Work Relief Programs Sites

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the CCC Camp at the Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos, NM. In 1933, there was no road into Frijoles Canyon, the eventual home of the Bandelier CCC camp, NM-1-N/NP-4-N.  A cable tram was used by the owner of a lodge in the canyon to transport luggage for lodge visitors, however.  This tram was used for the construction of the CCC camp to get equipment into the canyon in late 1933.  Equipment included a truck which was disassembled at the top and reassembled in the canyon, an electric light plant, camp tents, and all construction...

Out of necessity, one of the first projects at Bandelier National Monument by the CCC was the construction of a road into Frijoles Canyon which was begun in 1933.  There were local objections to a “road” and by necessity, it was initially only 12 feet wide and characterized as a “truck trail”.  This initial success alleviated these local objections and it was subsequently widened with CWA funding to 22 feet.  The relatively long route was designed by National Park service engineers to minimize the grade into the canyon and have minimal visibility from within the canyon.  Native rock was used for...

Bandelier was established as a National Monument in 1916, but little developed until the New Deal.  Up to the mid-30s the only visitor facility was a lodge built in 1909. Bandelier was transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) c. 1933 and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was enlisted to help develop park facilities for the public.  A CCC camp was established in the monument that operated until 1941. Working under the NPS, CCC enrollees built the first road into the monument and went on to construct 31 structures for park operations.  They also built trails, a fire lookout and furnishings...

The CCC camp at Bandelier National Monument constructed and improved trails in and into Frijoles Canyon.  Out of necessity, this included clearing remains of previous archaeological work and stabilization of the numerous archaeological sites in the canyon.  There were some archaeological sites which were excavated by CCC men under direct supervision of trained archaeologists.  The trails enabled tourists to the canyon to walk to and through these sites.  Their work included a main loop trail amongst the pueblo ruins and extensive steps and ladders to “cavates” (dwellings carved out of the soft volcanic tuff in the canyon wall) as well...

The paper "A History of the Bandera Public Library" documents that a Civil Works Administration (CWA) project was secured to cover a portion of the cost to build a new building in 1934. In the book, History of Bandera County, Texas, the library is documented as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. It is speculated that the building began as CWA project and the WPA finished it as the former program ended and the latter program began during the time period the building was constructed.

Bandon's History Museum occupies a structure built by Work Progress Administration (WPA) workers to house the community's City Hall. After the destruction of the town in the Bandon Fire of September 26, 1936, priority was given to constructing a new base for the city's operation. As local historians note, the City Hall was one of the first buildings to be completed after the fire - second only to a local tavern. Construction began in October 1936 with WPA funds. It was completed in early January 1937 with a brief interruption of building activity to allow WPA workers to construct 36 temporary...

"Residents of Laramie are probably familiar with the large concrete semi-dome that anchors the southwest corner of Washington Park. The Edgar J. Lewis bandshell has become a staple in the community as Laramie's only public outdoor stage. It is a memorial, in a way, to University of Wyoming music professor Edgar J. Lewis for whom the bandshell is named. It was renamed in the 1980s to honor the professor. The concrete structure is also a memorial to events that affected the entire nation for over a decade. The Edgar J. Lewis Bandshell was a Works Progress Administration project that was...

The bandshell in Lingle Town Park, a.k.a. Whipple Park, was constructed by the Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) in 1941-2.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a band shell in Melbeta, Nebraska. The location and status of the structure are presently unknown to Living New Deal, though we believe it to be no longer extant.

The Work Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell in Mikkelson Park in New Hampton, Iowa. Completed in 1937, it cost about $5,000 and could accommodate 55 musicians. It features two locker rooms.

The Work Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell at Central Park—also known as Centennial Park—in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It was dedicated in June 1936. There is no bandshell in the park today.

"The existing bandshell was constructed in 1992 to replace and earlier building constructed in 1934. The City received CWA funds to construct the original bandshell adjacent to the stadium in the fairgrounds park. It burned in 1992 and was replaced by the existing concrete block building in 1998. The contributing landscaping consists of the grassy lawn in front of the stage and dense linear segments of deciduous shrubs that follows the curve of the road between Eisenhower Park Road and Pine Street. It is unclear whether this landscaping was part of the CWA project that funded construction of the bandshell or...

The National Youth Administration (NYA) constructed a gorgeous stone bandstand for New Salem, North Dakota in the park on the south side of Main Avenue, across from the city's auditorium. The bandstand was dedicated Jul. 22, 1939. Article: "With the Judson and New Salem bands combining into a 50-piece musical organization, dedication arrangements have been completed for the NYA bandstand Saturday. J. Lloyd Stone, NYA administrator, will speak." Per on-site plaque: The New Salem bandstand was built in 1939 and was a local National Youth Administration project with an estimated cost of $767.00. The structure was to be made with native stone. The...

The Works Progress Administration constructed a stone bandstand in the park on the south side of North Ave. E, west of South B St., in Richardton, North Dakota. Article: "Construction of a large band stand is under way in the Lions' park here. It is going up with the aid of WPA labor and funds."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a new bandstand "on the public square" in Lisbon, Ohio.  The structure, which measured 32 by 56 feet, contained six tiers of seats and was constructed of native stone. Capacity was 84. The status and location of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.

The Bangor dam "was built on the site of Treat Falls in 1875. It about 1,006 feet long with 800 feet of timber crib spillway and 200 feet of concrete spillway on the easterly end. The timber spillway being 2 feet lower than the concrete spillway was fitted with flashboards. The first fish way was built around 1923 between the timber and concrete spillways. The second fish way was constructed in 1936 with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) office funds."   (www.maineatlanticsalmonmuseum.org) The dam and the associated water works fell out of use in the 1960s and have since largely deteriorated....

 Created in 1927 as a commercial airport named Godfrey Field. In 1940 the Maine State Defense Commission considered 6 airports priority for use as military bases, Bangor being a key one. A 1940 Maine State Legislature report records that construction of the base was done by the W.P.A. and improved by FERA with  a 1400 x 100 gravel runway and a 1500 x 100 Gravel runway. "he airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army just before World War II and renamed Godfrey Army Airfield and later Dow Army Airfield. It became Dow Air Force Base in 1947, when the new U.S....

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) and/or Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) funded the labor for and materials for improvements to the since-demolished Banigan City School building in Millville, Massachusetts. Improvements included painting, for which the federal government also paid for the project's materials. While the school no longer remains, the building's foundation can still be found at what is known as the Banigan City Schoolyard, which is adjacent to the senior center on the south side of Prospect St.

Constructed in 1941, with WPA labor, the Banita Creek Bridge crosses the waterway of the same name with three spans of reinforced concrete girder. The 100’-long bridge has a 24’-wide roadway with cantilevered sidewalks on both sides. The hand railing is composed of open concrete balustrade divided into sections by stepped Art Deco-like posts. The approach railing at the end of bridge angles out, following the skew of the wingwalls below. The WPA erected the bridge as part of a larger project that widened and improved the channels of Bonita and Lanana creeks. As part of the project, work-relief crews built sidewalks...

"During the Great Depression the Works Progress Administration paid for work on the school's athletic fields, with the project completed in 1936."   (wikipedia.org)

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed sidewalks in New Orleans, including along Banks Street in Mid-City. WPA workers often marked their work with "sidewalk stamps" pressed into the fresh concrete -- a common practice by private contractors in the early 20th century.

Originally (1915) school for African American children, the Banneker Community Center - Bloomington IN was used for Works Progress Administration (WPA) after-school and recreation programs. The sidewalk and retaining wall around the building was built by the WPA in 1938.

The National Youth Administration built the Banneker Community Center Gymnasium in Bloomington IN. The gymnasium is now part of a Bloomington Parks and Recreation community center, in what was originally a segregated school, built in 1915, for African-American children.

"Banneker Playground is named in honor of Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), a noted African-American writer and mathematician... This playground is located on Marcy Avenue between Kosciusko Street and Lafayette Avenue. The site was formerly owned by the Board of Transportation, which held it as part of its property for the G subway line. After 1937, the city maintained a park on the site under a permit from the Board of Transportation. The park was originally built by the WPA (Works Progress Administration), a federal program that built 850 airports, 120,000 bridges, and 125,000 public buildings, in addition to its 8,000 parks nationwide." The...

During the 1930s, Banneker Recreation Area was developed as part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program undertaken by the Public Works Administration (PWA), Civil Work Adminstration (CWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Notably, the CWA was responsible for the completion of the historic Banneker Swimming Pool and Bath House in 1933-34.  Those facilities are still in place. Other New Deal work at Banneker included: “...tennis courts built; baseball diamond, football and soccer fields graded and equipped; running track and horseshoe courts installed; landscaping around field house completed.”   (National Archives) Most of this was probably done by the WPA, which...

"Banner School, constructed in 1935, was one of the 825 schools constructed in Oklahoma by the Works Progress Administration. Banner School is located at 1124 W. Warner in northwest Guthrie. The school was constructed in 1935 by the WPA. Unlike the red native stone buildings so prominent in the region, this school is constructed of several shades of tan brick. The brick was scored with vertical striations. This is a one-story building which was an elementary school. The windows are equipped with horizontal, exterior metal movable sun shades. The building is currently vacant and not in use... To the left of the...

Evidence of Works Progress Administration (WPA) involvement in the former Banning High School building, now Nicolet Middle School, comes from a non-copyrighted pamphlet with no clear title or page number, that was handed out at the 2005 all-class reunion of Banning High School. The following text is from the pamphlet:   “In 1933 a huge earthquake stuck Long Beach, California, and did major damage to that city. It also cause parts of Banning High School to be considered unsafe. The Auditorium was condemned and the remainder of the school was in poor condition. “In 1935 the Depression had spread across America and...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed downtown Lahaina's Banyan Tree Park.  The park surrounds an immense banyan tree (a variety of tropic ficus) that covers three-quarters of an acre.  It is the largest and best known tree in Hawai'i. There is a stone marker in the park that says the WPA built the park, which presumably means that relief workers landscaped the park, added paving and built benches. It appears that the benches have been replaced recently. A massive wildfire burned through Lahaina in August 2023 and scorched the famous Banyan Tree; it is unknown to Living New Deal whether the tree and park...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) paved 34 streets in Hartford, Connecticut, including Barbour Street, as part of a $2.5 million, two-year paving project begun in 1937. The federal government contributed $1 million.

The Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration carried out new road construction on Barcelona Road in Rio Grande.

Currently serving as the National Park Service's administrative office for the Fort Vancouver - McLoughlin House Unit, the Dr. Forbes Barclay House shares more than proximity with its better-known neighbor (the McLoughlin House). The two structures not only housed important figures of the Hudson Bay Company, who then retired to Oregon City and contributed to the development of the town, their preservation and restoration are linked in several efforts of the New Deal era as well. Built in 1849, the Barclay House is one of Oregon's oldest examples of Classical Revival architecture. As such, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) funded local...

Located next to a small scenic stream in a remote mountain setting of the Ouachita National Forest, the Bard Springs Recreation Area offers five Adirondack-type shelters for picnicking. A very small dam on the stream creates a pool of water that is popular with swimmers in the summertime. Once a small campground in the past, this area is now open for day-use only. In 1936, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was involved in the construction of a picnic shelter, bathhouse, & Caddo District Dams 1 and 2. The bathhouse is a single story rustic stone structure, with entrances at either...

The historic Barfoot fire lookout tower in Coronado National Forest was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1938. NRHP Nomination Form: "Barfoot lookout is located on the Douglas Ranger District and was built in 1935, possibly by a CCC crew. The lookout house is an L-4 type wooden house measuring 14 ft by 14 ft. This complex also includes a wood frame shed, privy, concrete cistern and an attractive, rustic style native stone retaining wall. The lookout complex represents one of the best examples of its type in the Southwestern Region. Study of historic photographs indicates no major modifications have...

"Work Project No. 9373, sponsored by the City of Los Angeles is a heavy travelled major traffic artery and extends northerly from Ventura Boulevard to communities in the northern section of of the San Fernando Valley. "Prior to its improvement by the W.P.A., this street was a narrow winding road with sharp curves and poorly established grades making it totally unfit to carry the heavy traffic to which it was being subjected. "To eliminate the above conditions the W.P.A. approved, and subsequently completed a project which provided modern street improvements between Ventura Boulevard and the City of Los Angeles northerly boundary,...

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction at the Barkers Landing Bridge, several miles southeast of Dover. Living New Deal believes the bridge to have been replaced. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA's road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.  

In 1927, the Metropolitan District Commission, which is the water works agency for the city of Hartford, Connecticut, purchased land on the Farmington River, northwest of the city, to construct a dam and reservoir. In order to build the dam, many people had to be moved off of the land around the area where the dam was being built and surrounding areas that were to be flooded. This was a difficult and controversial process, but the dam was seen as more important to the greater good of the region. As it turned out, when the Great Depression hit, many families...

Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range Facility is a U.S. Naval Installation on the Island of Kauai in Hawaii. Between 1941 and 1942 WPA funds helped enlarge the facility.

“WPA workmen improved 15 miles of gravel roads, 25 miles of dirt roads, cleared 15 miles of bayous and drainage canals, rehabilitated 43 wooden bridges which cross bayous and drainage canals on the reservation.”   (NARA)

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Barnaby Street NW, from Utah Avenue to Arcadia Place. This was a WPA curb and gutter project: “This project was 1,200 feet long and serves the recent developments in this vicinity.”

Municipal reports from 1935 and 1936 detail WPA work in Barnard Park: 1935 "WPA workers are engaged in making the pond into a more suitable bathing place. They also intend to finish the second tennis court which was begun last year." 1936 "The Playground Commission made an inspection tour at the Playground of the proposed project by the W.P.A. early last Spring. This work was successfully carried on under the direction of Harold Phelps and A. Kenneth Hambleton. The upper end of the pond was filled in, the pond as well as the brook leading into the pond was cleaned and the sides lined...