J. W. Smith and Associates Sites

This parish courthouse was undertaken during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The two story jail courthouse, "...modern structure to be constructed of concrete, brick, and hollow tile, with stone trimmings" (1937, p. 10) was completed in 1937.

The Concordia Parish Courthouse was undertaken in Vidalia, Louisiana during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The "Greco-Deco" courthouse in Vidalia was erected due to the need to relocate the town for flood control of the Mississippi River. The WPA relocated businesses and houses, as well as constructed the new parish courthouse. Constructed for a cost of $109,950, the building remains in use as the parish library and records storage.

The courthouse was undertaken in Lake Providence, Louisiana during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The building was erected for a cost of $100, 589 (Leighninger, 2007).

The Jackson Parish Courthouse was undertaken in Jonesboro, Louisiana during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA). It was part of the largest wave of courthouse construction in Louisiana history, with eleven total courthouses erected between 1936-1940 (Leighninger, 2011). The courthouse for Jackson Parish is a "...relatively simple and sedate composition with deco bands above first and third floors...first floor is stone, and the upper two are brick" (Leighninger, 2007, p. 113-114). Cost of construction was $251,406.

The Natchitoches Parish Courthouse was undertaken in Natchitoches, Louisiana during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The facilities were part of the largest wave of courthouse construction in Louisiana history, with eleven total courthouses erected in the period of  1936-1940. The Natchitoches courthouse was one of only two of these projects undertaken with substantial use of bas-relief sculpture common in PWA architecture. "The entrance to the Natchitoches building is flanked with two huge American Indian chiefs" (Leighninger, 2007, p. 116) and is designed in the Art Deco style. It was constructed for...

Described as "an Art Deco gem" (Leighninger, 2007, p. 78), in which "simple geometric forms predominated" (p. 80), Ruston High School was constructed by the PWA in 1939-1940. The original building included an auditorium wing and the central core of classrooms. A second wing was added to match the auditorium wing in the late 1960s. "One of the best examples of this style in the state", the architectural features were duplicated in the changes (Dailey & Pfister, 2000). The building is still in use as the high school, and is well-maintained.