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  • 17th Avenue Development - Hutchinson KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted "grading and filling" work on 17th Ave. from Monroe Street to the city limits.
  • 2nd Street Dead End Wall - Salina KS
    In 1939, a dead-end wall was constructed on 2nd Street in Salina, Kansas by youths who were employed by the National Youth Administration (NYA). The NYA was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that focused on training, employing, and educating young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Chris Cotten, Parks and Recreation Director of the City of Salina, Kansas tells us that "n April 1939 the Salina Journal reported that 35 NYA youths, working part time and using rubble masonry, were hired to construct 'ten dead-end walls' on streets that terminated at the Smoky Hill River. Remnants...
  • 3rd Street Dead End Wall - Salina KS
    In 1939, a dead-end wall was constructed on 3rd Street in Salina, Kansas by youths who were employed by the National Youth Administration (NYA). The rock wall at the south end of 3rd Street bears an NYA plaque. The NYA was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that focused on training, employing, and educating young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Chris Cotten, Parks and Recreation Director of the City of Salina, Kansas tells us that "n April 1939 the Salina Journal reported that 35 NYA youths, working part time and using rubble masonry, were hired to construct 'ten...
  • Abilene Stadium - Abilene KS
    Abilene Stadium, part of Eisenhower Park, was constructed by the Works Progress Administation (WPA). WPA Project 4711.
  • Ackerman Island Removal - Wichita KS
    Ackerman Island was an island in the middle of the Arkansas River. In the early 1900s the land had been developed as an amusement park, but by the late 1920s it had fallen into disuse. Works Progress Administration workers widened the Arkansas River by removing the island and sculpting it in as part of the riverbank. According to visitwhichita.com, "The baseball field survived for a while after the closing of the amusement park. By the 1930s, flooding had become a problem along the river, causing the Works Progress Administration to recommend getting rid of the sandbar to widen the river. As...
  • Agricultural Research Center Improvements - Hays KS
    The New Deal's Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed 40 men "in making improvements" at what was then known as the Fort Hays Branch of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station (now Agricultural Research Center).
  • Airport Hangar - Goodland KS
    The Civil Works Administration built an airport hangar at the Goodland Airport in 1934 in Goodland KS. According to NW Kansas, "ecords from the Sherman County Herald and Goodland Republic show the cost of the entire airport when built was $42,783. In January 1934, the city received $27,000 to begin clearing the ground for three runways, using 70 men hired by the Civil Works Administration."
  • Armory - Hiawatha KS
    The striking PWA Moderne-style National Guard Armory in Hiawatha, Kansas was constructed in 1938 by the Works progress Administration (WPA). The armory is still in service. The building bears two plaques, dating construction to 1938 to 1939.
  • Ashland Elementary School - Ashland KS
    The Ashland Elementary School in Ashland KS is an elementary school built in 1937 with Public Works Administration funding. This is a two story red brick building with a flat roof and parapet. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is still in use.
  • Atchison County Lake - Horton KS
    The Works Progress Administration built the Decatur County lake in Decatur County KS, as part of Kansas' Water Conservation Program.  
  • Atkinson Municipal Airport - Pittsburg KS
    "The steel structure of the hangar rises from a concrete foundation. Corrugated metal siding clads the walls and very shallow gambrel roof. Large telescopic sliding doors, that extend beyond the original building, dominate the north and south ends. Windows and doors pierce the side (e & w) walls...The hangar originally had a segmental arch roof. Shed roof additions running the length of the side walls created the current roof form. The large end wall doors are also a significant alteration. Property owner Tommy Atkinson deeded airport land to the City of Pittsburg for $1, and solicited CWA funds for the project....
  • Auditorium - Manchester KS
    "The auditorium has brick veneer with a corrugated metal side gable roof. Brick pilasters with cast stone caps divide the S side wall into 5 bays. A projecting brick beltcourse runs near the top of the pilasters. Most of the original openings have been boarded up. A pair of small 6-light windows remains visible high on the south wall. The ranch-style residence on the east end of the building has a wide hip roof, a brick foundation and wide aluminum siding. Siding has also been added to the S half of the auditorium's E end wall... A shed roof brick block...
  • Auditorium / Gym - Ulysses KS
    An auditorium/gym construction project in Ulysses, Kansas was undertaken with Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. provided a $22,725 grant for the project, whose total cost was $52,847. The exact location and status of the facility is presently unknown to Living New Deal. P.W.A. Docket No. Kansas 1023
  • Auditorium / Gymnasium - Ozawkie KS
    A auditorium / gymnasium construction project in Ozawkie, Kansas was undertaken during the Great Depression as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project, likely as part of an extension to a school building. The PWA provided an $8,182 grant for the project, whose total cost was $18,311. Construction started in Jan. 1937 and was completed in Jul. 1937. The status and location of the project are presently unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. Kan. 1113.
  • Avenue C Bridge (demolished) - Hutchinson KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed "a bridge across Cow Creek at the city tool yard on Avenue C." There is no longer a bridge at this location.
  • Baker University: Heating Plant - Baldwin City KS
    The New Deal's Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed 30 men at the end of 1933 constructing a heating plant for Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. The exact location and status of the facility is currently unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Band Shell - Clay Center KS
    A band shell in Clay Center's Dexter Park was constructed in 1934. The work is often attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). However, since the WPA did not exist until 1935, it is likely that that the band shell was actually constructed by one of the WPA's predecessor agencies: the Civil Works Administration (CWA) or Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), each of which was active in 1934.
  • Band Shell - Lindsborg KS
    "The Band Shell built as a WPA project in 1935 sets as a centerpiece on the east side of Swensson Park. Many times during the year, you can experience concerts, special performances, and 50 years of local Broadway RFD outdoor theatre productions." Today the Swensson band shell houses "Broadway RFD," the longest running outdoor theater in Kansas.
  • Bandshell (former) and Landscaping - Abilene KS
    "The existing bandshell was constructed in 1992 to replace and earlier building constructed in 1934. The City received CWA funds to construct the original bandshell adjacent to the stadium in the fairgrounds park. It burned in 1992 and was replaced by the existing concrete block building in 1998. The contributing landscaping consists of the grassy lawn in front of the stage and dense linear segments of deciduous shrubs that follows the curve of the road between Eisenhower Park Road and Pine Street. It is unclear whether this landscaping was part of the CWA project that funded construction of the bandshell or...
  • Baseball Stadium - Pittsburg KS
    "Concrete bleachers have a concrete shed roof structure supported on steel beams. Brick walls with a concrete cap surround the ball field on the north, east and west, with an entrance at the NE corner. A chain link fence encloses the south side of the ball field. The brick wall surrounding stadium is divided into bays by pilasters on the interior and exterior. On the field side, the wall has with advertising signs painted within each bay...The concession stand and toilet building appear to post-date the original construction. Current bleachers and roof structure are also recent modifications. An appropriation of...
  • Big Pool Additions - Garden City KS
    Big Pool opened in Garden City KS in 1922. The Works Progress Administration added a bath house and a children's wading pool.
  • Bison Grade School (Former) - Otis KS
    The Works Progress Administration built a grade school in Bison KS. The school in no longer in use.
  • Bluemont Youth Cabin - Manhattan KS
    This stone structure in Goodnow Park was built with help from the NYA in 1938. "Situated in a wooded park setting distinguished by a series of native limestone retaining walls and steps that access the sloping site and cabin. Two-story cabin is of random-coursed limestone with a side-facing fable roof of wood shingles. There is a large stone chimney at the center of the east elevation."   (https://khri.kansasgis.org) The cabin was added to the National Register of Historic Places in January, 2014.
  • Brewer Scout Cabin - Solomon KS
    "This log cabin in Solomon City Park retains a high degree of integrity and was listed on the National Register in 2000... The Brewer Scout Cabin was constructed for the Boy and Girl Scouts in Solomon by the CWA using local labor. Materials (timber, stone) were obtained locally. The WPA awarded $7,380 for park improvements, including the scout cabin, in 1935."
  • Bridge - Admire KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a 27-foot span carrying a road over a creek 2 1/2 miles northwest of Admire, Kansas. Geographically it is possible that this was the former bridge carrying U.S. 56 over Hill Creek.
  • Bridge - Phillipsburg KS
    A bridge carrying a dirt county road over a creek south and east of Phillipsburg, Kansas was constructed by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 1940, as identified by a plaque on the bridge. The bridge is "not named, on Sante Fe or Thunder , south and east of Phillipsburg." Based on the information and images available, Living New Deal thinks this may be a structure carrying Sante Fe Road over a creek bed just west of E 300 Road. However, more information is needed to confirm this.
  • Bridge - Syracuse KS
    A bridge construction project in Syracuse, Kansas was undertaken in 1936 with Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The exact location and status of the structure is unknown to Living New Deal. P.W.A. Docket No. Kansas 1202
  • Brown-Atchison Electric Cooperative - Horton KS
    First Rural Electrification Administration (REA) program in Kansas is remembered today with a state highway marker in Horton, KS. "First REA Project in Kansas At this site the first power pole for the Brown-Atchison Electric Cooperative was dedicated in special ceremony on November 10, 1937. Brown-Atchison was the first rural electric project to energize in Kansas financed by loans from the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). On April 1, 1938, central-station electricity generated at the Horton Power Plant was sent into the first section of lines to farms in Brown and Atchison counties, signaling an end to darkness and drudgery for rural people....
  • Caldwell Community Building - Caldwell KS
    A sign on the community building in Caldwell, Kansas identifies it as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project.
  • Carey Park Improvements - Hutchinson KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) "highly landscaped and beautified" Carey Park in Hutchinson, Kansas.
  • Carl C. Mose Sculptures - Salina KS
    These New Deal statues entitled "Communication" and "Land" were installed by Carl C. Mose in 1940 in what was then the Salina Post Office and Courthouse. The sculptures still decorate the original building which is now the Smoky Hill Museum.
  • Central School (former) - Atchison KS
    Atchison, Kansas's Central School was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $65,000 grant for the project, whose total cost was $173,019. Work started in Oct. 1937 and was completed in Jul. 1938. The former school is now privately owned and slated to become an apartment complex. PWA Docket No. KS 1073
  • Chapman Elementary School - Chapman KS
    "Building has ahslar quarry-faced limestone walls laid in a random range. Dressed stone details include beltcourses and arched entry surround. The symmetrical facade has a 9-bay central block. At its center the castellated entry surround projects slightly from the building wall. Four-bay wings project in front of the central block. Modern 4/4 metal windows fill the original openings. A later gymnasium addition behind the original school has large blank walls...Damaged by tornado spring/summer 2008. Additions to school in 1952, 1959 and 1984. Original windows replaced recently. This school was constructed as an elementary and middle school in 1935. Construction of...
  • City Garage - Hutchinson KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a new/enlarged municipal garage just south of the Convention Hall (Memorial Hall), at the northwest corner of E Ave. B and S. Walnut St. in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Hutchinson News: "The city is acquiring lots just south of Convention Hall facing on Avenue B with a 148 foot front. On the new site is a brick building on the alley across tho court from Convention hall which is now used by the city. The plan is to enlarge it, with an extension to the south of a storage garage to be used for city trucks...
  • City Hall - Atchison KS
    Atchison, Kansas's city hall was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $58,765 grant for the project, whose total cost was $128,185. Work started in Oct. 1938 and was completed in Dec. 1939. PWA Docket No. KS 1434
  • City Hall - Bird City KS
    The Works Progress Administration built the City Hall in Bird City, Kansas. The park buildings were constructed with stone from Beaver Creek and the Kuhrt Ranch quarry.    
  • City Hall - Corning KS
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a "rugged, beautiful" city hall in Corning, Kansas. Per an article in The Axtell Standard, "random sizes of stones form a pleasing effect in the walls." The building bears a 1938 plaque crediting the WPA.
  • City Hall (former) - Altamont KS
    The former city hall building in Altamont, Kansas was constructed in 1937 with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds and labor. The status and location of the former building are presently unknown to Living New Deal.
  • City Hall (former) - Elmdale KS
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided the labor for the construction of the now-former city hall in Elmdale. As of 2023 the building appears to be abandoned. According to a historical marker, the city hall was built between 1936 and 1937 and funded jointly with the city of Elmdale providing $1,500 and the "Federal Government" providing the remaining $3,674.10 of the total cost of $5,174.10. "The building served the Elmdale area for more than just city administrative functions. A wide variety of social and community organizations used the building for meetings and activities. This included groups such as the Boy Scouts and...
  • City Hall and Auditorium - Leoti KS
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the City Hall and Auditorium in Leoti KS. According to Kansas Historical Society, "The Municipal Auditorium & City Hall located at 201 N 4th Street in Leoti was constructed as a WPA project using local labor between the years 1939 and 1942. This rectangular, one-story limestone building is significant locally for housing city government offices, the Leoti fire department and auditorium. It is also significant socially in providing meeting spaces for civic organizations such as the American Legion, Girl Scouts, Brownies, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts."
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