Federal Works Agency (FWA) Sites

Delano High School was built with the aid of funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The name of the school at the time of construction was Delano Joint Union High School. The building design is elegant Streamline Moderne, on three levels. In the last decade, the classic white exterior paint (probably repeated since the building's origin) has recently been replaced with more eye-catching colors, name, logo and images.  Still, the New Deal era school appears to be largely intact.  The one-story classroom building with pillared breezeway and the quonset-hut gymnasium also look to be original. There are plaques on the building...

The Draper Junior High School building was originally constructed in 1938/1939 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA), which was by then a part of the Federal Works Agency. When the Junior High School was later closed, the building served as Draper Elementary School for several decades. Draper Elementary School was closed in the mid 2010s.  The city of Draper has also been dissolved to become part of the city of Eden. Recently, the building has been used as a storage facility for Rockingham County Schools. In 2021 the City of Eden purchased the property from Rockingham County Schools. The city has...

In 1941, the Washington Post reported the start of a $1,158,000 road paving program carried out by the Public Roads Administration division of the Federal Works Administration (FWA). One of the streets slated to be paved was E Street between 21st and 22nd Streets, NW. That stretch of E Street has been modified by subsequent construction of the E Street Expressway.

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $12,925 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and/or improvements to Eastern High School's recreation center.  The report does not specify what work was to be done. The current status of the New Deal improvements is unkonwn. The baseball diamond part of the high school fields may well have its origin in the work of the early 1940s. The high school itself, constructed in 1923, was not a New Deal project.

Edmondson Hall, originally the west wing of the Men's Dorm, is now part of Collins Living-Learning Center, a dorm and classroom building for undergraduate students at Indiana University. It was constructed by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) in 1940.

The El Dorado Springs "old" Gymnasium and a series of classrooms were completed in 1939 as a project of the Federal Works Agency of the Public Works Administration in 1939. The gym and attached classroom building is a red brick structure designed to harmonize with the old high school (destroyed by fire). The gym features a full stage complete with a second story property room and "crow's nest", as well as downstairs locker rooms. The lower walls of the gym and hallways are covered with pumpkin-colored oblong tiles, with plaster to the ceiling. Following several decades of few to no substantive...

In 1943, the Washington Post reported the planned construction of the former Birney Elementary School by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) with appropriations under the Lanham Act. The building is now the Excel Academy Public Charter School.

The FWA constructed two sewers as part of the work done in Fairfax County. From the Washington Post: “The biggest sewer job in this area is the 20-mile Fairfax County trunk sewer costing approximately $1,500,000. There are two branches of the sewer. One starts at Lee Highway near Falls Church, and the other at Lee Highway a few miles beyond Falls Church which follows Tripps and Holmes Runs joining below the Barcroft Reservoir of the Alexandria Water Company. From that point the sewer follows Holmes and Cameron Runs to the lower part of the county and discharges into the Potomac...

The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Foote Street Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 168 living units was built for African American national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It...

The Gerald R. Ford House Office Building was constructed during the New Deal as the Federal General Office Building No. 1 (GOB #1).  It was built just behind the new Social Security and Railroad Retirement Board buildings, which were underway at the time. Its original purpose was to house 7000 employees of the U.S. Census Bureau for the census of 1940. Congress appropriated $3.5 million for the building in 1938 and it was constructed in record time in 1939-40 (FWA 1940). It provided one-half million square feet of office space. President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal drove an unprecedented increase in federal employees...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported seven acres allocated by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for a playfield at Fort Greble, at the intersection of Chesapeake St. and Shepherd St (which no longer goes through).  This is the present site of Fort Greble Recreation Center (also called the Spray Park) and the Leckie Elementary School.  It still features a baseball field and basketball courts, which probably trace their origins to the New Deal work in the 1940s.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) and Federal Works Administration (FWA) both funded improvements at Fort Reno Park in 1942. In October 1942, the Washington Post reported that the FWA would demolish a 5 million gallon reservoir to construct a 20 million gallon reservoir in its place. PWA work reported by the paper was not specified. The park is no longer a working reservoir. After WWII, it was a White House Army Signal Agency facility, and it is now best known for hosting a yearly free summer concert series. There are several play fields at the park and it is unknown if...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of $11,200 in funding for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to build or make improvements to the former Stevens Playground, now Fort Stevens Recreation Center.  The work may have included tennis courts and play fields, but it has not been confirmed that the work was completed or which part of the present facility is New Deal, if any. Note that this is a few blocks north of the other Fort Stevens New Deal work site.

The bridge carrying Arkansas State Highway 7 across the Fourche La Fave River, west of Nimrod, Arkansas, was constructed in 1940. The bridge plate (plaque) states that this project was funded by the Public Roads Administration of the Federal Works Agency.

In 1942, the Oakland Recreation Department dedicated the newly renovated Recreation House at Park Boulevard and Newton Street – now the Recreation Center at Francis Marion Smith Park – which was completely remodeled with the help of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) (under the Federal Works Administration). The brick structure contains a large, open hall in Craftsman style and a kitchen on the first floor; there are play and club rooms in the basement (Oakland Tribune 1942).  It had previously been known as the Park Boulevard Clubhouse, a popular site for weddings, meetings, lectures and entertainments.   It remains in good condition. A...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $32,650 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and improvements to the Francis Recreation Center, located at 25th and H streets NW.   The Francis Recreation Center appears to have been wiped out by the construction of I-66 after World War II.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of a new courthouse for Franklin County in Preston, Idaho, in 1939. The Franklin County Courthouse is a fine example of late Moderne architecture, a clean white cube with bas-relief columns and otherwise minimal exterior decoration.

The City of Gainesville purchased the Servicemen’s Center lot on December 7th, 1942. The Federal Works Agency constructed a $37,000 building with a ballroom, stage, dressing rooms, second floor reading room, three showers, three telephone booths for long distance calls, a coat check room, a 20-foot-long snack bar, and a kitchen with a ten-burner stove. A $420,000 renovation took place in 2000. Today, the building serves as a voting Precinct and used for various community meetings and gatherings.

The original Gallinger Hospital dates back to 1846, when the hospital was first located on the banks of the Anacostia River. The hospital moved to this site during the Civil War, with frame buildings meant to house wounded soldiers and more structures were added in 1923.  The hospital was abandoned in 1929, but the Works Progress Administration (WPA) rehabilitated the old complex in 1935-1936 for use as tuberculosis, child disability, psychiatric, and venereal disease wards. Work: A Journal of Progress reported: "The 45 buildings at Gallinger Hospital cover 65 acres. Under current appropriations funds have been allotted to permit the hiring of...

The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Georgia Avenue Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 170 living units was built for white national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced...

"Outstanding achievements were the completion of the rehabilitation of the Government House and Administration Building in Charlotte Amalie and the Government House in Christiansted, providing modern, comfortable living and office accommodations. (...) This work has been done under the supervision of the Public Buildings Administration, Federal Works Agency."

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (USGPO) is a four building complex, which was called the Government Printing Office until the name was changed to the Government Publishing Office in 2014.  Building No. 3 was constructed in 1939-40 by the Treasury Department and the Federal Works Agency.  The funding for Building No. 3 was approved by Congress, c. 1935, along with two other federal building projects in the District (an annex for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and remodeling of a building for the General Accounting Office).  In 1938 a group of buildings at H and North Capitol streets NW was torn down to...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $21,390 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and/or improvements to what was then the Eckington Recreation Center, now known as the Harry Thomas Sr. Recreation Center, in the Eckington neighborhood of NE Washington. As part of the District's new PlayDC initiative, the site was renovated in 2013. It is unclear what FWA work may still be visible at the site.

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of $17,586 in funding for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to build and/or make improvements to the Phoebe Hearst Playground, now the Hearst Recreation Center.   It is not certain if any of the current play fields, tennis courts or playground at the Elementary School are products of this New Deal work.

The Federal Works Agency built the Herbert J. Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston. Like most functioning hospitals, Thomas Memorial Hospital has grown since its original construction, eliminating much of the original design and materials. The footprint of the building can be seen in a 1958 topographic map as an H shape, later morphing and expanding to cover much of the property, including altering some side streets. The main entrance ramp is in a new part of the building. A historical plaque notes the role of the New Deal in the creation of the hospital. The hospital is named after Herbert Joseph...

The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Highland Dwellings in Washington, DC in 1942. It appears that some or all of the original Highland Dwelling homes still exist. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a federally controlled special authority. It then slowly evolved into today’s DC Housing Authority, an independent agency of the DC Government. With the advent of World War II,...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of $40,270 in funding for the Federal Works Administration (FWA) to build and/or make improvements to the Hillcrest Recreation Center. This was the largest sum appropriated for parks work in the Lanham Act. Exactly what was done is unknown to us, but the facility has a recreation hall, tennis courts (at another location), and a putting green.  The present Hillcrest Recreation Center dates from the early 2000s.

The Jack County Courthouse was designed in 1939 by Wichita Falls firm Voelker and Dixon. The county applied for a grant in 1938 from the Federal Works Agency and received approximately half of the funding from the PWA, the rest of which had to be provided locally. Voelker and Dixon designed a number of courthouses and other buildings for Texas. The buidiling was completed in a "Modern Classical Style" which includes elements of Art Moderne and Art Deco, both popular at the time, with classical elements such as the pilasters (Smith, 2012). The three-story building (with an additional story in the...

In October 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $19,627 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and improvements at the Jefferson Recreation Center adjacent to Jefferson Middle School in the city's southwest quadrant.  In a previous article in July 1942, the paper reported the allocation of five acres for a Southwest Sports Area at the same site, which must have become the Jefferson Recreation Center.  The site is now called simply "Jefferson Field".  Jefferson Field includes a baseball diamond, soccer field and tennis courts, plus what appears to be the original field house (with a modern ramp).  The Jefferson...

The Kaysville City Hall was one of 226 New Deal buildings constructed in Utah. Of the 226, a total of five buildings were constructed in Davis County. The Kaysville City Hall is the only one of the five that is extant. In November of 1940, Kaysville Mayor Thornley K. Swan announced construction of a $55,000 city hall building. In 1941, a bond election was held. Part of the project ($20,000) was paid for by WPA funds. After the United States entered World War II, PWA labor was reassigned to the Hill Field project and WPA funds were eliminated. Construction was recommenced...

The University of Southern Mississippi's library, now known as Kennard-Washington Hall and serving as administrative offices, was constructed as PWA project x1370. The Georgian Revival style building was approved in September 1938 and construction began 12/19/1938. A grant of $38,863 was received toward the total cost of $86,363. Construction was completed November 10, 1939. "The two-story brick building has a hipped roof with a balustraded widow's walk, and was originally cross-shaped, but the northeast quadrant was infilled with a one-story brick addition" (Gatlin, 2010, p. .18). The interior features a two-story rotunda with dome, supported by columns. The building is...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported four acres allocated by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for a play field at Fort Dupont Park (now Fort Circle Park). This is likely the present site of Kimball Playground baseball fields. It is unknown if any work remains from the New Deal era.

In 1939 the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a 2300-foot long, L-shaped breakwater in jutting out from the coast at Redondo Beach, California.  It was constructed of rocks ferried over on barges from Catalina Island. The Redondo Beach breakwater was supposed to be the first segment of a small boat harbor, but it was not until the 1950s when more government funding became available that the old PWA breakwater was extended south to become the present-day King Harbor.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) carried out the rehabilitation of the King’s Hill Poor Farm. The work included: buildings “overhauled and repaired,” new bathrooms for the “inmates,” new bathhouse constructed, “new employees’ rooms were constructed.” The King’s Hill Poor Farm was again rehabilitated in 1940-1941. In 1941, the Annual Report of the Department of the Interior notes, “The King’s Hill Poor Farm in St. Croix is undergoing rehabilitation and is nearing completion. The work has been done under the supervision of the Public Buildings Administration and the Federal Works Agency.”

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the club house at the Lake Chabot Municipal Golf Course in 1939-40, in conjunction with the City of Oakland Parks Department. The Mission Revival style building is still intact, including most of the interior.  It has a lovely main hall with a bar and behind that, the Chabot Cafe.  The entrance hall has a closed-off fireplace and original tile work.  In front, there is a Mission-style breezeway with tiled floor. Decorative stone walls line the road, both entry paths, and the practice putting green next to the clubhouse. In 1939, the WPA was brought under the umbrella...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved and enlarged every hole at the Lake Chabot Municipal Golf Course, in conjunction with the City of Oakland Parks Department.  The WPA workers also construction a two level parking area with stone walls. It is an 18-hole course that serves a diverse population from Oakland, including many African American and Asian American golfers.  A 36-hole disk (frisbee) course has been added in recent years. One claim to fame for the course is that it served the young Tony Lema, an Oakland native, who was taught by the course pros and elder statesmen.

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of $16,500 in funding for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to build and/or make improvements to the Langston Recreation Center (now the Langston Playground) in Anacostia Park, next to the Langston Golf Course. It is known if the present football field, basketball courts and other improvements at the site are left from the New Deal era.

Volume II of a 1978 report entitled 100 Courthouses, A Report on North Carolina Judicial Facilities states the county sold bonds to build a new court house in 1939, but that the construction was "under the guidance of the Federal Works Administration." According to the report, the architects, A. Mitchell Wooten and John J. Rowland, designed a "rare and important example of the sleek modern style."

The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Lily Ponds Houses in Washington, DC, in 1943. It consisted of 500 living units and was built for national defense workers. In 2006, researcher Joe Lapp described the Lily Ponds Houses in a history brochure about the surrounding Kenilworth neighborhood: “The Alley Dwelling Authority noticed a large plot of unused farmland (once the David Miller farm) in the Kenilworth area, right next to the new national park, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. In 1943 they built the Lily Ponds Houses, a complex of one-story red tile and cement...

Two-story neo-classical building of granite and limestone was built by the Algeron Blair Construction Company of Montgomery, Alabama out of thirty bids placed for the project. The building features six over six double hung windows sash windows, pedimental entrance, Greek keys on the lintels. A 1974 brick expansion was built to the east. The Algeron Blair Construction Company also built the low-cost housing project called Littlepage Terrace in west Charleston. The construction began in November 1940. The building opened on 22 June 1942. It was limited in height to two stories because of war-time restrictions, but designed to have three additional...