W. D. Coates Sites

This school was built as an elementary school with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1938.  It later became a junior high school and was named for William Pitt Bartlett, a Porterville benefactor. The building is single-story and the design by W.D. Coates is Moderne (Art Deco). The main building front still looked unchanged as of 2009, except for probable window replacement. There are new aluminum windows on the small building on the south, and new aluminum doors on the back side. There have been at least 2 additions for new classrooms since it was built.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) constructed this Art Deco style building in the small town of Selma. The bronze plaque specifies that was project No. Calif. 1493-1-DS. The architect, W. D. Coates, also designed the Reedley Junior College for the PWA.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a new fire station for Porterville in 1937.  This building replaced the original fire station, which was on an adjacent lot and where the new City Hall was constructed (also a New Deal building). The fire station is a one-story, Moderne building with minimal decoration (vertical ribbing), with four bays for fire engines.  It was designed by W. D. Coates. The New Deal fire station is still in use.

"'...a two-unit reinforced concrete high school builidng at Tulare... School bonds and a PWA grant will finance the project.'"

Red brick and beautiful stone detailing adorn this historic New Deal post office, whose construction began in 1933.