About Mullett-Smith Press

Mullett-Smith Press is interested in Desktop production of musical scores, information on Architectural History and Historic Preservation. We have pages to visit on Urgent Needs for buildings by the architect, A.B. Mullett, that need funding, letters to those in Congress or in GSA. We also sell publications and authorize the publishing of Hopi Indian Tales called Spider Woman Stories by G. M. Mullett as well as her children's stories. In production is a publication by Suzanne Mullett Smith on Arthur Dove, the artist.

Charles Town, West Virginia Jail, by Tom Mullett of the A. B. Mullett & Co. Tom had designed the Opera House in Charles Town in 1910 and was asked to design the Jail across the street, next to the Courthouse. He signed the contract after winning the bid and submitting final drawings in 1917. Many aspects of this building follow to some extent the patent concepts of his father, A. B. Mullett in his patent for a jail which had been used in the DC Jail. As with all A. B. Mullett and Company buildings, this one is built to last, still a substantial building. It had a residence for the Sheriff or jailer and family. The residence section was designed in such a fashion as to offer protection and quiet from whatever noise might come from the prison. This building is also listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation site in their archives. The article is entitled, "Jail Runs out of Time" and was published January 28, 2003. In the article readers are told that they may joint JCPASH (Jefferson County Preservation Alliance Save our Heritage). Membership is $15 per year or $25 per couple per year. We met with the commissioners Thursday, October 16, 2003. There were two commissioners who were very interested in saving the jail. The election in November 2004 brought in two more commissioners who see that the jail can be saved and with ADA regulations met. A meeting was held in 2006 to get ideas on how to use the building. Some suggestions included using the large kitchen area that originally produced meals for the prisoners as a kitchen for a restaurant or rent out the living space the family used either as a restaurant or as a place for locals with smaller dwellings to entertain or have wedding receptions or other large gatherings, may be as a business meeting location. There is still some interest in turning some of the jail space into art studios similar to the Torpedo Gallery in Alexandria, Va. The commissioners are still considering options. Visit JCPASH for more information.
San Francisco Mint: National Historic Preservtionists and lovers of National architectural Treasures please keep an eye on this building to ensure the deadlines for repairs and implementation of conversion of the old Mint to a museum occurs. This means it needs donations. The ownership of the old Mint has been transfered now. The City of San Francisto reached an exclusive negotiating agreement with the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society for the development of the Old Mint. Three RFP (Request for Proposals) were submitted to the city. The task force recommended that the city accept the exclusive negotiation with the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. Specific conditions, milestones and design plans are to be met to maintain or continue this agreement. This agreement was approved June 20, 2003. On the same day the City was authorized to accept title to the Old Mint. There was an extensive review process under the National Historic Preservation Act. This was a no cost conveyance of ownership aside from the cost of all the reviews and proposals and administrative costs of collecting information and proposals for the future of the Mint. There will be some changes in the Mint that have been approved and are in compliance with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. The city is required to continue to obtain approval for any further alterations from the State's Historic Preservation Officer for design and construction processes. The city obtained an exemption on March 20, 2002 from San Francisco's Environmental Review Officer stating that the Mint is excempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. This exemption was due to the fact that the ownership transfer with no current or specific development proposals posed no physical environmental project. All the regulations were approved as not being a threat or problem. Several parties have been given in SF to celebrate the transfer and to help the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society raise money to meet each of the milestones and designs plans required by the new contract. There have been many important figures at these events including California Supreme Court Judges, Senators, and Congressional Representatives. We hope that the Museum and Historical Society can meet each of its deadlines. For the most recent news updates on the San Francisco Mint from the Museum group please visit their web site which gives updates on the progress: http://www.sfhistory.org/Old%20Mint%20News.html has all the information necessary to make contributions to continue with the creation of this museum. If you want information on getting coins from the current mint at U.S. Mint Government information on the San Francisco Mint.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation keeps this building on their watch list for endangered buildings.
Articles on the Old Mint and what is happening to it are appearing regularly in The San Francisco Chronicle at SFGate.com.
Custom House and Post Office in St. Louis Missouri saved from destruction in the 1960s needs to be on the watch list again. See the National Trust web site. Our resources tell us that the building is about to be transfered to private ownership. Under some of these transfers regard for historic preservation even for buildings listed as National Treasures can be ignored to a greater or lesser extent. Also owners have been known to make changes that cause such severe structural damage that the buildings fall down. Although this type of event is less likely to happen on buildings as well constructed as the Mullett designed buildings, removal or adjustment to the flying staircases on each side of this particular building could be dangerous since these stair cases are actually structural in the same fashion as a flying buttress would be on a cathedral. They are buttresses, not just staircases. There is a team working now to make design and color restorations on this building hoping to make a lasting impression that will encourage new owners to preserve the historic value of the building both inside and out. Kevin Kerwin, AIA, senior associate at Trivers Associates, architecture planning and urban design, interiors, is one in a team of architects working on this project to create such a fine restoration of this building that owners will want the building to continue and to be appreciated. Contact these architects at Trivers.com in St. Louis, MO.
The Portland, Oregon Pioneer Post Office and Court House is in about to lose its original foundation, lose the Post Office entirely in favor of a Court House for about the current 3 judges. This is a three story building with basement. GSA wants to put in base isolation system of seismic security in the building and they were able to get Oregon to pass a new law that any renovation on a court house that had no garage should install a garage. This building is considered perfectly safe by architectural historians. Most of the people who are promoting the base isolation technology appear to not be very familiar with the buildings of the era of A.B. Mullett which are very secure. more...
A. B. Mullett: His Buildings Then and Now, an on-line attempt to publish most recent and last known information with some background on the original construction.
Washington, D.C. non-Government office buildings by A. B. Mullett.
Boise, Idaho has a small Assayor's Office designed by A. B Mullett extant... now...
Lincoln IL has a Post Office, Court House that is now a multi-use building. The original design was by A. B. Mullett and changed some by Potter and more by Hill before it was completed.
Port Huron, MI Post Office, Court House and Custom House by A.B. Mullett was completed under Potter so the dome is not fire resistant, but the rest was designed to be fire resistant. GSA had a superintendent of the Michigan buildings who was really expert and knowledgeable on 19th Century construction. When this building needed renovation it was done very well. Although the first floor which had been a Post Office and was to become the location for people in Port Huron to come in for unemployment benefits, find employment and other health and human services and social security related services, the floor area was cut up into narrow hallways and offices of various sizes in standard Government paint colors. But the second and third floors as well as the dome were in beautiful condition with many of the original features still in tact.
Portland, ME Custom House by A. B. Mullett is fully used by many Government offices. Many original features remain intact.
Cairo, IL Custom House has been renovated by the locals and is being used again but at present we do not have many details on its current usage.
Arthur Dove, by Suzanne Mullett Smith
Mullett-Smith Press books and musical scores in Print

Mullett-Smith Press on A. B. Mullett

Our book,A.B. Mullett, His Relevance in American Architecture and Historic Preservation, was professionally prepared by The Oxford Group in Norway, Maine. We have notes from the National Archives papers on all of A. B. Mullett's buildings. We also have original papers of A.B. Mullett. These will not be put up directly but only by purchase. Individuals may purchase notes on specific building's price determined by number of pages in documents desired. San Francisco Mint information is available for $30 by e-mail, $35 for snail mail. The U.S. Treasury files are $40. Portland Oregon files are $25. Several buildings in Maine by A. B. Mullett have fewer pages and would be $15 to $20.

We are members of The National Society of Arts and Letters, Washington Chapter and provide pages on their competitions and former winners.We are also members of AIIM, ARMA, Treasury Historical Association , Society for Scholarly Publishers, National Museum of Women in the Arts, various nature preservation organizations, and other organizations. We are listed in Who's Who of American Women 2000-2002, Who's Who in America 2000-2002, Who's Who in the World 2000-2002. And subesquent Who's Who publications.

We also invite you to visit the web pages set up by Treasury Historical Association