Milwaukie Sites

Three different federal relief agencies took on the challenge of Johnson Creek’s annual flooding during the New Deal period, beginning with Oregon’s SERA (State Emergency Relief Agency) efforts. Responsibility for the project was transferred to the PWA (Public Works Administration) in 1935 and ultimately to the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in 1936. The Oregonian, Portland’s primary newspaper, noted in 1935 that the Johnson Creek flood control project would become one of the largest projects in the area as workers attempted “to curb the unruly stream” that caused thousands of dollars of damage every year. Over several miles of the...

As motorists travel southbound on the Milwaukie section of McLoughlin Boulevard they pass through a corridor of Giant Redwood trees. The Public Works Administration funded the planting of these Sequoia Giantea in 1934. The Oregon State Highway Commission selected six miles of McLoughlin Boulevard (99E) that connects Milwaukie and Portland to launch the state's first comprehensive highway beautification program. The north unit is still marked by red oaks while this southern section is defined by the giant evergreen Redwoods. Funding for the entire six-mile section amounted to approximately $15,000 for landscape materials and the labor required to complete the landscaping.    

A Public Works Administration (PWA) grant provided approximately forty-four percent of the cost of constructing Milwaukie's City Hall in 1938. The simple Moderne style structure included space for the city's fire department as well as meeting the city's need for administrative office space. The red brick building was designed by Portland architect Walter E. Kelly with embellishment primarily at the entrance. The rounded arch entrance is decorated with four pilasters above the arch that have cast stone capitals. A few Art Deco features such as brass light fixtures at the entry complete the facade. The contractor Joseph H. Anderson built the...

This two-story brick building served the Concord School District of Clackamas County when it was built in 1936. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant and local voters approved a bond for the local contribution in the $60,000 structure's construction. Portland architect F. Marion Stokes designed the simple, modernist style building with pared down classical details. Malarkey & Kallander, Portland contractors, built the school. The local newspaper noted that twenty-five men were put to work in its construction. Concord School served as a grade school until 2014 when the building was acquired by the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District for...

Doors of the Milwaukie Junior High School opened in November 1936 after the structure's construction with funding from a Public Works Administration grant ($53,118) and a local bond issue ($65,000). The new building replaced a wooden school a short distance away that was demolished for construction of Milwaukie's City Hall. In 2002, the Portland Waldorf School acquired the red brick building and currently occupies it. The Portland based architect Luther L. Dougan designed the Georgian-style school building with Walter E. Kelly serving as the site architect. Portland contractor Joseph H. Anderson won the bid to construct the structure. As noted in...

The State Highway Division Region 1 Office, originally known as the State Highway Division Office and State Police Headquarters Building, was constructed in 1938 by Works Progress Administration (WPA) employees. The total cost of the building, landscaped grounds, and associated out-buildings was $118,287 with $78,541 provided by WPA funds and the remaining provided by the state. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) state office building sits adjacent to Pacific Highway 99E, Oregon’s first “superhighway.” This section of the roadway named McLoughlin Boulevard had only been operating for three years when the rustic style building opened its doors for use as the...