Public Works Administration (PWA) Sites

"Constructed in 1929, the two-story, blond brick Union High School served as the first high school for the Westminster community. It functioned in that capacity from 1929 until 1949. In 1939, the school district constructed the gymnasium and classroom addition by taking advantage of Public Works Administration funding. The building is now used as an alternative education center."   (www.historycolorado.org) The Union High School building is currently part of a larger educational complex known as the Alternative Center of Education.

In February 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) granted Los Angeles, CA, $304,000 to begin street realignment and improvements necessary for the construction of a new railroad station. The project in its entirety was expected to employ 350 to 400 men. In 1926, Los Angeles voters were given the opportunity to choose between the construction of a network of elevated railways or a new railroad station. They chose the latter by a 61.3 to 38.7 percent margin. Union Station—which would consolidate the city's existing Central and La Grande Stations—was to be located at the historic Los Angeles Plaza. However, preservationist Christine...

Union Township School #2 was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal project, with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $17,976 grant for the project, whose total cost was $39,948. The building was destroyed by fire in 1988. PWA Docket No. OH 1219

The Destroyer USS Cummings DD-365 was built at the United Dry Docks shipyard in Staten Island, New York City, between 1934 and 1935. Funding for the construction of the ship came from the Public Works Administration (PWA) project (see Kermit Project, New York City New Deal Navy Ships). The Cummings was the lead ship of the US Navy's Mahan-class destroyers. In 1941 it was docked at Pearl Harbor during the attack, suffered only minor damage, and immediately went on patrol searching for the enemy strike force without success. After that it served as a convoy escort in the Pacific for several years. In 1944,...

The Destroyer USS Mahan DD-364 was built at the United Dry Docks shipyard in Staten Island, New York, between 1934 and 1935. Funding for the construction of the ship came from the Public Works Administration (PWA) project (see Kermit Project, New York City New Deal Navy Ships). The Mahan was the lead ship of the US Navy's Mahan-class destroyers. In 1941, it was at sea in the Pacific when Pearl Harbor was attacked; it searched for the enemy strike force without success. It was sunk in 1944 as a result of kamikaze attacks. The Mahan won five battle stars. The United Dry Docks...

"In 1935 Congress authorized the transfer of a portion of the property within the Fort Knox Military Reservation in Kentucky to the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Treasury for the construction thereon of a depository for bullion. The two-story, basement, and attic building is granite, steel, and concrete supported on a 10-foot thick mat of concrete. Its exterior dimensions are 105 by 121 feet and its height is 42 feet above the first-floor level. It was constructed under the supervision of the Procurement Division of the Treasury Department and upon completion was turned over to the Director...

'The United States Mint at San Francisco occupies an imposing site on the summit of a rocky hill overlooking Market Street, the main thoroughfare of the city. The southern approach consists of a double flight of winding stone steps to a platform from which a single flight extends to the portal in the wall of the building. There is only one approach for vehicles. The structure is built around a central court and is four stories in height. ... The building is fireproof and is constructed of reinforced concrete with the exterior walls faced with granite. The design is simple...

United States Penitentiary Terre Haute was built between 1938 and 1940. The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce raised $50,000 to buy the land. The Public Works Administration largely funded the $3,000,000 cost for the facility. It took 125,000 person-days to build the main complex and another 25,000 person-days for the utilities and grounds.

The University Health Service Building on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. "The University Health Service Building, completed in 1940, is on Fletcher (formerly Twelfth) Street adjacent to the W. K. Kellogg Institute and across the street from the Michigan League. The building was erected as the result of action by the Regents in August, 1938, applying to the government for PWA funds to aid in financing its construction (R. P., 1936-39, pp. 638-40). President Ruthven announced in November of the same...

University High School Charter, which opened in 1922, was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. The school's architectural style is distinctive, recalling Spain's Alhambra or the Romanesque of Northern Italy. 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 in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told...

The University Homes public housing project in Atlanta was completed in 1938 with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. It has since been demolished. "Built in 1938 on the site of the former Beaver Slide slum. Seen as the African American counterpart to Techwood Homes, the first public housing project in the nation. Architect William Augustus Edwards." (Wikipedia) The exact location of the housing project is unknown to Living New Deal, though we believe the University Homes were constructed southeast of Spelman College and what is now Clark Atlanta University.

An 840 x 965 ft reservoir that added 82 million gallons of storage to the existing 60 million gallon reservoir that was already on site. The reservoir is lined with 6" of reinforced concrete and the roof has 21/2" slab on concrete joists and girders, supported on circular columns spaced at 25' intervals. It was part of a $12,000,000 improvement program for the SF water supply system (the PWA-funded expansion of the Hetch Hetchy system, which included raising O’Shaughnessy Dam, the Pulgas Water Temple, and more) financed by a bond issue with the aid of a PWA grant in 1933. It...

The University of Alabama's Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library was built in 1939 with the aid of funding provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA). It is located on the site of the first library on campus. The first university library, known as the Rotunda, was destroyed during the Civil War and its ruins can be found underneath the semi-circular plaza in front of the building. Gorgas Library supports teaching and research needs in humanities, social sciences, and government information as the campus’ main library. Among the research libraries in the state of Alabama, Gorgas Library provides the latest technology-driven services...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided funding toward the construction of the University of Alabama's Foster Auditorium. Originally built in 1939, Foster Auditorium was named in 1942 for Richard Clarke Foster, president of the University of Alabama from 1937-41. In its original capacity, Foster served as home for intramural sports, graduations, concerts, lectures and campus meetings. It also served as the home of several varsity athletic programs over the years, including men's basketball from 1939-68, women's volleyball from 1974-81 and 1989-95, women's basketball, which played selected games in Foster, from 1975-81, and gymnastics from 1975-84. Additionally, the women's athletic program, including...

Hardaway Hall is located on the University of Alabama campus on 7th Ave. It is the engineering building. "The new structure is T-shaped in plan, the front portion being 2 stories in height and the rear wing 1 story. On the first floor are hydraulic, fuel, and aviation laboratories together with instrument and storage rooms. On the second floor are 10 classrooms, offices, and an auditorium. The building is fireproof throughout. The exterior walls are faced with red brick and trimmed with limestone. The pitched roofs are covered with asbestos shingles and the flat roofs with composition. The project was completed...

Bureau of Mines is building 116 on the campus map. "Of the 11 experimental stations of the Bureau of Mines, 9 are located at State universities where they have the advantage of educational facilities and cooperation with the State agencies. This one, at Tuscaloosa, was built on a site of 2 1/2 acres donated by the university. The building is three stories in height and 50 by 159 feet in plan and provides offices, conference rooms, assembly rooms, a library, a machine shop, assay rooms, and several laboratories for many different purposes. These laboratories are so arranged that they may be expanded...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Science Building (today known as the Chemistry Building) at the University of Arizona at Tucson. The structure was designed by Roy Place and built in 1936. A 1986 National Register of Historic Places form describes the formal qualities of the building: “The Chemistry - Physics Building is a two-story red brick building constructed in the Italian Romanesque Revival style. However, the two main entrances are classical in detail. The building faces north on to the mall. Its walls are constructed in English Bond; there is a concrete base with ashlar markings. There are...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Administration building at the University of Arizona at Tucson. The structure was designed by Roy Place and was built in 1937. Today the building is known as the Robert L. Nugent Building and serves as the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the auditorium at the University of Arizona, Tucson campus. It was designed by campus architect Roy Place. The venue opened in 1937 and hosted musical programs, plays, and lectures for students and the general public. The auditorium is known today as Centennial Hall.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of Gila Residence Hall at the University of Arizona at Tucson. The building served as a women’s dormitory. The structure was designed by Roy Place and built in 1937. It was renovated in 1988 and added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Humanities Building at the University of Arizona at Tucson. The structure was designed by Roy Place and built in 1935. A 1986 National Register of Historic Places form describes the formal qualities of the building: “The two story brick classroom building, facing north to North Campus Drive, is in the Italian Romanesque Revival style. The brickwork is English Bond. There is a concrete base with distinct ashlar patterning. There is a recessed entry highlighted by terracotta columns (in-antis) having abstract basket-weave capitals. A triple arch composition over the entry has two terra cotta...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of Yuma Residence Hall at the University of Arizona at Tucson. The structure was designed by Roy Place and was built in 1937. The building served as a women’s dormitory.

"In 1934 University of Arizona President Homer Shantz persuaded Arizona's governor and state legislature to request funding from the Public Works Administration for a major building program on the university campus. PWA funds supported the construction of numerous buildings, seven of which still stand: the Arizona State Museum, Chemistry, Humanities (CESL), Auditorium (Centennial Hall), Administration (Nugent Hall), and two women's dormitories (Gila and Yuma Halls). The seven buildings were designed by Tucson architect Roy Place in the Spanish/Italian Romanesque style. They display large, rounded arches over windows and entryways; the masonry façades contain multiple materials of contrasting colors in decorative...

"These illustrations are of the new museum building on the campus of the University of Arizona. It is 76 by 140 feet with a museum room on the first floor 87 by 70 feet, two small rooms each 31 by 23 feet, and offices for the curator and staff. A mezzanine exhibition gallery extends around the building. Construction is semifireproof with exterior walls of brick trimmed with stone. The project was completed in March 1937. The project cost of $1,043,174 included 16 buildings for the university." The museum is located at 1013 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Infirmary, which was part of the PWA expansion of the University of Arizona. The structure was completed in May, 1936. The infirmary was remodeled as the Student Health Center in 1964.  

"The structure illustrated on this page was erected by the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture to provide an erosion-control nursery and laboratories for the growing and testing of soil-protecting trees, bushes, plants, and grasses, as well as facilities for seed assembling and distribution. The building is of adobe construction and contains offices, a conference room, rooms for seed storage and packing, and a dark room. The greenhouse is typical greenhouse construction. The project was completed in August 1935 and the P.W.A. allotment was $17,190." The greenhouse may have recently been demolished (https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/placesinthesun/beginnings.php).

The Publics Works Administration funded the construction of ROTC stables, infirmary, and barracks for the cavalry training program. Interestingly, by the time of completion horses were already practically obsolete within the US military. Within five years, "cavalry" would mean meant tanks, not horses. "The R. O. T. C. Stables was another PWA project, designed by Roy Place and built by the M. M. Sundt Co. It is located on the north side of Warren Avenue, north of the University of Arizona Medical Center, next to the old UA polo field. It was completed in March, 1936. Original cost was $24,342. Later,...

"The University of Arizona carried out a rather extensive building program with the aid of the P.W.A. The women's building is characteristic of the architecture that was adopted for all buildings and has a somewhat north Italian medieval flavor and blends with the surroundings. The building is part one and part two stories in height. On the first floor is a women's gymnasium, 61 by 90 feet, with special exercise and locker rooms adjoining. There is also a swimming pool, 30 by 75 feet, furnished with underwater lighting and a modern sterilizing and filtering plant. On the second floor is a...

"While PWA funding was typically focused on local school districts in the public school system, seven buildings were constructed on the University of Arkansas campus using this funding. Buildings constructed with PWA funds during this period include Vol-Walker Hall (1935), the Chemistry Building (1936), Gibson Hall (1937), the Men’s Gymnasium (1937), Ozark Hall (1940), the Home Economics Building (1940), and Memorial Hall (1940). While the design oversight for these buildings was provided by Jamieson & Spearl based on the guidance of their 1925 plan, the construction documents and project administration for many of these buildings was completed by local Arkansas...

Originally the fine arts building, and now the music building. "This structure houses the various fine arts departments of the college. On the first floor are the offices, recitation and class rooms, and a small auditorium seating 185. The second floor is given up entirely to recitation and practice rooms. The building is semifireproof, the exterior walls being faced with random rock-faced stone ashlar trimmed with cut limestone. The plan permits of easy enlargement. The project was completed in May 1935. The construction cost was $94,856 and the project cost $105,897."

"Although there was already a chemistry building on campus, by 1925 it had become too small. There were plans to build a new building by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1927, and was scheduled to be built in 1931. However, the Great Depression delayed these plans. In January 1934, $1,165,000 was made available for the construction of both a new chemistry building and Vol Walker Library. These funds came from the Public Works Administration, and not the Arkansas legislature. Opened in December 1935, the building housed the chemistry, zoology, geology, philosophy, and psychology departments. Eventually, the growing University forced all of these...

"The University of Arkansas Campus Historic District is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 23, 2009. The district covers the historic core of the University of Arkansas campus, including 25 buildings. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 23, 2009 and the listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of October 2, 2009. The historical core of campus was built in many phases, coincident with when funding was available to build. Beginning with the construction of Old Main in...

"The new men's dormitory at the University of Arkansas is divided into three separate units, each having its own entrances and stairway. The building is 55 by 189 feet in plan and 3 stories in height. On the first floor are 19 double rooms, a lobby, and a social room. The second and third floors each provide 21 double rooms, so that the entire building can accommodate 122 students. The structure is fireproof, with reinforced concrete floor and roof slabs and exterior walls of brick trimmed with stone. It was completed in August 1937 at a...

"After completion of the PWA-funded University Library and Chemistry Building, the University received an additional $413,000 loan and $337,909 grant from the PWA for the construction of three additional buildings on campus. The PWA funds were used to construct the Home Economics Building (now the Human Environmental Sciences Building), Student Union (now known as Memorial Hall), and the Classroom Building (now Ozark Hall). Architects for all three of these buildings were Haralson & Mott of Fort Smith with Mann & Wanger of Little Rock. The three-story Home Economics Building, constructed in 1940, is a masonry building of Indiana white limestone...

"The new building is 3 stories in height. On the ground floor are locker, storage, and utility rooms. The gymnasium and auditorium occupy the entire first floor. A small second floor, across the front of the building, contains offices. There is an additional entrance to the ground floor from the outside. The building is 115 by 169 feet. The playing floor of the gymnasium is 103 by 135 feet, sufficient for 2 practice basketball courts when the bleacher seats are folded. When these seats are open the floor space provides a standard basketball court, and 2,112 spectators may be seated....

"After completion of the PWA-funded University Library and Chemistry Building, the University received an additional $413,000 loan and $337,909 grant from the PWA for the construction of three additional buildings on campus. The PWA funds were used to construct the Home Economics Building (now the Human Environmental Sciences Building), Student Union (now known as Memorial Hall), and the Classroom Building (now Ozark Hall). Architects for all three of these buildings were Haralson & Mott of Fort Smith with Mann & Wanger of Little Rock... Ozark Hall was originally constructed in 1940 as the Classroom Building, in the Collegiate Gothic style. This...

"Before construction of this new building, the library of the University of Arkansas was housed in the nonfireproof administration building. The new structure has a capacity of 265,000 volumes and furnishes study desks for approximately 600 students. In addition, there are cubicles in the stack room where research work can be carried on. The basement has a museum across the entire front of the building, including work space, receiving, storage, and utility rooms. On the first floor are browsing and research rooms, offices, and seminar rooms. The main reading room extends the full length of the...

Though the original library dates from the early 20th century, the old building was condemned in 1938 and replaced with this PWA building in 1940. Unfortunately, later additions obscure some of the underlying geometry visible in the archive photo below: "Shields was built in three parts/stages, and if you circle the building completely, you can see the three distinct architectural styles. The north wing facing the Quad (where the 24 Hour Reading Room and the Main Reading Room are) is the oldest wing of the library, completed in 1940 as the library and administration building. The main entrance at this time...

"Over the next two decades, the Administration Building witnessed the expansion of Arkansas State Teachers College, growing from twenty faculty members and 328 students in 1917 to forty-four faculty members and 745 students in 1939.  Despite the effects of the Great Depression, moreover, the college was able to add a 1,200 seat auditorium on the west side of the Administration Building in 1937. The auditorium addition was designed by George Hyde Wittenberg (1892-1953) and Lawson L. Delony (1890-1976) of Little Rock. This, and three other new campus buildings, was funded by economic stimulus funds supplied by the Public Works Administration...

"The president's house was one unit of a P.W.A. docket which included the construction and equipment of six separate units for the Arkansas State Teachers College. It is a two-story structure containing a two-car garage, living room, dining and breakfast rooms, library, and kitchen on the first floor; and three bedrooms, a sleeping porch, and baths on the second floor. The design is colonial and is carried out in red brick with wood trim and a slate roof. It was completed in June 1937 at a construction cost of $17,520 and a project cost of $21,498, both estimated."...