Work Relief Programs Sites

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed San Francisco's old Visitacion Nursery School during the Great Depression. The agency: Built a new community center with facilities for a nursery school.--Healy, p.72.

The WPA worked on the Visitacion Valley Playground.

Now a visitor center, what was constructed as a community center in Truth or Consequences was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. From The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties (2004): "A WPA project completed in 1938, the former Hot Springs Community Center is one of the best examples of the Spanish-Pueblo Revival style in Sierra County. On a concrete foundation, the building is one story with a flat stepped roof with parapets. The greater height of the central core of the building denotes the auditorium located at the rear of the building. Consisting of a steel...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees from the Mt. Elden Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp near Flagstaff worked at Walnut Canyon National Monument from 1938 to 1942. They made several improvements to the monument for public recreational use. One was to build the original visitor center at Observation Point from sandstone blocks cut from a nearby quarry.  The visitor center was completely altered during the 1960s by adding a new floor on top of the original building; the new second floor is where visitors' enter today to find information, displays and the tourist shop.  The lower floor is used for offices and...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) employed 19 men in work on the station in 1940 totaling 11,560 man hours. Expenditures were $6,752 and $449 for other. The station is currently abandoned.

WPA labor worked to renovate the old Vitagraph Building, a former movie studio located at 94 4th Avenue in Bay Shore, NY, for the purpose of utilizing the structure as a "sewing room, the Old Age Security offices and other home relief offices." The building is now a residential complex.

One of more than 40 new vocational units added to Mississippi schools following an increase in federal funds in 1937, the white wood frame Vocational Agriculture and Home Economics building was constructed by the National Youth Administration.

"The Ecru High School FFA/FHA Building was built in 1938 by the National Youth Administration (NYA), a New Deal agency. The NYA was created by executive order in 1935 to provide vocational training to young people while also furnishing a stipend allowing participants to remain in school. One NYA project involved building and renovating school buildings. There were a number of NYA built school buildings in Mississippi, primarily used for vocational education. However, that number is declining. The Ecru building, clad in 'native stone,' retains its exterior features, including pent awnings over the doors and 9/9 double hung sash windows....

This rock building was constructed by federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) and remains in use as part of the Ethel school complex.

The National Youth Administration constructed a vocational building for the Heidelberg vicinity school complex in 1941.

The Lauderdale Consolidated School Vocational Building was constructed in 1937 by the National Youth Administration. The rock veneer building is a Mississippi Landmark and still extant, although not in use.

The National Youth Administration built the Beulah-Hubbard Consolidated School's vocational/home economics building in 1938. Although some buildings and ruins remain of the complex, it is unknown if the vocational building is one of them.

A vocational building was constructed at the Magee School Complex in Magee, Mississippi during the Great Depression using standard plans. The building was undertaken with the assistance of labor provided by Civil Works Administration (CWA), a job creation program established under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). The CWA was designed to provide temporary employment for manual laborers and was replaced with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) after 1934.

The National Youth Administration constructed the 1938 1-story vocational building at the Union High School. Superintendent of construction was Simon Brown. The building remains in use by the school system.

Home Consolidate School constructed a vocational building in 1938 as Work Project 5209 Application #924, National Youth Administration. The project employed 25 boys, and the concrete blocks were made at the project.

The National Youth Administration built the vocational building for the Pearl River County Training School in 1941. The building was one part of a complex of buildings constructed for African American students between 1900 and 1951.

The Vardaman High School vocational building was completed in 1941 by the National Youth Administration of Mississippi. It remains part of the Vardaman School Complex. An addition was added to the building at some point.

The Works Progress Administration built a vocational education building in Elmore City, OK. Contributor note: "This is a rectangular one-story building constructed of rusticated native sandstone, which is painted a brick color. The roof is gabled. The south entrance is recessed under a wood porch. The window units which extend to the eaves have been partially filled with wood siding, leaving a fixed window pane. Windows on the north side of the building have been covered with wood siding. The building is currently occupied by the Billy Joan English Library"

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor constructed the former vocational school in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The location and status of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor constructed a gym for the former vocational school in New Bedford, Massachusetts. WPA Bulletin: Building materials salvaged from WPA Demolition Projects are used in the New Bedford WPA construction of the Vocational School Gymnasium. Many skilled workmen are busy on this project. The location and status of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.

The vocational teacher's home was constructed by the National Youth Administration (NYA) with supervision from NYA supervisor Carl R. Furr in 1937. The project began in September and was completed in November 1937. None of the young men on the project had experience in carpentry prior to the work.

"One of Georgia’s oldest and most beloved state parks, Vogel is located at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Driving from the south, visitors pass through Neel Gap, a beautiful mountain pass near Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. Vogel is particularly popular during the fall when the Blue Ridge Mountains transform into a rolling blanket of red, yellow and gold leaves. Hikers can choose from a variety of trails, including the popular 4-mile Bear Hair Gap loop, an easy lake loop that leads to Trahlyta Falls, and the challenging 13-mile Coosa Backcountry Trail. Cottages, campsites...

"WPA work on this run is plainly visible to thousands of people who view the run under summer skies. The run has been made safer as the result of WPA work. WPA iced the run as required, manned telephone booths along the run, transported Bob-sleds and passengers to the top of the mountain, and repaired and maintained equipment and machinery. Photo shows curves improved by WPA in use."

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a major impact on the development of Voorhees State Park between 1933 and 1941. According to the the New Jersey DEP's Division of Parks and Forestry website: "Voorhees State Park served as a camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) , planted trees and constructed shelters, picnic sites and trails throughout the park." "When the CCC boys arrived at Voorhees in 1933, they found three relatively undeveloped parcels of land. The park still reflected Governor Voorhees’ use of the property as a farm including pastures, woodland, barns and an apple orchard. By the time the...

The Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration carried out repair and maintenance work on Vueltas Road in Las Marias.

"It was not until 1936 that the statue found a suitable home, thanks to the Works Progress Administration, which partially funded a new park in the city at the top of Red Mountain. A 126-foot pedestal was built of local sandstone, and Vulcan was hoisted into place." (Wikipedia) The pedestal was constructed with WPA funds.

W. C. Stripling Middle School was originally constructed as W. C. Stripling High School in 1927. In 1933-34, the grounds were landscaped by the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration FERA), and the Texas Relief Administration. The landscaping was designed by Hare & Hare of Kansas City, MO.   It created a raised and level area on the north side of the school, held in place by a ~5-foot buff sandstone retaining wall (and steps). There are tennis courts above the wall and a football field with running track below.  It is not certain if those were part of...

Nine murals resided in the auditorium lobby of the W. H. Kirk Middle School in East Cleveland, Ohio. "The school, built in 1930, displayed nine murals, collectively known as The Progression of Man. The murals were commissioned by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s and were removed and placed in storage when the school was demolished in 2002."

A perimeter wall around the formerly municipal property along the east side of Main Street, between Wisconsin Ave. and E. Center Ave., was constructed by the W.P.A. Remarkable, giant stone lettering identifying the W.P.A. as the builders adorns one segment the wall, facing Main St., about halfway down the block. The building at the north end of the property was formerly a clinic and nursing home, but is now privately owned. The south end of the property, a modest open space / park property, features an inner stone wall that had marked the perimeter of a since-demolished water tower.

The Works Progress Administration built a brick addition for the W.S. Neal High School in Brewton, Escambia County. The new addition housed a library, several classrooms, a study room, a conference room, and other school uses. The new facilities expanded the capacity of a previously overcrowded school and allowed for the enrollment of new students. The school is still in service today.

The W.P.A. conducted repair and improvement work on numerous civic facilities in Newton, Massachusetts, including at the former Waban / Lower Falls fire station.

"Beginning late in November considerable work was accomplished with Civil Works Administration forces employed on forestry work in the Wachusett, Sudbury and Distribution sections."

From the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area website: “The first skiing trails on Wachusett Mountain were cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930's (Pine Trail 1934; Balance Rock Trail 1937).”

Duluth, Minnesota's Wade Municipal Stadium was constructed with federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) funds/labor between 1940 and 1941. The 4,200-seat stadium is still in use today.

In 1936 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a wading pool in the "city park" in Scottsbluff. Living New Deal believes this to mean what is now known as Pioneer Park as the project is mentioned in conjunction with a museum that was another Pioneer Park project. The pool appears to no longer be extant.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) "onstructed road and water holes, fought forest fires, and restored local roads and bridges after the 1936 flood and the 1938 hurricane."

"On July 12, 1938, the people voted to approve an increase in ad valorem taxation to 5 mills for the purpose of erecting a new County Courthouse with a new County Jail.  The Board of Commissioners subsequently entered into contract with an architect, Jos. I. Davis, to submit plans to the Federal Government through the Works Progress Administration of Oklahoma for the construction of the Courthouse.  By December of that year, all protesters to the building of the new Courthouse and Jail had been satisfied.  The Commissioners then began receiving bids for the various components of the Courthouse and Jail—from...

The picnic area at Wahkeena Falls benefitted from the attention of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees soon after the program was rolled out in March 1933. Workers from CCC Camp Benson improved a picnic area on the north side of the Columbia River Highway at Wahkeena Falls by adding stone fireplaces, picnic tables and a community kitchen/picnic shelter. As a result, the Wahkeena Falls Picnic Area is the largest day use area on the historic Columbia River Highway. The Wahkeena Falls Community Kitchen, similar to the community kitchen at Eagle Creek, consists of post and beam construction, three to four feet...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees were brought in as early as 1933 to improve the hiking trail network in the Gorge along with their other forest management and recreation development. The Wahkeena Falls Trail was among the first to be improved, following Wahkeena Creek toward its source on the Columbia gorge rim. Another new trail, along the rim, linked Wahkeena and Multnomah Falls to allow hikers to go from one falls to the other without using the highway. In the 1920s, as part of a larger project giving Columbia River Gorge waterfalls their current names, the Mazamas (a local climbing and...

The Works Progress Administration built the Wainwright School in Wainwright. The north side of the school has the entry and three triangular-peaked gable ends which extend to the ground. The east side has three tall, narrow windows with rounded tops, the center is the main entrance which is flanked by glass. The stone is of the red native rock cut into irregular shaped rectangles. “The greatest legacy of the WPA in Oklahoma may be the hundreds of WPA-built buildings that are still in use. To most citizens, the public buildings are the most visible remains of a work relief program that...