R. W. Naef Sites

The Yazoo County Jail was constructed as PWA Mississippi project 1087 with funding of $20,450 toward the $35,000 cost. J. R. Flint Construction Company built the new jail south of the City Hall on South Washington Street. R. W. Naef was architect. Decatur Iron & Steel Company of Alabama were recommended to provide the ironwork for cell construction. The new brick building was described as "modern", escape proof and fire-proof, and had individual cells with lavatory, toilet, shower bath, "and a good bed" (Yazool jail is now occupied, 1937, p. 1). The jail was demolished in 1998.

The 1939 PWA library constructed at Delta State Teachers College (now Delta State University) was designed in an Italian Renaissance/Mediterranean style. It was used as the library until 1968, and has been used as the Fielding Wright Art Center since then. A rear addition was added in 1954, another addition in 1970, and the building was renovated in 1978.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) allotted $128,138 toward construction of a new elementary school. R. W. Naef was the architect for the two-story brick 1941 International style building. W. T. Beckelheimer was the superintendent of construction. An auditorium was added to the building in 1956. District Manager for WPA office announced the building would be ready for occupancy in fall of 1941. The building remains in use.

The Franklin Academy Elementary School was constructed on the site of the state's oldest public school, Franklin Academy. PWA project x1306 approved a grant of $117,000 9/26/1938. Construction began 12/1/1938 and was completed 12/1/1939 for a total cost of $260,154. Architect R. W. Naef designed the 2 1/2 story brick Colonial Revival building constructed by Daniel Construction Company. The building featured a "two-story pedimented portico supported on continuious Tuscan columns, rusticated brick quoins, and square central tower with octagonal cupola" (P'Pool, 1979, p. 17). The building remains in use as a school.

The Georgian-Revival building that houses the MS FWC is owned by the state of Mississippi and was  constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The state has the right to terminate the lease on the "highly valuable piece of land" on which it sits. Concern has been expressed among some historic preservationists that the changes may present a threat to the building at some point in the future.

Barnard was built in 1938 as a women's dormitory, and attached to existing dormitory Isom Hall, built in 1929. It is currently used to house ROTC at the University of Mississippi. It is defined as a "contributing building" in the historic center of the campus (Master Plan 2009, University of Mississippi).

These three dormitories were constructed in Georgian Revival style as Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works Mississippi project 1216-DS. The buildings were dedicated October 21-22, 1938, along with three other new dorms built on the campus of the University of Mississippi with New Deal funds. They are currently unoccupied, but are slated for renovation and restoration in the coming year. They will be used as office and classroom space following renovation. They are considered "contributing buildings" due to the "considerable legacy of architecturally significant buildings" in the historic center of the campus (Master Plan 2009, University of Mississippi, p. 35).

Leavell Hall, was initially built as a men's dormitory housing 68 students. It is one of six dormitories constructed on campus with PWA funds during 1938. All six buildings remain and are in current use, or slated for renovation and resumption of use. Leavell was named for Dr. Richard Leavell, professor of philosophy and political economy from 1890-1909. "...conditions in Mississippi were worse than at any time since the Civil War (quoted in Harry Hopkins, 1936, Spending to Save: The Complete Story of Relief). With a state government in bankruptcy, Mississippi welcomed the federal funds that finally began to trickle down...

The Physics Building of the University of Mississippi campus, was built in 1939 as one of the last construction projects during the Public Works Administration. It was renamed Lewis Hall in 1977 for Dr. Arthur Lewis, a physics professor from 1939-1969. A research wing was added to the rear of the southwest corner in 1995.

Somerville was built in 1938 as a women's dormitory under Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (which later became the PWA) Mississippi Project 1216-DS. It currently houses the English faculty and the Center for Writing and Rhetoric on the University of Mississippi campus. It is identified as a "contributing building" in the historic core of the campus.

The Student Union Building was completed in 1939 on the campus of the University of Mississippi. It housed the bookstore, university post office, a grill, game room, barbershop, clothing store, and several meeting rooms (Sansing, 1999, p. 254). The Greek Revival style building was used as the student union building until 1973. It was renovated in 2004 and is currently used by the Computer Science Department and houses a student computer lab.