Sacramento Sites

In 1937, Lucile Lloyd (assisted by Ben Messick) completed a mural, "Origin and Development of the Name of the State of California," for the State Building in Los Angeles, CA. The mural received funding from the Federal Art Project (FAP). In fact, Lloyd was the first woman in Southern California to receive a FAP commission. The mural's three panels "tell the history of the name of California. The two side panels portray important flags that have flown over the state. The central panel shows the history and development of the state through the Spanish, Mexican, and American eras. Realistic figures trace...

The California State Fair was established at this location in 1909. The WPA worked on the site during the 30s, most likely on the 75 acre expansion of the grounds in 1937. The fair, however, has since moved to a new location, and there does not appear to be much left of the original site.

The river rock wall around community clubhouse was done by the WPA. Unsure whether the building itself is also a WPA project.

Sacramento's fire alarm system was modernized by the WPA. This building in Winn Park was the system's central office.

As the photo description below explains, this concrete underpass allowed pedestrians to safely cross the railroad tracks at Freeport and 4th: "Number of people benefitted: All persons including school children crossing W.P.R.R. tracks at Freeport Boulevard. Provides sadety for children and all other pedestrians, having to cross R.R. Tracks heretofore and eliminating a hazardous crossing." The WPA and the PWA were very active in Sacramento, with the former funding "220 miles of highway; 46 public buildings; and new runways at local airports." (Wikipedia, History of Sacramento)

CK McClatchy Senior High School in Sacramento CA was built in 1937 with aid from the Public Works Administration (PWA) of the New Deal.  The school was designed by the local architectural firm of Starks and Flanders, which designed other landmark buildings in downtown Sacramento, including the Elks Temple, the U.S. Post Office, and the Courthouse. Ground was broken on May 20 and the school dedicated on September 19, 1937.  The school bears the name of C.K. McClatchy, the late editor and owner of The Sacramento Bee and a powerful figure in Sacramento and Central Valley politics during his life. The school included...

The WPA did extensive work in McKinley Park, most likely including the water fountain and rose garden pictured below. The brick rest station is also characteristic of WPA work although there is no marker.

This WPA sidewalk stamp shows that the WPA worked in McKinley Park.

' is one of...the largest reinforced concrete elevated water tanks ever constructed. Each one has a capacity of 3,000,000 gallons and both are in the city of Sacramento.' (total cost: $703,554) The tank pictured here is located at the location above, and the other is West of 33rd st between J and L streets. In a postmodern turn, the structure now hosts many cellular antennas.

"The Sacramento Junior Colleges Annex and Extensions were the most costly PWA project in Sacramento. Built in 1936 and 1937 they were built to meet the needs of the growing city population and student body. Together they added an auditorium, gymnasium, library, aeronautical and engineering-technology laboratories, and many classrooms. Designed by notable Sacramento architect Harry Devine Sr. the buildings show signs of many diverse styles such as Mayan and Romanesque. These buildings are stylistically a transition bridging the gap from Devines early Romanesque designs into a more moderne style of work. The library building was demolished in the late 1990s...

"Importance of Education in Sacramento" by Ralph Stackpole was painted in 1937 with support from the WPA Federal Art Project. "San Francisco painter and sculptor Ralph Stackpole was among the artists who created on the federal dime. He spent the summer of 1937 painting a mural on plaster in the lobby of the auditorium at Sacramento Junior College on Freeport Boulevard, since renamed Sacramento City College. Stackpole's mural depicts people engaged in various forms of work, such as designing an airplane and farming." (https://www.mcclatchydc.com/2009/02/03/61368/senates-stimulus-bill-is-nothing.html#ixzz0rpxez4CQ) The mural is 30' x 10' tempera on plaster.

The WPA built an annex on the North side of the Sacramento City Hall in 1939, but it was demolished in 2003. A new, five story building (much larger than the historic City Hall itself) was recently built just behind the building.

The airport originally opened in 1930 as the Sutterville Aerodrome. Today's main terminal building was built in 1955, but several of the airport's other corrugated iron buildings are left over from work the WPA did on the site.

WPA funding in Sacramento "included 220 miles of highway; 46 public buildings; and new runways at local airports." - https://en.wikipedia.org The Del Paso bridge pictured below was built by a New Deal agency.

The New Deal was involved in building parks throughout the county.

A $12,000 PWA grant allowed for the construction of a warehouse at the Sacramento Corporation Yard. It is unknown if the building exists after major reconstruction was done at the facility in 2009.

This stage was built by the CWA as a memorial to a popular Sacramento supervisor.

"The Theodore Judah School was constructed in the 1930s as two separate Public Works Administration (PWA) projects. It consists of two small school buildings both built in the Streamlined Moderne style which reached its pinnacle in the 1930s. This moderne style was characterized by flat roofs, smooth wall textures and minimal surface decoration. The school buildings are one story and finished with a stucco faade. Architect Charles Dean of the firm Dean and Dean, designed this school. At the time, Charles Dean was one of Sacramentos premiere architectural designers. The only major alteration are the windows, originally of wood construction...

"On a cold December day in 1935, thousands of the citizens of Sacramento, California gathered at the end of M Street to celebrate the dedication of their city's new landmark. An accumulation of sixteen months of hard work, almost one million dollars and cooperation between local, state and federal government agencies along with private contractors, the Tower Bridge was ready to be dedicated and opened to the public. The first vertical lift bridge on the California Highway System, the Tower Bridge was described as "inextricably linked with symbolism of the future." Hailed both for its architectural design and streamlined appearance,...

The WPA built the rock garden near the lake as well gutters and other improvements throughout the park.