 209 E. State Street, Clare, Michigan. If you are interested in arranging a tour of this mural, please call (989) 386-9979 to schedule a visit.

The Clare Post Office on Fifth St. in downtown Clare is the site of another famed WPA mural. Visitors can view the art during regular postal business hours.

Last but not least, the historic Doherty Hotel in downtown Clare also features fabulous depression era murals by artist, Jay McHugh.

 

Purple Gang

The Purple Gang was a notorious group of mostly young Jewish men who controlled a large portion of Michigan, from U.S. 31 to the state’s eastern border. The most infamous event at the Doherty Hotel occurred on May 14, 1938, when Central Michigan oil promoter Carl Jack Livingston shot and killed Isaiah Leebove in the hotel’s Tap Room. Mr. Leebove was an attorney with ties to the Purple Gang. The home he built is located just north of downtown Clare.