AC Brace Arena – Cape Girardeau MO
Designed by Hal Lynch and J. Carl Jourdan and completed in 1939, this Art Deco style arena has been upgraded and well-maintained through the years. The stage is original.
Adams Hall Murals, University of Oklahoma – Norman OK
The Adams Hall project included a series of murals reflecting different aspects of Oklahoma business life by Craig Sheppard, a fine arts student at the time. The murals “illustrate some of the prominent industries in Oklahoma’s economy, including farming, stock… read more
Alamo River Bridge – Brawley CA
$24,000 was provided by federal funds during the Great Depression for the construction of a bridge carrying Ben Hulse Highway over the Alamo River east of Brawley, California.
Alki Playfield Regrade – Seattle WA
Alki Playfield underwent a regrade, thanks to New Deal funds, in 1934.
Amphitheater – Ely NV
“An outdoor, amphitheatre built near Ely” was a result of New Deal construction in northern Nevada. Further information about this project is needed.
Balboa Park Club Sculpture – San Diego CA
Frederick Schweigardt (1885 – 1948) was a student of the Stuttgart and Munich art academies in Germany, Schweigardt also studied with Auguste Rodin in Paris, where he received first prize at the Paris Exposition of 1913. Schweigardt was named the… read more
Balboa Park: Club Murals – San Diego CA
Belle Baranceanu was painted two oil on canvas murals at Balboa Park in 1935, paid for with federal funding: “Progress of Man” and “Education and Culture”. She rushed to complete the later for the 1935-1936 California Pacific International Exposition and… read more
Balboa Park: House of Hospitality Sculpture – San Diego CA
This 4′ high Indiana limestone sculpture and fountain by Donal Hord is titled “Woman of Tehuantepec” and is located in the courtyard of the House of Hospitality at San Diego’s Balboa Park.
Bath V.A. Medical Center Bridge – Bath NY
A new entrance bridge was built in 1939, replacing an older one which had been posted as unsafe five years earlier, requiring a lengthy detour to leave or enter the grounds. This 1939 bridge is still in use as of… read more
Belt Line Railroad – San Francisco CA
“The San Francisco Belt Railroad was a short-line railroad along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. It began as the State Belt Railroad in 1889, and was renamed when the city bought the Port of San Francisco in 1969. The… read more
Best Slough Bridge – Wheatland CA
The bridge carrying Ostrom Rd. over Best Slough in Wheatland, California was 1 of 7 bridges widened in Yuba County, California as part of a $50,000 federal grant during the Great Depression.
Big Creek Bridge – Big Sur CA
A concrete bridge on former State Route 56 (now State Route 1, the Cabrillo Highway) built with federal funds to the tune of $90,000. A date stamp at each end says 1938.
BNSF Rail Road street subway – Colton CA
$70,000 from the New Deal federal government went into the grading, paving and structure of a subway and approaches under the AT&SF Railroad on old route 43 on the south end of Colton.
Bridge Street Grade Separation – Minnesota City MN
The grade separation bridge on Bridge Street, on the south side of Minnesota City, was constructed as a Federal Aid Project in 1940.
Burns Creek Bridge – Big Sur CA
$75,000 in federal funds constructed this steel and concrete bridge over Burns Creek on former State Route 56, now State Route 1 (Cabrillo Highway) in Big Sur, California, near the location of the famous Esalen Institute.
California 20 – Marysville CA
$5,000 in federal funds were used for grading and surfacing 1 mile of California Route 20 (formerly CR 15) from the Southern Pacific RR underpass to the east end of the city, during the Great Depression.
California Route 113 – Robbins CA
2.5 miles of California route 113 (formerly 87) from Robbins south was surfaced under a federal grant totaling $20,000.
Calvin Coolidge Bridge – Northampton to Hadley MA
In March 1936, the Connecticut River Valley was inundated by one of the most severe floods in recorded history. The water level reached over 12 feet above flood stage and carried huge chunks of ice down the river. The raging… read more
Camanche School (Inundated) Improvements – Camanche CA
The WPA contributed $101 in order to “Improve Comanche School.” WPA Project 65-3-2463, Application date 10-24-35. The town was founded in 1849 during the gold rush. Rich mining at nearby Cat Camp, Poverty Bar, and Sand Hill brought its population… read more
Cargo Terminals – Wilmington CA
As part of a group of 8 public works projects in the LA area South Bay, according to an article in the Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News reported: “No. 7 – New cargo terminals in Wilmington, $831,000; will employ 210… read more
Carl Schurz Park: Catbird Playground – New York NY
An August 1935 Parks Department press release lists what is now Catbird Playground in Carl Schurz Park as one of seventy-three play areas developed in the preceding year with “city, state and federal relief funds.” The release describes this park… read more
Carlos Gilbert Elementary School – Santa Fe NM
The Atlas of Historic New Mexico Maps, produced with assistance from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the New Mexico Chapter of the National New Deal Preservation Association, lists a number of New Deal schools in Santa Fe. Agua Fria,… read more
Central Park: Model Boathouse – New York NY
The Model Boathouse on Conservatory Lake in Central Park was designed and built by Robert Moses’ “force of relief workers” (www.kermitproject.org).
Chino High School Building – San Bernardino CA
"Construction of Chino High School Bldg. This project consisted of the erection of three units one story stucco High School Building. Unit #1 is 191' x 25'5", consisting of one sewing room, girls' rest rook, waiting room, fitting room and… read more
City Terrace Park – Los Angeles CA
City Terrace Park was planned in 1931 but the park space wasn’t completed until 1933, when crews of workers from the Works Progress Administration* finished cutting into three and a half acres of rugged hillside, creating terrace space for the… read more
College of Marin Unnamed mural – Kentfield CA
This 9 x 16 foot oil on canvas by Maurice Del Mue was completed in 1937 for the College of Marin science building. It remains in the original location.
Downing Street Playground – New York NY
The Downing Street Playground was built circa 1935 with the help of the New Deal. The agency involved in funding or completing the work is unknown to the Living New Deal. During his tenure as Parks Commissioner, Robert Moses used… read more
Dry Creek Bridge – Brownsville CA
One of 7 bridges in Yuba County that were widened with a federal grant of $50,000 during the Great Depression was the bridge carrying New York House Road over Dry Creek near Brownsville, California.
Durgan Bridge – Downieville CA
Federal efforts provided $35,000 for the construction of the bridge and approaches to the Durgan bridge, a pratt through truss bridge over the North Fork of the Yuba River on Nevada Street in the former mining town of Downieville. The… read more
East Side Elementary School (demolished) – Nampa ID
The PWA built this six-classroom elementary school in 1937 (docket #1093-RD). It remained in use until 1997, when it was demolished. The site is now East Side Park. Note: the Nampa School District history linked below indicates that the WPA… read more
Evan Hewes Highway – Holtville CA
27.5 miles of road shoulder along Evan Hewes Highway were oiled under a federal project totaling $50,000 during the Great Depression. The project spanned the road length between the Highline Canal to the East Side Sand Hills. The road used… read more
Fair Park: Hall of State Mural – Dallas TX
The oil-on-canvas mural “Texas of History,” a ten-panel behemoth, each 30′ x 80′, was painted by Eugene Francis Savage as a New Deal project.
Feather River Highway – Rock Creek CA
Federal funds helped grade 2.5 miles of the Feather River Highway and bridges at Rock Creek, Tobin, & Storrie within the Plumas National Forest.
Fire Lookout Tower – Camdenton MO
This classic fire lookout tower has the stairway extending to the ground with encircling wire for safety. There are extensive forest service buildings immediately adjacent to the tower. It was completed in 1942 with funds and labor provided by the… read more
Foothill Boulevard Cutoff – Sylmar CA
A 1934 issue of California Highway & Public Works magazine reported that 3.53 miles of road from Tunnel Station on the San Fernando Road to Olive View Hospital (formerly Sanitarium) was constructed between Dec. 1933 and Oct. 1934 northwest of… read more
Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory – Tampa FL
“Fort Homer W. Hesterly is a historic building at 522 North Howard Avenue in the West Tampa section of Tampa, Florida. An art deco style building. It took ten years to find an occupant for the building, once a premiere… read more
Fort Tryon Park – New York NY
Fort Tryon Park was built during the Depression era with the goal of providing public green space for upper Manhattan. John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated the land and provided most of the financial support for the construction of the park’s amenities…. read more
Fourth Avenue Grading – Big Timber MT
Big Timber’s Pioneer newspaper reported in 1936 that the “grading of Fourth avenue” was one of several projects in the community that was attributable to the New Deal.
Fresno Avenue Grade Separation – Stockton CA
$20,000 was provided by federal funds for the construction of a grade separation railroad bridge over Fresno Avenue.