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  • Ben Franklin Bridge Rail Line - Philadelphia PA to Camden NJ
    In conjunction with what was known as the Ridge Avenue Connector, "the high speed electric rail transit line which connects the Ridge Avenue—Eighth Street—Locust Street Subway in Philadelphia with a terminal near the Broadway Station of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in Camden, is the largest of the completed Public Works Administration projects in Pennsylvania," as of 1937. Work involved development of a rail line across what is now the Ben Franklin Bridge.
  • Ben West Municipal Building (former City Market) - Nashville TN
    The old Nashville City Market was constructed in 1936-1937 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  The chief contractor for the project was Foster & Creighton Construction Company. Project cost was "almost a half a million dollars" (Van West, 2000, p. 81). The building's design by Henry Hibbs is "Adamesque Revival Style" with a classical temple entrance and a dome just behind.  The walls are brick over reinforced concrete. The window frames and sashes are steel and the roof is copper.  The original interior had five-foot wainscoting of glazed tile and terrazzo flooring.  It included stalls, restaurants, and rest rooms.  The market's construction...
  • Benjamin Allen Hall, Lincoln University - Jefferson City MO
    Benjamin Allen Hall is named after an early 20th Century Lincoln University president and was built as a dormitory by the PWA in 1936.  It served as housing for black legislators who could not find rooms at hotels in Jefferson City during legislative sessions.  A professor of sociology, Oliver Cromwell Cox, was unable to find suitable housing when he arrived to teach in 1948 and resided in the dormitory for the next 20 years.
  • Benjamin Franklin High School (former) Renovation - Los Angeles CA
    The former Benjamin Franklin High School—which opened in 1916 at the site of today's Monte Vista Street Elementary School—was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. Benjamin Franklin High School moved to its current location in the 1960s, after the original campus suffered structural damage from earthquakes and was demolished. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed...
  • Benjamin Franklin Middle School (former) - Norwalk CT
    Originally constructed as a high school, what is now Norwalk's Benjamin Franklin Middle School was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. contributed a $407,676 grant for the project, whose total cost was $909,689. Primary construction occurred between Dec. 1935 and Nov. 1937. The building also houses examples of New Deal artwork installed soon after the building's completion. P.W.A. Docket No. CT 1128 This school has closed and it is now the Crystal Theatre. Arrangements to see the murals can be made by calling the Crystal Theatre at 203-847-4850.
  • Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge (demolished) - Greenville MS to AR
    The US 82 bridge between Greenville, Mississippi and Lake Village, Arkansas was constructed to increase access between the two states to benefit economic development in the Delta. It was dismantled and replaced in 2011 due to increased river traffic, which resulted in numerous hits to the bridge over the years, and increased vehicular traffic which resulted in traffic control issues due to the narrow lanes and lack of shoulders. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation lent $2.55 million toward the cost of the original bridge. WPA funds were secured in 1938 for the remainder. The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) was also involved with...
  • Bennett Hall, Lincoln University - Jefferson City MO
    This large 3 story brick building overlooks the east side of the Lincoln University campus and was “named in honor of Private Logan Bennett of the 65th U.S. Colored Infantry, who contributed money for Lincoln’s founding.” It was built in 1938 by the PWA as a women’s dormitory.
  • Benning Road NE Improvements - Washington DC
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for pavement repair and other unspecified improvements to a long segment of Benning Road NE, from Minnesota Avenue to Central Avenue, between 1933 and 1934.  The labor was very likely provided by Civil Works Administration (CWA) or other relief workers.   This was one of a group of road projects funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1933: "Among projects approved here are paving of Sixteenth street, Constitution Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Columbia Road, Foxhall Road, Good Hope Road, New Hampshire Avenue, Benning Road and Conduit Road, widening of E Street back of the White House...
  • Benson Elementary School - Uvalde TX
    What is now Benson Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas was constructed in 1937-8 with the assistance of Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $37,933 grant for the project, whose total cost was $84,817. Construction began in Dec. 1937 and was largely completed in October 1938. The school is now part of an expanded school and administrative campus known as the Benson Educational Complex. The original building is in the shape of an 'L' along Mueller and Dean Streets, and still features original floors, ceilings, and pull-up classroom closet doors, as well as its old auditorium stage. A Federal...
  • Benton High School - Benton MO
    The WPA constructed Benton High School in 1937. It was used as a high school until 1957, and then as an elementary school until 1970, after which it was put to community uses before being closed. It is a long, wide, linear school with hips at both ends and a gabled entrance in the center and at both ends.  The concrete above the central entrance clearly shows the school name. Quoins are present at all exterior corners.  The school is in good condition with windows intact - they may have been restored by the Benton Community Betterment Corp. (see second...
  • Berkeley High School: Community Theater - Berkeley CA
    The Berkeley Community Theater, part of Berkeley High School, was started with funds provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1941.  The foundation was laid and the street framework erected when World War II interrupted further work in 1942.  It stood like that until it could be finished and dedicated in 1950. The Community Theater is a Moderne/Art Deco-style building constructed of reinforced concrete and finished in stucco.  The design has striking curves and masses, and it is decorated with cast stone bas-reliefs by prominent local artists (see linked pages). The building has three parts: the 3,500 seat Berkeley Community Theater,...
  • Berkeley High School: G and H Buildings - Berkeley CA
    The G and H buildings were New Deal added to Berkeley High School in the 1930s, almost surely funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA).  The origin and amount of funds need to be confirmed, as do the years of construction (they were probably completed in 1940). When they were built, the G and H buildings were known as the Industrial Arts and Sciences buildings, a name still inscribed along the exterior on the west side, Both buildings front on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, with the H building to the north on the corner of Allston Way.  The H building has...
  • Berkeley Street Bridge Reconstruction - Boston MA
    Berkeley Street Bridge Over Boston & Albany Railroad. "The city requested a grant from the Government for bridge alterations as follows: Altering and strengthening Boylston Street Bridge; rebuilding Berkeley Street Bridge and rebuilding Albany Street Bridge. The total cost of this work is approximately $265,000 ..." P.W.A. Docket No. Mass. 1584-F.
  • Berwyn Municipal Building - Berwyn IL
    The Berwyn Municipal Building was completed in 1939 as a non-federal Public Works Administration project. The architects Hubert Burnham and Charles Herrick Hammond were chosen by the city of Berwyn. It was built in the Moderne style and the main façade features large blocks of tan limestone as well as tan glazed bricks and unusual prism shaped pilasters. The main façade features a limestone parapet with “Municipal Building” incised into the stone cornice. On either side of these words are two carved emblems depicting homes emitting a stylized ray of light. The building originally functioned as a government office, fire...
  • Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School - Bethesda MD
    "This senior high school has been built on a plot of ground not only large enough for athletic fields and tennis courts but of sufficient size to allow for future buildings when the school needs to expand. The main building contains 13 classrooms, English classrooms with stages, laboratories for science and biology, rooms for music and domestic science, a library, and a cafeteria. The construction is steel and concrete, with exterior walls of brick trimmed with stone and wood. It was completed in September 1935 at a construction cost of $218,440 and a project cost of $287,419."
  • Big Goose Creek Water Intake Dam - Sheridan WY
    A water intake dam along Big Goose Creek, about 13 miles southwest of Sheridan, Wyoming, was part of a large waterworks project enabled by the New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1936-7. The intake, which was located a few hundred feet west of "Section C"—which included filtration structures and a caretaker's house—appears today much as it did during the Great Depression.
  • Big Oak Flat Road - Yosemite National Park CA
    The present Big Oak Flat Road was constructed by the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR), with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding, between 1935 and 1940.  It is one of  three main roads into Yosemite Valley, along with El Portal road and Wawona road. Big Oak Flat Road is the main entrance road into Yosemite from the north, designated as state highway 120. At Crane Flat, highway 120 follows the Tioga Road toward Tuolumne Meadows and over Tioga Pass.  Big Oak Flat road splits off to head south toward Yosemite Valley.  Highway 120 from Groveland (west of the park) to the park...
  • Billinghurst Junior High school (former) Improvements - Reno NV
    Billinghurst Junior High school named after long time Reno superintendent of schools (1908-1935), Benson Dillon Billinghurst had improvements made during the New Deal Era consisting of two new double tennis courts and a rock and cement retaining wall around the school playing fields. The rock walls are there today, but the tennis courts are now basketball courts. The school is no longer there. The site has become part of a large public park in the middle of Reno.
  • Birmingham School #2 (demolished) Addition - Birmingham OH
    Birmingham School #2 in Birmingham, Ohio received an auditorium/gymnasium addition in 1936 as a New Deal project, with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $11,371 grant for the project, whose total cost was $25,667. The building was demolished in 1995. PWA Docket No. OH 1185
  • Bishopville High School - Bishopville SC
    “Bishopville High School, located in Lee County, was built as a project in 1936. The school was designed by well-known Bennettsville architect Henry Dudley Harrall. Shuttered in 2000, attempts have been made in recent years to save this important Depression-era landmark.” Described as “one of the most modern school plants in the state” when it was completed, “Bishopville High School is an excellent example of the type of school architecture that flourished as a direct result of the educational reform campaign in South Carolina in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Additionally, it is a noteworthy example...
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: North Rim Road - Montrose CO
    "The Black Canyon of the Gunnison was established as a U.S. National Monument on March 2, 1933. It became a National Park on October 21, 1999. During 1933-35, the Civilian Conservation Corps built the North Rim Road to design by the National Park Service. This includes fives miles of roadway and five overlooks; it is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as a historic district."   (https://www.hipcamp.com) Funding was provided by the PWA and Emergency Conservation Work.
  • Bladensburg High School - Bladensburg MD
    The school built by the PWA in 1936, and in 1937, the WPA also did extensive work on the school including: "Improve the high school building and grounds in Bladensburg…by grading athletic field, constructing soccer field, running track, steps to front entrance and bus unloading spaces; and performing appurtenant and incidental work." (National Archives) In 2001, the New Deal facility was torn down and a new facility was built in its place in 2005.
  • Bliss Grade School Addition - East Providence RI
    The PWA built a two-story addition to the original 1922 building. Both the addition and original building have been demolished. The addition was designed by East Providence architects Traficante & Niebuhr.
  • Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania - Bloomsburg PA
    Then known as the Bloomsburg State Teachers College, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $184,604 grant for the project, whose final cost was $584,097. Construction occurred between January 1938 and July 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1866.) Four buildings were constructed on the campus, including a gymnasium and shop/storage building. The present status of these structures is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania: Athletic Field (demolished) - Bloomsburg PA
    Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of an athletic field at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in Bloomsburg PA. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, then known as the Bloomsburg State Teachers College, benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the PWA. The agency provided a $184,604 grant for the project, whose final cost was $584,097. Construction occurred between January 1938 and July 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1866.) Four buildings were constructed on the campus, including a gymnasium and shop/storage building. The present status of these structures is unknown to Living New Deal. According to the Bloomsburg University Archives, "The...
  • Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania: Centennial Gymnasium - Bloomsburg PA
    Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Centennial Gymnasium building at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in Bloomsburg PA. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, then known as the Bloomsburg State Teachers College, benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the PWA. The agency provided a $184,604 grant for the project, whose final cost was $584,097. Construction occurred between January 1938 and July 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1866.) Four buildings were constructed on the campus, including a gymnasium and shop/storage building. According to the Bloomsburg University Archives, "During the Depression the only money available for campus construction was from...
  • Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania: Navy Hall - Bloomsburg PA
    Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Navy Hall at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in Bloomsburg PA. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, then known as the Bloomsburg State Teachers College, benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the PWA. The agency provided a $184,604 grant for the project, whose final cost was $584,097. Construction occurred between January 1938 and July 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1866.) Four buildings were constructed on the campus, including a gymnasium and shop/storage building. The present status of these structures is unknown to Living New Deal. According to the Bloomsburg University Archives, "Navy Hall,...
  • Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania: Shop/Storage - Bloomsburg PA
    Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of a shop/storage building at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in Bloomsburg PA. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, then known as the Bloomsburg State Teachers College, benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the PWA. The agency provided a $184,604 grant for the project, whose final cost was $584,097. Construction occurred between January 1938 and July 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1866.) Four buildings were constructed on the campus, including a gymnasium and shop/storage building.  According to the Bloomsburg University Archives, "The Shop and Storage building was built in 1938 to house the majority...
  • Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania: Tennis Courts - Bloomsburg PA
    Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Tennis Courts at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in Bloomsburg PA. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, then known as the Bloomsburg State Teachers College, benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the PWA. The agency provided a $184,604 grant for the project, whose final cost was $584,097. Construction occurred between January 1938 and July 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1866.) Four buildings were constructed on the campus, including a gymnasium and shop/storage building. The present status of these structures is unknown to Living New Deal. According to the Bloomsburg University Archives, "A set...
  • Blue Bridge No. 1532 and Approaches - Blue WV
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Youngs Creek Bridge No. 1541 in Nallen WV. Excerpt from Legal Advertisement, Notice to Contractors, The Charleston (WV) Gazette, March 18, 1939, p. 11.: “Public Works Administration Projects Docket 1197-F — PWA 3163-A. Tyler County, Blue Bridge No. 1532 and Approaches. Two 40 ft. and one 50ft. Spans Steel I Beam Bridge on Concrete Substructure and grading, Draining, Macadam base with Road Mix Surface. Certified Check $1,000.00. Raymond V. Nolan, District Manger, W. Va. State Employment Service, Parkersburg, W.Va."
  • Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant - Washington DC
    The New Deal was responsible for the original Blue Plains Disposal Plant at the southern end of the District of Columbia, as well as many miles of new sewer lines to collect Washington's growing flow of waste water.  Up to that time, the city discharged millions of gallons of raw sewage directly into the Potomac River, which had become foul. The system and treatment facility have been greatly expanded over time, but the mark of the New Deal is still evident. In 1934, the Washington Post reported that the Public Works Administration (PWA) had allotted $8,000,000 to Washington DC for the...
  • Bluebeard Castle Hotel - St. Thomas VI
    "Among the several projects in the Virgin Islands was the Bluebeard Castle Hotel. The group of buildings was erected on the summit of a hill 200 feet above the sea. An ancient stone tower with walls 5 1/2 feet thick, is supposed to have been the watchtower of the famous legendary pirate, Bluebeard. The building on the right in the larger illustration contains the lobby, administrative offices, dining room, bar, kitchen, and service rooms. A detail of its entrance portico is illustrated on the right side of this page. Terraces planted with palms, tropical flowers, and foliage surround all the...
  • Bobbie Smith Elementary School - Long Beach CA
    Bobbie Smith Elementary School (formerly Burnett Elementary School) was reconstructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding in 1934/35. The original structure was demolished by the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) after the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. The new one-story, steel frame structure was divided into classrooms and equipped with modern facilities. The 1933 earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty...
  • Bonner County Courthouse Additions - Sandpoint ID
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of additions and alterations to the Bonner County Courthouse in Sandpoint in 1938-39. One source suggests that the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was involved with other related work at the building or grounds. The PWA provided a $37,650 grant for the project. The total construction cost was $83,521. PWA Docket No. ID 1178. In a piece about the history of the Bonner Courthouse, Bob Gunther recounts the story of a local who worked on the construction of the jail addition: "Nellie Garrison recalls, 'It was during the depression and people needed food. My father was caught poaching deer and since they...
  • Bonneville Dam - Bonneville OR
    Dams on the Columbia River for hydropower, navigation and irrigation had been eyed by Northwestern industrial, shipping and agricultural interests well before the New Deal.  The Army Corps of Engineers published a report in 1929 that recommended ten dams on the river and the Bureau of Reclamation also had plans for irrigation development upstream, called the Columbia Basin Project.  The Roosevelt Administration supported both agencies in their pursuits; with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA) the two anchor dams, Bonneville and Grand Coulee, were begun in 1934. Bonneville lock and dam were built by the Army Corps of Engineers and completed...
  • Bonnyview School Addition and Remodeling (demolished) - Murray UT
    Several school building and renovation projects were undertaken in Murray, Utah during the 1930s, with the aid of the Public Works Administration (PWA): a new  Arlington School, a two classroom addition at Bonnyview, finishing the basement into classrooms at Liberty, and an addition to the high school gymnasium.  At Bonnyview School, a brick addition to the old building added two classroom, and restrooms were installed inside the building.  A separate building, formerly housing the first and second grades, was remodeled into a combined auditorium, playroom, and cafeteria. Bonnyview School served mostly families of industrial workers living near the railroad and families living on...
  • Booker T. Washington Community Center - Staunton VA
    Originally the Booker T. Washington High School for Coloreds, this Art Deco community center was constructed in 1936 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a grant of $30,991 for the project, whose total cost was $75,760. Construction occurred between Jan. and Oct. 1936. Expanded in 1960, the building is listed on the National Register of historic Places. PWA Docket No. Va. 1098
  • Boreman Hall (WVU) - Morgantown WV
    West Virginia University's Boreman Hall was constructed between May 1934 and October 1935 with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a loan of $446,080 and a grant of $179,876 for the project, whose total cost was $632,996. Originally known as the Men's Dorm, Boreman Hall is still in service. Construction of Boreman Hall is sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). PWA Docket No. WV 485
  • Borger High School Stadium (former) Improvements - Borger TX
    In June 1938 the PWA approved an $8,181 grant toward the construction of Borger High School's football stadium. However, due to delays in obtaining the grant the stadium had been already built. "The school board undoubtedly will seek to keep the money to make improvements on the stadium and increase the seating capacity," the Borger Daily Herald stated. The stadium was then two blocks north of the high school. Presently, the school system's football facilities are located at Johnson Park.
  • Borough Building - Wilkinsburg PA
    The historic Wilkinsburg Borough Building—also home to the public library—was built in 1939 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $130,014 grant for the project, whose total cost was $407,643. PWA Docket No. PA 2209
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