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  • Alcatraz Prison Improvements and Guard Housing - San Francisco CA
    The Public Works Administration funded improvement work at the Alcatraz Prison on Alcatraz Island. The cost of the project was $1,100,000. The funds for the modernization were earmarked through a PWA program in 1938. The modernization plans were temporarily suspended after the Attorney General suggested the prison be moved away from San Francisco’s “doorstep.” The work restarted in 1940, when Attorney General Jackson took office, inspected the site, and approved the modernization project. James V. Bennett, the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, declared in 1940 for the Fresno Bee that he expected the construction to finish by July of 1940. He also...
  • Auburn Correctional Facility Construction - Auburn NY
    Then known as Auburn State Prison, the Auburn Correctional Facility received a sizable expansion as a result of a $226,000 federal Public Works Administration grant during the 1930s. PWA Federal Docket No. 3248 (NY). Specific construction included "accommodations for inmates, incinerator, connecting corridors and guard house."
  • Baca County Courthouse Annex - Springfield CO
    "The current courthouse was built in 1916 after a fire destroyed the first Baca County Courthouse in 1910. The elegant brick addition, which presents the Main Street facade, was designed by the Denver firm Mountjoy and Frewen and constructed in 1929-30. In 1935, WPA workers began construction of a second addition. This two-story, stone building served initially as a jail and sheriff’s quarters, which remained at this site until 1972 when a new jail was built. The WPA plans by E.C. Measel included landscaping and a stone wall around the grounds. The lovely stone building behind the courthouse was built...
  • Berkeley County Jail (demolished) - Moncks Corner SC
    The building was the county police headquarters and 40-bed capacity county jail from 1938 until 1993 when it was razed to make way for a 220-bed facility.
  • Bronx County Jail (demolished) - Bronx NY
    Later known as the Bronx House of Detention for Men, the Bronx County Jail was constructed during the 1930s, a project aided by federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. NY 9050X). Located at East 151st St. and River Ave., the building was designed Joseph H. Freedlander and constructed at an estimated cost of $1,418,529. The building was ("substantially") finished on November 20, 1937. According to a PWA architect's survey, the eight-to-nine-story, 248-foot-long enamel-white brick structure was "of such ornate design that it is readily mistaken for an office structure." The building contained 243 cells, "of which 21 are for women." The...
  • Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary (former) Improvements - Petros TN
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted work at what was then known as Brushy Mountain Prison in Petros, Tennessee.
  • Camden County Detention Home (former) Renovation - Pennsauken NJ
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to renovate the old Municipal Building in Pennsauken, New Jersey in 1936. The project was completed with no direct expense to local taxpayers. The exact location of the old building is unknown to Living New Deal; it was demolished in 1986.
  • Castro County Courthouse - Dimmitt TX
    The current Castro County Courthouse was constructed in large part with labor provided by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). Text from the state historical marker reads: "This site was set aside as the Dimmitt town square in 1891, the year Castro County was formally organized. Temporary court facilities were set up in J. N. Morrison's office while the first courthouse was built. An ornate two-story structure, it burned in 1906 after being hit by lighting. A brick courthouse with a central dome, built in 1908, was dedicated at a community picnic. It served until the 1930s, but was razed to make...
  • Central School (former) - Altona NY
    Altona, New York's Central School was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. NY 1236). The building was designed by Plattsburgh architect Alvin W. Inman. The former school is now part of the Altona Correctional Facility, a medium-security institution, with the building serving as "the central administrative and school building." (Wikipedia)
  • Charles A. Pike Juvenile Center Addition - Lisbon OH
    The Public Works Administration contributed $35,000 for the construction of a new auditorium and gymnasium for David Anderson High School. Ground was broken for the project on December 9th 1937 and the structure was dedicated on October 3rd 1938. The total cost of the project was $70,000. The general construction contract went to the George H. Whike Construction Company of Canton Ohio. The building has since been renamed and currently serves as a juvenile court.
  • Childress County Courthouse - Childress TX
    The historic Childress County Courthouse in downtown Childress, Texas was built with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a grant of $101,250 toward the project, whose total cost was $223,635. Construction occurred between November 1938 and November 1939. The New Deal building replaced a 1891 courthouse. PWA Docket No. TX W1472.
  • City Hall - Pineville KY
    The federal Works Progresss Administration (WPA) constructed Pineville's historic city hall and jail; the building is still in service.
  • City Hall - Sullivan MO
    Sullivan's municipal building was completed by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works in 1937 and served as City Hall, police department, and jail as well as the town's auditorium. While the police department has moved, this New Deal building continues to serve as Sullivan's City Hall as well as a jail and public auditorium and gymnasium. The gymnasium/ auditorium is located on the south side of the building; the jail is on the west side in the basement.  
  • City Hall and Jail (former) - Prague OK
    This former city hall and jail building was built by the PWA in 1936. "The building is currently the location of the Prague Police Department, with the municipal offices having moved to another location in town. ...The town of Prague applied for a grant and received $6,316 toward construction costs. The building was completed in November 1936 and occupied in January of 1937. The first public meetings were held there in March of that year. The PWA grants were for 45% of costs, and if the applicant was legally allowed to enter into loan agreement, the remaining 55% could be borrowed...
  • City Hall and Jail (former) - Rock Hill SC
    "The federal government’s New Deal programs, specifically the Works Progress Administration and the Public Works Administration, also played a direct role in Rock Hill’s economic recovery. Building projects included ... a new City Hall building ..." The PWA supplied a $45,617 grant for the construction of the city hall/jail, whose total cost was $119,441. Construction began October 1936 and was completed October 1937. (PWA Docket No. SC W1120.) Rock Hill has a new City Hall building; the exact location and status of the New Deal City Hall is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • City Hall Repairs and New Jail Annex - Biloxi MS
    The jail annex and repairs to the city hall including beautifying and landscaping of city streets in addition to the construction of a 35 x 35 one-story jail annex. W. P. No. 1046 was started 02/01/1936 and completed 07/04/1937 for a total cost of $25,913.19 including payroll, material, and equipment. The federal funds provided$22,105.97 and the City of Biloxi as sponsor provided $3,807.22. The city hall repairs included modernization of offices. The landscaping included West Beach improvement and Central Beach Promenade. The building is no longer extant.
  • Civil Prison (demolished) Improvements - Brooklyn NY
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a sizable public building improvement project in Brooklyn, New York beginning in 1935.  The project involved the "Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices" at more than 30 locations, including the no-longer-extant Civil Prison at the southeast corner of Willoughby Ave. and Raymond Ave. (now Ashland Pl.). The land is now occupied by The Brooklyn Hospital Center.
  • Cole County Jail and Sheriff's Residence - Jefferson City MO
    In 1972 the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service approved the nomination of the Cole County Jail-Sheriff’s House to the National Register of Historic Places. The areas of significance were identified as architecture, political and jurisprudence. The nomination form described the Jail-Sheriff’s house as compatible in style and stonework pattern with the courthouse. The square-plan building is three bays wide on each façade, with the front entrance centered on the northwest façade in a projected, gabled bay. The rectangular-plan, three-story jail is joined to the sheriff’s house along the southeast façade of the sheriff’s house. The jail is...
  • Colleton County Jail - Walterboro SC
    "This project consisted of additions to the courthouse and the construction of this two-story reinforced-concrete jail. The jail contains the warden's quarters, dayroom and two cells each for white and colored women, two day rooms and four felony cages for men, isolation wards, and two juvenile cells. It was completed in November 1937 at a construction cost of $43,776 and a project cost of $46,864." The exact location and current status of this project are presently unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Collin County Jail Remodel - McKinney TX
    Collin County Jail was erected in 1880. The two-story Collin County Jail features quarry-faced, ashlar limestone masonry construction and exhibits detailing and massing characteristic of the High-Victorian Italianate style. Two-tiered pilasters mark the slightly projecting central bay. This bay features a low-pitched pressed-metal pediment above the top floor and a stone panel engraved with "Collin County Prison" above the double-door, front entrance. The jail was vacated when new facilities were completed in 1979. Texas State Historical Marker: Completed in 1880, it was modified in 1938 with Funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. Plaque on building: Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works Franklin D....
  • County Jail - Yazoo City MS
    The Yazoo County Jail was constructed as PWA Mississippi project 1087 with funding of $20,450 toward the $35,000 cost. J. R. Flint Construction Company built the new jail south of the City Hall on South Washington Street. R. W. Naef was architect. Decatur Iron & Steel Company of Alabama were recommended to provide the ironwork for cell construction. The new brick building was described as "modern", escape proof and fire-proof, and had individual cells with lavatory, toilet, shower bath, "and a good bed" (Yazool jail is now occupied, 1937, p. 1). The jail was demolished in 1998.
  • County Jail (former) Improvements - Martinez CA
    In 1938, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to the former Contra Costa County jail, which stands just behind the old courthouse (the present Finance Building) at 625 Court Street.  According to a WPA Project Card from the National Archives, the work involved painting the interior and exterior of the jail and the project was approved for $14,888; but because the card appears to combine painting work at the jail with painting the Hall of Records (in the present Taylor courthouse), it is unclear how much was allocated to the jail. The jail was constructed in 1901 and had its entrance...
  • Courthouse Jail (demolished) - Bay Springs MS
    Public Works Administration, project W1208, constructed a two-story Art Deco style jail for the courthouse. A grant of $13,939 was approved toward the total cost of $30,977 6/22/1938. Contract was awarded 9/13/1938 and construction begun 9/22/1938. Architects were Krouse & Brasfield and builder was Currie & Corley. Construction was completed 1/19/1939. The jail and courthouse were destroyed in 1975.
  • Craighead County Jail (former) - Jonesboro AR
    This utilitarian yellow brick structure with subtle Art-Deco touches was a Public Works Administration project. Completed in 1939, the jail replaced the old Jonesboro jail located at Madison and Monroe streets. This building remained in use as Craighead County's jail until a new state of the art detention facility was built on the western outskirts of Jonesboro in 1989. Afterward, the old jail became a part of the Craighead County Courthouse Annex, and is now used for storage of county records and as office space for an appraisal company that works with the county assessors office.
  • Curry County Courthouse - Clovis NM
    The historic Curry County Courthouse (and jail) in Clovis, New Mexico was developed as a New Deal project in 1936. The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) provided a $73,507 grant for the project, whose total cost was $163,388. P.W.A. Docket No. N.M. 1015
  • D.C. Workhouse and Reformatory Historic District Improvements - Washington DC
    The Civil Works Administration and the Public Works Administration (PWA) completed improvements at the District of Columbia Reformatory and Workhouse (today’s “D.C. Workhouse and Reformatory Historic District”) between 1933 and 1940. “During the latter part of December 1933 an appropriation was obtained from the Civil Works Administration for the construction of 4 dormitory buildings and 2 buildings for officers' quarters. This work was handled as a Virginia project through the Fairfax County administrator. Work was started January 2, 1934, and when work was terminated on March 31, 1934, the 4 dormitories were about 90 percent complete, and the 2 buildings for officers' quarters...
  • Dawes County Courthouse - Chadron NE
    The historic Dawes County Courthouse in Chadron, Nebraska was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $44,893 grant for the project, whose total cost was $99,771. Construction occurred between January 1936 and January 1937. PWA Docket No. NE 1013.
  • District Jail (demolished) - Washington DC
    According to the Washington Post, the Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for additions to the District Jail, first built in 1876.  In 1938, four new cell blocks, two connecting wings, a new powerhouse, and a new laundry facility were proposed. In 1940, the Post listed unspecified "remodeling operations" as part of the work on the jail. According to The Hill Is Home (blog), by 1983 the jail had been razed and its functions performed by the new jail just to the south, at 19th and D streets SE. The site of the former jail is now the St.Coletta of Greater Washington...
  • East Hall (Isolation Building, former Florida Industrial School for Girls)- Ocala FL
    The facility now known as East Hall was originally constructed as the "Isolation Building" for Florida Industrial School for Girls, a reformatory. It was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $27,727 grant for the project, whose total cost was $65,660. (It is possible that the grant enabled other construction on the grounds as well.) Wikipedia: "East Hall is an historic one-story red brick building located at 307 Southeast 26th Terrace in Ocala, Florida, United States. Designed by architect Frank Parzaile, it was built in 1936 by the Public Works Administration. On July...
  • Eddy County Courthouse Expansion - Carlsbad NM
    Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Public Works Administration provided funding for the expansion of the Eddy County Courthouse and jail in 1939. Treasures on New Mexico Trails: "Eddy County Courthouse was begun in 1891, with additions in 1914 and 1939. The 1939 addition was done by the WPA for $185,000." Eddy County History: "Eddy County was named for Charles B. Eddy, a rancher in southeastern New Mexico during the last decades of the 19th century. ... The original courthouse built a few years after the creation of the county was a Victorian structure built for $21,000 with a...
  • Ellicott City Jail (former) Repairs - Ellicott City MD
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) supplied the labor to conduct repairs to the former Ellicott City Jail. Maryland WPA Project No. 181.
  • Erie County Sheriff's Office - Buffalo NY
    Originally the Erie County Jail, the Erie County Sheriff's Office in Buffalo, New York was constructed with federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. 1282-D). Construction began February 1937 and the building was completed in 1938. According to a local newspaper at the time, the jail, Architect Maxwell James claimed was "so escape-proof neither wall nor fence is needed." The fifth floor of the structure was set aside for female inmantes. The building has since been integrated into a larger law enforcement and penal complex that includes the Erie County Holding Center.
  • Federal Correctional Institution - Danbury CT
    The Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut was constructed with Treasury Department funds and completed in 1940. The facility is still in use today.
  • Florida Industrial School for Boys (abandoned): Negro Dining Hall - Marianna FL
    A pair of segregated dining halls at what was then known as the Florida Industrial School for Boys, a reformatory, was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $34,389 grant for the project, whose total cost was $84,517. The exact location and status of the buildings on the now-abandoned campus are presently unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. FL 1161-R
  • Florida Industrial School for Boys (abandoned): White Dining Hall - Marianna FL
    A pair of segregated dining halls at what was then known as the Florida Industrial School for Boys, a reformatory, was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $34,389 grant for the project, whose total cost was $84,517. The exact location and status of the buildings on the now-abandoned campus are presently unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. FL 1161-R
  • Florida State Prison: Hospital - Raiford FL
    A hospital at the Florida State Prison (in some documents referred to as the "Florida State Farm"), was constructed in 1936-7 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $137,296 grant for the project, whose total cost was $339,851. The exact location and status of the building are presently unknown to Living New Deal. It is also possible that the project included the construction of other facilities on the prison grounds. PWA Docket No. FL 1160-R
  • Former City Jail - Chapman KS
    "Resting on a concrete slab, the building has cast concrete with walls approximately 9 inches thick. A corrugated metal roof with flat, narrow wood fascia caps the jail. The only openings are located in the west side. These include a steel door and two steel six-light window with metal bars... Located on an alley behind City Hall, this building is currently used for storage by city. The jail was built by the CWA in 1933-34."
  • Georgia State Prison - Reidsville GA
    Georgia State Prison was constructed as a massive federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the mid-1930s. It is located southwest of Reidsville and has been extensively remodeled and expanded since its opening in 1938. The PWA supplied a loan of $1,142,000 and a grant of $358,000 for the project. Primary construction occurred between Jan. 1935 and Dec. 1936. PWA Docket No. GA 714 "The State purchased the 7,000-acre Tattnall County farm and an additional 900 acres to be used as a building site, and with a loan and grant from the P.W.A. this up-to-date prison was constructed. The project includes the administration...
  • Hale Pa‘ahao Prison Improvements - Lahaina HI
    Hale Pa‘ahao (stuck-in-irons house) was Lahaina’s “new” prison, built in the 1850s during  the whaling era. The prison has been restored three times, in the 1930s, 1950s and 1970s. The Lahaina Restoration Foundation reports that:  "During the 1930s, County of Maui sponsored reconstruction of the cells and stockade  by the Works Progress Administration (WPA)."  There is a stone marker acknowledging the WPA's work, as well. Another metal marker says that the gatehouse was restored in 1959.  Then, as the Lahaina Restoration Foundation report continues: "In 1967, Lahaina Restoration Foundation presented to Maui Historical Commission a plan for restoring the old prison. It detailed...
  • Hancock County Jail - Bay St. Louis MS
    The old county jail was demolished in 1937 and a new jail constructed by the WPA. Steel equipment from the old jail was reused. The new jail was closer to the court building, built at the rear of the courthouse with a "closed bridgelike connection" (Daily Herald, 1937, p. 2) to give passage between jail and court. Architect was Vinson B. Smith, Jr. and the project employed 40 men. County furnished $6,000 of material in-kind and WPA provided $18,384. The facility was completed in 1938.
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