Public Works Administration (PWA) Sites

According to a digitized project card at the National Archives, the WPA dedicated more than $400,000 in 1935 toward the construction of a new roadway on the Williamsburg Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Manhattan in New York City. Among the improvements, was the construction of a new eastbound lane. WPA Official Project No. 65-97-34. There were no records in The New York Times confirming WPA involvement with the Williamsburg Bridge. However, newspaper records and National Archives documents prove Public Works Administration (PWA) involvement with such a project, which occurred in 1938-9. The PWA provided a $239,319 grant for the roadway reconstruction; the total project cost was...

Originally called the Williamsburg-Greenpoint Health Center, it was the fourth of eight clinics to be built in New York City with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funding during the Great Depression. The project was part of a city-wide public health initiative that focused on providing low-cost health care in poor neighborhoods where residents could not afford their own doctors. The Brownstoner reports that "..it was state of the art, and the only health center built in the entire country by the PWA that had a complete range of health and educational programs." The 1937 opening was presided over by Mayor LaGuardia, and, according to the...

The Williamsburg Houses were opened in 1937, one of three huge public housing projects in New York City funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), along with First Houses and Harlem River Houses in Manhattan.  New York City was the unchallenged leader in the creation of public housing in the United States, beginning in the 1920s, and the New Deal allowed the city to continue to built high-quality public housing that has stood the test of time. The official PWA history, published in 1939, described the project in detail: "Williamsburg Houses, the 'city-within-a-city' slum-clearance project, erected in the heart of the historic Williamsburg...

Art Deco one story brick building with markers to right of door. Building is now home to Cargill Educational Support Center which is the administrative offices for the WISD. Top Marker: Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works / Franklin D. Roosevelt / President of the United States / Harold L. Ickes / Administrator of Public Works / Willis High School / 1939 // Bottom Marker: Willis Independent School District / Board of Trustees/ A.H. Crouch President / W.W. Thomas Vice President / Guy Stripling Secretary /Ben Cluxton / J.E. Hardy / L. Law / J.H. Williamson / D.G. Sherman, Superintendent of Schools...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant for the construction of a viaduct to carry Willow Avenue between Hoboken and Weehawken over the train tracks. The project was undertaken as part of a larger grade crossing elimination initiative during that era. The PWA provided a grant of $103,940 for the project, whose total cost was $365,684. PWA Docket No. NJ 4647

Willow Creek dam and reservoir were constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding in 1938-39.  Willow Lake is now the centerpiece of Willow Lake Park and there is a 6-mile trail around the lake.  It sits in an area called the Granite Dells, with impressive rock hills all around and prehistoric indigenous sites and petroglyphs. Willow Creek Dam is constructed of concrete that tapers fro 6 feet thick at the base to 2 1/2 feet thick at the top and it is 85 feet high.  It created a reservoir of about 400 acres, with a storage capacity of 8,000 acre-feet. The...

Wilmington Park Elementary School, which opened in 1909, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. 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 Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant for the grade separation of Wilson Avenue and what were then the Central Railroad of New Jersey railroad tracks in Newark, New Jersey. The project was undertaken as part of a larger grade crossing elimination initiative during that era. The PWA provided a grant of $158,850 for the project, whose total cost was $319,784. New Jersey Board of Public Utility Commissioners: "The order to eliminate this crossing was originally issued by the Board May 1st, 1933, but extensions of time for beginning the work were granted from time to time and construction of the...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of an addition for the Wilson Elementary School in Logan, Utah.   The PWA Docket number was 1004-R (Utah). The architect of record was K. C. Schaub. The old Wilson School has been replaced by a new structure in recent years.

"President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal allowed for the expansion of the school in 1936. During this time, a Federal Public Works Administration project added six classrooms on the western side of the building. Following this expansion, Wilson High School expanded again with the help of Roosevelt's New Deal when, in 1937, the Federal Public Works Administration awarded the Spring Township School District with a second grant, allowing it to build the school's west wing." The school has since been greatly expanded, again, to the west.

Battle Creek, Michigan's Wilson School was constructed as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The P.W.A. supplied a $101,454 grant for the project, whose total cost was $228,208. Construction occurred between 1936 and 1937. The building, later known as Wilson Academy, has since been demolished. PWA Docket No. MI 1258-R

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the former Windsor County Jail in Woodstock. The structure was finished in 1936 and it contains the courthouse, cell blocks, and the living quarters of the sheriff. The architect of record was Charles H Crandall of Randolph, Vermont. Docket No. Vt. 1024-R.

Construction of two of the Windsor Halls: Wood Hall and Shealy Hall, was enabled by Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds in the form of a $247,500 grant. The total project cost was $604,813. PWA Docket No. IN 1368.

Photo caption, UVM: "August 15, 1939. So. Winooski Ave. looking south from intersection of Main Street after Plant-Mix asphalt pavement with an average of one and one-half inches of hot asphalt binder course or leveling course and two inch wearing surface of American Bitumuls laykold mixture had been placed and the street opened to traffic. Sign to the left near a two story billboard structure states P.W.A. Federal Works Agency Public Works Administration Street Improvements. Billboards advertise Ritz Crackers and Chesterfield Cigarettes. Strong building on the corner to the right."

TheLedger.com: In 1936 the Public Works Administration agreed to build a new hospital if all assets and operations were turned over to the city. The city was less than enthusiastic about assuming operations but reluctantly proceeded. About the same time, Dr. Simpson treated David B. Mills, a wealthy philanthropist who had been badly injured in an automobile crash. To show his gratitude Mills offered a generous gift of $20,000 to build the hospital contingent upon matching contributions from the community. Mrs. George Aycrigg chaired the fund drive that raised $22,472. Mills delivered his $20,000 and an additional $6,000 for equipment before...

Plans for a new men's dormitory at Stephen F. Austin were approved in 1933. By the end of that year, President Dr. Alton Birdwell and Business Manager J. H. Wisely went to San Antonio to appear before the Public Works Administration (PWA) Project Committee to secure funds for the dormitory. In 1934, the Board of Regents issued bonds for $93,000.00, with the PWA lending funds using the bonds as collateral. Construction began in 1935 and the dorm was occupied in 1936. The troublesome construction of the men’s dorm nearly worked Wisely to death. Because of his work on the project and...

The PWA built this addition to what is now Woodbridge Elementary School.

Woodburn Hall was the first home of IU's School of Business (now the Kelley School of Business, located in Hodge Hall). Woodburn now houses the African Studies and Political Science departments. It  also contains two murals by Thomas Hart Benton.

Woodcrest Elementary School, which opened in 1911, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. 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 Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with...

A high school built for the unincorporated town of Woodlake in the Central Valley.

Originally built in 1913, the former Woodland Grade School in Woodland, Utah underwent alterations and improvement work as part of a Public Works Administration (PWA) project, Docket # 1023-R (Utah). The architect of record was Ashton and Evans. The facility is no longer extant.

"Allocation of $22,126 for a municipal cemetery project for Mineral Wells was announced by federal PWA offices in Washington Saturday. According to local authorities, the grant is to finance purchase of suitable land for the cemetery and beautification work." (Sweetwater Reporter) The property in question is now known as the Woodland Park Cemetery, and is located along the south side of SW 25th Street in Mineral Wells between South Oak Ave. and SW 5th Ave.

Woodlawn Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1926, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. 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 Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees...

Woodrow Ave. in Boston, Mass. underwent reconstruction as part of a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project.

"This school made possible the abandonment of four dilapidated portable buildings which were being used for classes due to the extreme overcrowding of the two existing elementary schools. The project and its equipment are planned for a future addition which will increase the present capacity of 510 students by more than 30 percent. The building as built is 2 stories high in the central part and has a 1-sotry wing at each end. It contains 13 classrooms, a kindergarten, offices, service rooms, teachers' room with a kitchen attached, a clinic, and a combined auditorium-gymnasium for use by the pupils and by...

Construction of the Woodward County Courthouse was completed in 1937 with support from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (FEAPW), also known as the Public Works Administration (PWA). Additions to the original building have been made on the north side. There are three black granite cornerstones at the southeast corner of the original building. They read: "Woodward County Court House/ Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works / Project Okla.1050-R" "Woodward County Court House A.D. 1936 / County Commissioners / W.W.White - J.I.Wheelock - Lewis Morgan / R.J. Woodmansee County Clerk / Tonini & Bramlett Architects / D.C. Bass & Sons Construction Co....

The World War Memorial Building was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Construction largely occurred during 1935 though the building was completed in 1936. The PWA provided a grant of $33,086 for the building's construction, which was completed at a cost of $120,240. (PWA Docket No. SC 5732)

Multiple New Deal agencies carried out improvement, development, and/or construction work at what was then Wrentham State School (now Wrentham Developmental Center). Annual Report: "Much valuable work has been done at the institution during the year through the use of funds provided by the C.W.A., F.E.R.A. and P.W.A. Nine out of many projects presented were approved at the beginning of the C.W.A. activities, and few were completed ..." "The projects sponsored by the government on the P.W.A. program, namely the addition to the laundry, which has been built but is not yet equipped, and the fourth nursery building which will be completed this summer, are progressing satisfactorily."

Wyandanch School was constructed as a New Deal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. "In September 1937, the modern one-story, red-brick $120,000 Wyandanch Elementary School opened for classes on Straight Path on 7 and 1/3 acres across the street from the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Roman Catholic Church and alongside the Town of Babylon Highway Department sand pit and debris dump. $54,000 of the school's $120,000 construction cost was provided by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Public Works Authority (PWA). The school had seven classrooms and 280 pupils as well as an auditorium which sat 400 people. The principal was...

Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Kansas City's imposing Wyandotte High School was constructed as a New Deal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The architects of the building were Hamilton, Fellows and Nedved and Joseph W. Radotinsky. The PWA provided a $557,000 grant for the project, whose total cost was $2,211,067. PWA Docket No. 9044. Quiverian: "Wyandotte originally existed as a school in several forms and locations. First it was as the old Riverview Grade School and 7th and Pacific from 1886-1887. Then it was the Palmer Academy building between 6th & 7th and Minnesota from 1888-1898. Next it...

The PWA granted $121,800 "for building a jetty in Wychmere Harbor to provide a haven for fishing boats and yachts."

To meet the needs of an expansive population on the city's south side, the Corpus Christi Independent School District approved construction of a second junior high school in 1934. Built between 1934 and 1936 with a grant from the Public Works Administration, Wynn Seale Junior High School benefited more than just the students of Corpus Christi by creating employment opportunities, boosting morale and serving as a cultural center for the entire community. The school's formal opening on 7 March 1936 attracted much attention in Corpus Christi. The school included modern amenities of the latest design, including audiovisual capacities, cafeteria, homemaking...

An addition to the Wyoming County Courthouse in Tunkhannock, PA was constructed in 1939 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $29,844 grant for the project, whose total cost was $61,882. PWA Docket No. PA 2080

The federal Public Works Administration helped to finance the construction of three buildings at the Wyoming State Training School in Lander, Wyoming during the 1930s. A new addition was constructed for the girls' dormitory; a new boys' dormitory was built; and a new kitchen building was constructed as well. Prior to that, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) "substantially modernized" the facility, "from driveway to electrical system and plumbing, and the plumbing was particularly in dire need of upgrading." The facility now serves as the Life Resource Center, "a residential facility for physically and mentally disabled people" (Wikipedia). The Public Works funds, PWA...

"The oldest section of the high school was begun in 1938 and opened to students in September 1939. ... The federal Public Works Administration under President Franklin D. Roosevelt funded 45 percent of the school's $600,000 cost. Designed by architect and Wyomissing resident Charles H. Muhlenberg, it featured the classic architectural elements popular at the time. ... he library's murals depicting the industrial history of the county, painted by Berks County artist Ralph D. Dunkelberger. The murals were funded by Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen, founders of Wyomissing Industries, which included Textile Machine Works, Narrow Fabric and Berkshire Knitting Mills. The partners...

The Public Works Administration awarded $27,415 to Yamhill County in 1935 for construction of Yamhill High School, later renamed Yamhill Carlton High School with consolidation of the Yamhill and Carlton school districts. County voters approved a $51,335 bond for the remaining cost of the project. The Oregonian, a Portland daily newspaper, announced that the "start order" would provide work for ninety workers "taken from relief rolls in Yamhill County." The Portland architectural firm of Barrett & Logan designed the school and Portland contractors Lonner, DeBruin and DeBruin oversaw its construction.

The bridge at the mouth of the Yaquina River at Newport OR was constructed with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1934-36.  It was one of five PWA-funded bridges over the Alsea River, Coos Bay, Siuslaw River, Umpqua River, and Yaquina River that completed the Oregon Coast Highway. All but the Alsea River bridge still stand. The coast highway was developed after 1914 by the state and county highway departments, but money ran out in the Great Depression before the job could be finished.  With the advent of the New Deal, the PWA offered $1.4 million and a loan...

YES Academy (formerly Hyde Park Elementary School), which opened in 1923, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. The school appears to have been rebuilt yet again in the 1960s or 70s, although the PWA auditorium may remain—confirmation is needed. 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 federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds provided funding for the construction of a high school gymnasium in Walla Walla, Washington. The facility, located at the southwest corner of S. Park St. and E. Birch St., is presently used by the YMCA. The PWA provided a grant of $51,750; the total cost of the project was $141,750.

The high school in Yoakum, Texas was constructed in 1937 with partial funding from the Public Works Administration under project number 1663-D. Will N. Noonan was the architect and Walsh & Burney Co was the contractor.