Hawaii / Pacific Region Sites

In 1932, the city government began grading work and site preparations on the grounds of the Ala Moana park with the help of territorial relief funds. But it was the advent of federal assistance in 1933 that expanded the scope of construction and park development. Robert Weyeneth describes the process in the volume, Ala Moana: The People's Park: "The Federal Employment Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) and, briefly, the short-lived Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) provided the resources for the park board to undertake a major construction program in the thirties. During the construction program funded by the CWA and FERA, the daily labor force was as...

This shore-side park was constructed with CWA and FERA funds. From a Department of Land and Natural Resources calendar: "The moderne style, FERA funded Ala Moana Park East Entry Gateway (1934), designed by Harry Sims Bent, was officially named the Roosevelt Portals, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt traveled to Hawai'I to formally dedicate and open Ala Moana Park on July 27, 1934." The Roosevelt Portals are located at the east entrance to the park.  

Part of the Ala Moana Park complex, the Lawn Bowling Green was designed by architect Harry Sims Bent and built with the help of federal funds and FERA and CWA labor. "Constructed in 1939, the lawn bowling green was the last of Harry Sims Bent's designs for Ala Moana Park. It remains today the only lawn bowling green in Honolulu."

Part of the Ala Moana Park complex, the Sports Pavilion and Banyan Court were designed by architect Harry Sims Bent and built with the help of federal funds and FERA and CWA labor. “The simple concrete exterior walls of the sports pavilion do not suggest the exotic richness of the banyan court hidden behind its walls. The banyan court is probably the best-kept secret in Honolulu's parks today; it is also perhaps Harry Sims Bent's most noteworthy design. The sports pavilion and banyan court were officially completed 1937, although much of the sports pavilion had been finished somewhat earlier, by 1935....

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed downtown Lahaina's Banyan Tree Park.  The park surrounds an immense banyan tree (a variety of tropic ficus) that covers three-quarters of an acre.  It is the largest and best known tree in Hawai'i. There is a stone marker in the park that says the WPA built the park, which presumably means that relief workers landscaped the park, added paving and built benches. It appears that the benches have been replaced recently. A massive wildfire burned through Lahaina in August 2023 and scorched the famous Banyan Tree; it is unknown to Living New Deal whether the tree and park...

Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range Facility is a U.S. Naval Installation on the Island of Kauai in Hawaii. Between 1941 and 1942 WPA funds helped enlarge the facility.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp on Molokai for 36 enrollees. The expenditure was $23,545.48. The CCC worked in forested areas, known today as the Palaau State Park, in the vicinity of this camp: “In 1936, a nursery was started as part of the Emergency Conservation Work project, or the Civilian Conservation Corps and trees were grown for outplanting at Palaau." The caption of a photo file in the State Division of Forestry and Wildlife "reads, ‘1,665 ft. elevation CCC tree planting. Type of cover shrub guava, lantana and akia’ In 1939, the Civilian Conservation Corps began to...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a side camp at Haiku on Maui. The Haiku side camp was focused mainly on the eradication of the invasive giant African snail pest. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp at Keanae, Maui for 135 enrollees. The expenditure was $121,895.88. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a side camp at Keanakolu on Hawaii. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a side camp at Kula on Maui. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a side camp at Makapu on Oahu. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp at Paukukalo on Maui. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a side camp at Pohakuloa on the Big Island. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp at Wahiawa, Oahu for 230 enrollees. The allocated funds amounted to $181,661.57. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp at Waimea on the Big Island for 194 enrollees. The expenditure was $141,762.03. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp at Waimea on Kauai for 80 enrollees. The expenditure was $68,415.37. The CCC worked in forested areas in the vicinity of this camp, and their work typically included projects like tree planting; truck, foot and horse trail construction; construction of foot bridges; installation of fences; seed collection; erosion control and construction of check dams; building shelter houses; “elimination of undesirable animals” ; “eradication of exotic plants”; installation of pipe lines and telephone lines; camp ground development.  

Hilo, Hawaii's Central Fire Station was constructed during the late 1930s with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA contributed nearly half the project cost by way of a grant of $35,100; the final cost of the project was $71,919. Construction on the station began in November 1938 and was completed September 1939.

The Central Fire Station at 104 Beretania Street, in Honolulu, Hawaii. This firehouse was built with the assistance of funds from the New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA), 1934-1935. P.W.A. Docket No. T. H. 2633-7

The U.S. Customs facility located just north of Kalanianaole Ave on the west side of Kuhio St. was constructed with federal funds administered by the Public Buildings Administration of the Federal Works Agency. The building, then called the "Customs Warehouse," was dedicated on Aug. 30, 1941.

The bridge carrying Date Street across the Manoa-Palolo Canal (itself a W.P.A. project) was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) in 1937. Two imprinted stamps identify the bridge as W.P.A.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded new construction or improvement work for a filtration plant in Omao, on the island of Kauai. The PWA grant amounted to $20,925. The work was carried out in 1938. The project, listed as Docket No. TH-1065-F, was part of the PWA’s non-federal projects expenditures for the Territory of Hawaii for 1938-1939.

A Public Works Administration grant of $310,909 funded new construction and improvement work on flood control in the Kapalama neighborhood of Honolulu. Docket No. TH-1004-DS.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded new construction or improvement work for a flood control project in Waialua, Oahu. The PWA grant amounted to $56,700. The work was carried out in 1938. The project, listed as Docket No. TH-1051-F, was part of the PWA’s non-federal projects expenditures for the Territory of Hawaii for 1938-1939.

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...

Haleakala National Park is located on the island of Maui. "Between 1934 and 1941 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated work camps at Haleakalā... Here at Haleakalā National Park the CCC was engaged in a variety of projects. CCC enrollees removed invasive plants and feral animals such as pigs and goats, constructed the Sliding Sands and Halemau'u trails, and built the backountry cabins and water tanks within Haleakalā crater. They also built many of the frontcountry structures still used by park employees and visitors today."   (https://www.nps.gov)

“The construction of the Haleakala Road on the island of Maui, known as Federal-aid project no. 5-B, was completed at a cost of $498,508.72.”

The National Industrial Recovery Administration awarded the Federal-aid project no. F. A. P. 14-A for the construction and improvement of the Hawaii Belt Road, (Kapehu and Kaaluu Bridges) for the sum of $75,880.61. The road runs along the coast of, and around the island of Hawaii and consists of highways 11, 19, and 190.

Several lava rock terraces at the Hawaii Nature Center (formerly the Department of Forestry's Nursery) were built by FERA in 1934.  

According to the book Hawai'i Chronicles II: Contemporary Island History from the Pages of Honolulu Magazine, Juliette May Fraser “was one of four Island artists commissioned to work on WPA art projects for public places. It was during this time that she created a roomful of murals of Hawaiian legends for the Hawaii State Library downtown…When the meager federal funds for the project ran out after three months, she continued to work on the murals for another three months to complete them, working without compensation and even paying for her materials out of her own pocket.” The murals are still on...

According to the National Park Service: “Within Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, as well as many other parks and forests, much of the work that the CCC did is still evident and still in use.  From the research offices to the hiking trails, the CCC laid the foundations for much of the infrastructure that we see and use today in the Park. In addition, a 200-person Emergency Conservation Work camp was set up for a period of six months. The allotted monthly pay per enrollee amounted to $25. These relief measures brought employment and much needed income to local families, some of...

Henry Perrine Baldwin High School was built 1938-40 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA).   The school received an initial PWA grant of about $300,000 and a supplemental grant of $25,000 to finish the job. “The main buildings of Henry Perrine Baldwin High School were built in Kahului between 1938 and 1940… "The school buildings were designed by Henry Stewart, the Department of Public Works architect (with assistance from architect Noboru Kobayashi), and are distinguished by their stucco walls, red tile roofs, and decorative details of both Asian and Moderne derivation…”  (NTHP Registration form)    

Hickam Field is a U.S. Air Force installation that is now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. According to a National Park Service report, “Using WPA funds, military engineers and architects continued expanding Schofield Barracks and created a new Hickam Field on the edge of Pearl Harbor.”

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded new construction or improvement work for a gymnasium at the high school in Lihue, Kauai. The PWA grant amounted to $26,280. The work was carried out in 1938. The project, listed as Docket No. TH-1064-F, was part of the PWA’s non-federal projects expenditures for the Territory of Hawaii for 1938-1939.

Between 1935 and 1941, the WPA contributed nearly $300,000 to the expansion and improvement of the Hilo Airport, then known as General Lyman Field (e.g., significant lengthening of runways). Today, the airport serves well over 1 million passengers per year and provides a landing area for 25,000 tons of cargo and 3,000 tons of mail annually.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) awarded $98,627.49 for the Lahaina-Wailuku Belt Road, now known as the Honoapiilani Highway and State 30, running along the south coast of Maui. This was during the early stage of the New Deal when the PWA was known as the Emergency Administration of Public Works under the National Recovery Administration (NRA).    

According to the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture & the Arts, “The bas relief is executed on a series of green steatite stone blocks which depict mythical and human Hawaiian figures, flora, and animals in the upper portions flanking either side of a central doorway as well as stylized letter forming a narrative text beneath the figurative panels. The two panels, one on the Diamond Head side of the entry way and the other on the other side of the entry door both depict stories involving the god Kane and Kaneloa in a mythical story about the discovery and use...

A Public Works Administration (PWA) grant of $92,224 funded new construction and improvement work on a harbor fuel oil line system for the Honolulu Harbor, under the direction of the Board of Harbor Commissioners of the Territory of Hawaii. The project, listed as Docket No. TH-1016-DS, was part of the PWA’s non federal project expenditures for the Territory of Hawaii, 1938-1939.

The Army Corps of Engineers, the Public Works Administration, and the National Industrial Recovery Administration funded and conducted improvement operations in the Honolulu Harbor between 1934 and 1935. The work consisted of the enlargement of the “entrance channel to 40 feet deep and 500 feet wide, easing the curve where the entrance channel joins the inner harbor; deepening the harbor basin to 35 feet, for a general width of 1,520 feet; dredging to 35 feet along the reserved channel, a channel 900 feet wide and 1000 feet long, and thence a channel along the northerly side of the reserve channel 400...

Between 1935 and 1937, the WPA contributed $38,000 to extending the runways of John Rodgers Airport (now Honolulu International Airport). Today, the airport serves well over 18 million passengers per year and provides a landing area for 370,000 tons of cargo and over 100,000 tons of mail annually.