Federal & Military Operations Sites

The Rocky Butte aircraft beacon was erected in 1933 by the U.S. Bureau of Lighthouses for aircraft navigation. A revolving beacon atop a metal tower at the summit contains a medium intensity white light that flashes intermittently. The tower also bore a red beacon that was discontinued in the late 1970s.  Rocky Butte is a 607 foot extinct volcanic cone (one of several in the city of Portland) and the second highest point in the city. The viewing area in Joseph Wood Hill Park atop the butte offers panoramic vistas of the Columbia River valley and Portland.      

The federal government built a large new health research complex in Hamilton, Montana, during the New Deal, with construction completed in 1940.  It would have been done by the Public Buildings Division of the Federal Works Administration for the use of the Public Health Service (now the National Institutes of Health, NIH).  The laboratory had previously been housed in an empty school building. The laboratory works on insect-borne diseases.   "After its successful work with spotted fever, the Rocky Mountain Laboratory expanded its facilities and programs ... to work on other insect-borne diseases, such as yellow fever and the spirochetal relapsing...

Rome, New York's Historical Society & Museum occupies what was originally constructed as the city of Rome's post office in 1936-7. The building was funded with federal Treasury Department funds. A New Deal mural painted for the building now resides at Rome's City Hall.

The former Rosebank Quarantine Station in Staten Island, New York was expanded during the F.D.R. era. "Building 1," and "Building 3," each completed in 1935, were constructed by Caye Construction Co. In 1939 additional work was completed: an addition to the "Junior Medical Quarters" / "Building B," and "M. O. C. Residence" / "Building C". The facility occupied a sizable section of shorefront property east of Bay Street. Most of the New Deal-era / Quarantine facilities are no longer extant. "For about a century, beginning in 1873, Rosebank was once home to a Quarantine Hospital.  The facility was located on Bay Street and Nautilus Street...

"This is one of the more interesting post-office buildings in which the design avoids tradition. It is fireproof except for the roof, which is slow-burning construction. The exterior walls are a blue-gray brick trimmed with Indiana limestone and the spandrels are aluminum. The lobby has a terrazzo floor and base and a wainscot of American butternut. The workroom has an area of 8,600 square feet. The building was completed in August 1936 at a construction cost of $90,047. The P.W.A. allotment was $121,804.67 and the cost of the site $12,250."

The old Alameda St. Bridge was torn down in 1937 in order for the Army Corps of Engineers to construct a new concrete bridge over Compton Creek in Compton, CA.

The Sagamore Bridge across the Cape Cod Canal was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA).  It was part of a much larger project that included widening the canal and three bridges across it, for which the PWA made a grant of $6,138,000. The project began in 1933 and the bridge opened in June 1935.  The Sagamore Bridge carries four lanes of traffic on U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the mainland of Massachusetts. The bridge's main span is 616 feet long, with a 135 foot clearance.    

Julius Woeltz painted this 12' x 6' oil on canvas mural, entitled "The Bauxite Mines," in 1942 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The mural was originally installed in the Benton post office and it now hangs in the Saline County Courthouse. From the Benton Courier: "The mural's early history is profiled in a publication, titled 'Postmasters: Arkansas Post Office Art in the New Deal,' by John Purifoy Gill. "In the publication, Gill notes that Arkansas' bauxite mines were a natural inspiration for Julius Woeltz, a University of Texas art professor, who received an invitation to paint the mural just five...

“This provides for the control of floods at the town of Hyder by the reconstruction of 681 feet of existing dike, construction of 3,653 feet of new dike, and clearing of the flood plain west of the present channel.” $34,231.20 allotted by PWA

The Army Corps of Engineers, with funds from the National Industrial Recovery Act, carried out improvements in the San Juan Harbor between 1934-1940.

The U.S. Treasury Department built the Santa Clara post office in 1935.  The building style is Mission Revival, which was popular for houses and civic buildings during the interwar period. It is also the site of Michael von Meyer's 1937 wood carving, "Early Pioneers," available for view in the library.

Santa Fe Dam was authorized in the Flood Control Act of 1941. It began construction on the San Gabriel River south of Azusa near Irwindale, CA in 1942. Santa Fe Dam was completed under a contract between the Army Corps of Engineers, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The project broke ground in 1942 but was paused at 95% completion in the summer of 1943 when steel was reallocated towards the war effort. Following the war, construction resumed and the dam was completed by 1949. 

"...the vast New Deal flood-control project (1938-42) that dammed the Tallahatchie River and created Sardis Lake, an artificial reservoir that covered hundreds of square miles in western Lafayette and eastern Panola counties. The dam itself was a giant, mile-long mound of earth, one of the world's largest, with sculpturally modernist steel and concrete elements framing the spillway and the water level control towers" (Hines, 1996, p. 112). Later, the Sardis State Park was added. The site was renamed the John W. Kyle State Park and Dam, though the name Sardis Lake is still used as well.

The historic Saunders Station post office at 1635 W Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia was constructed in 1937-8 with Treasury Department funds. The building was sold in 2015 to private interests, while the post office relocated a few properties away.

The Seaford Museum and Seaford Historical Society in Seaford, Delaware are located in what was formerly the community's 1935 New Deal post office. "The Seaford Museum includes a changing exhibit gallery, a presentation room, a general information area, and a gift shop. It is located in downtown Seaford on High Street in the restored 1930’s post office building."

The Sepulveda Dam in Van Nuys, CA was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1940-41 as part of an enormous flood control project in Los Angeles County. The $8,000,000 project was completed under a contract between the Army Corps of Engineers, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD), and the WPA. At the height of construction, 850 workers were employed building the 50-foot concrete dam on the Los Angeles River. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, "The flood of 1 January 1934 emphasized the need for flood risk management projects in southern California. The New Deal Relief...

The Treasury Department funded the construction of the New Deal-era former post office in Sevierville, Tennessee, in 1940. The post office has since relocated, and handsome building currently serves as the Sevier County Heritage Museum.

The Shenandoah Memorial in Ava, Ohio was built to honor those lost in a 1925 airship crash that occurred in Noble County. The memorial was constructed with Treasury Department funds. The contractor was George Dodds & Sons Granite Company of Xenia, Ohio. Archival photos suggest the project was completed in September or October 1938. The memorial, according to Roadside America, "originally stood at the spot where the stern section of the Shenandoah fell to earth, but that was back in the wooded hills where few people could visit. The people of Ava have since moved it to a convenient spot along...

This federal building, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was originally occupied in 1907 (with construction dates of 1905-1910, per the GSA). According to the General Services Administration, a three-story, 100-foot extension was constructed to the west side of the building during the New Deal. “At the date of the second addition, in 1935, the original two-story courtroom was demolished, its materials salvaged, and a new, larger courtroom was added to the west end of the second floor. The new courtroom is distinguished by oak paneled wainscoting, marble...

What is now the Sidney O. Smith Jr. Federal Building in Gainesville, Georgia received a New Deal-era addition. Unusually, the pre-WWI building received a 1934 cornerstone at the time. The building also received New Deal artwork as part of the expansion project. GSA: Originally constructed as a post office in 1910, the courthouse was designed by James Knox Taylor in the Greek Revival style, featuring granite and marble. It was later purchased by GSA and now serves as a Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. The building contains five floors above ground. A 1936 addition facing Spring Street repeats the style of the...

Hans E. Prehn created this plaster sculpture "Saw Mill," financed by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, for the old post office. It was moved to the Cotton Museum in the early 2000's and is not viewable in the front lobby.

The post office in South Denver was constructed in 1939-40 with funds provided by the Treasury Department. The building is also home to an example of New Deal artwork, viewable in the lobby.

The historic South Hills Branch of the Pittsburgh post office, located at 3038 W. Liberty Ave. in Dormont, Pennsylvania was built in 1935 with Treasury Department funds. The handsome facility, which was designed by Carroll H. Pratt, is still in service.

Built in 1939.

Philadelphia's historic Southwark Station post office was constructed in 1935-6 with federal Treasury Department funds. It was one of several new postal facilities the federal government had constructed in Philadelphia in the mid-1930s. The Victor D. Abel-designed building houses an example of New Deal artwork and is still in service.

Philadelphia's historic Spring Garden Station post office was constructed in 1935 with federal Treasury Department funds. It was one of several new postal facilities the federal government had constructed in Philadelphia in the mid-1930s. The Victor D. Abel-designed building houses an example of New Deal artwork and is still in service.

Now known as the Springer Cultural Center, what was then the main post office for Champaign, Illinois received a New Deal-era addition. Actually, the building received an addition in 1929, though it was razed seven years later to accommodate the larger construction, which effectively doubled the size of the original building, in 1936. A home behind the property was also demolished to make way for the new rear addition. The facility was converted into a what was known as the Springer Federal Building in 1966. Listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the building was deeded to the...

The Squirrel Hill Station post office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1939 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses a New Deal mural in its lobby, is still in operation.

The PWA and the Army Corps of Engineers made improvements to areas around St. Thomas Harbor and Lindbergh Bay. The work included filling swamp areas to reduce the incidence of malaria, and dredging to deepen and widen the “Haul Over Channel,” which connects the west end of St. Thomas Harbor to East Gregerie Channel.

The historic former post office in Salem, Oregon was constructed in 1936-7 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, now serves as the State of Oregon Executive Building. Willamette Heritage: "A new federal building was dedicated October 16, 1937–the only marble post office building west of the Mississippi River (aside from Denver’s)–completed at a cost of $310,000. Postmaster General of the United States, James A. Farley, appeared for the ceremonies and some 2000 citizens turned out–in a pouring rain–to view the proceedings and dignitaries. (The old post office building was not demolished, however; it...

Cleveland's historic Station A post office was constructed with federal funds in 1935-6. The building, which features Art Deco details, was designed by Julius Boenisch.

The downtown post office and federal building in Salinas, California, was constructed by the Treasury Department in 1936.  It is now known as the Steinbeck Station Post Office. The lobby appears to be unchanged from the 1930s.  It contains two wooden bas-relief sculptures by Richard O'Hanlon.

The historic Stockyard Station Post Office on South Halsted Street in Chicago was built by the U.S. Treasury Department in the 1930s.  The cornerstone is badly eroded, so the year may be 1935 or 1939(?)  Confirmation needed. The Moderne-style structure is a large facility with eight, 2-story window openings on the facade on the north wing and four on the south wing. The entrance is in a plain gray central tower raised slightly above the rest of the building.  The facades are clad in buff-colored brick. The Stockyard Station is still in operation.  The lobby has been modified and the exterior looks...

The historic post office in Sturgis, South Dakota was built in 1937 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which housed an example of New Deal artwork, is now home to the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Visit Sturgis: The museum was originally located in a refurbished church when it opened its doors in 2001. It was so well received that in 2002 it was offered the old post office location where it currently resides on the corner of Main Street and Junction Avenue, right in the heart of Sturgis.

The historic former Sugar House Station post office was constructed in 1939-1940 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building is now privately owned. NHRP Nomination form: The May 7, 1936 edition of the Sugar House Bulletin reported a "rousing talk" by local Postmaster Smoot that was a 'call to arms' to members of the newly-formed Sugar House Rotary. Mr. Smoot stated that a new federal building was seriously needed to handle the sixteen percent increase in mail during just the preceding twenty months. ... On March 19, 1938, the Salt Lake Tribune announced that the House Appropriations Committee had approved $150,000 for a...

The historic former Sweetgrass U.S. Border Inspection Station was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The facility was completed in 1936. Since replaced, according to the GSA, "he building was bought and relocated by a private company, and is no longer under federal ownership." The former site can be found on the west side of Railroad Street at Border Road, just east of I-15.

The Mary E. Switzer Building was originally built for the Railroad Retirement Board in 1940. The building was constructed in conjunction with the original Social Security headquarters, now the Wilbur J. Cohen building.  The two stand across C street from each other.   The RRB/Switzer building is smaller and its ornamentation is simpler than that of the SSA/Cohen building.  Its only artworks are the granite bas-reliefs over the entrances by Robert Kittredge, "Railroad Employment" and "Railroad Retirement" (both 1941).  These works were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Both the Social Security Administration and the Railroad Retirement Board had to give...

The 1,300 foot long, grass landing strip in old Talkeetna Village was built by the civil aeronautics board (CAB) in 1938. As the use small planes became the primary means of transportation across Alaska, the federal government paid for many small airfields in the 1930s and 1940s. The landing strip is grass and is situated a stone’s throw from Main Street. Surprisingly, it is still in use even though a new state airfield has been built a few miles away. The Talkeetna Historical Society has posted an informational panel nearby that credits president Franklin D. Roosevelt with an executive order granting federal...

The New Deal provided the funds to build the Talkeetna Vilkage school in 1936.  The Alaska Territory was managed by the Department of the Interior, which supported more schools for the territory. The money might well have come from a grant by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The school served grades 1-8 until the 1960s.  It now houses the Talkeetna Historical Society, which moved into the old school house in 1974 and has the records of its construction. 

The historic former post office in Savannah, Tennessee was constructed in 1939 with Treasury Department funds. The stately building is now home to the Tennessee River Museum.