Work Relief Programs Sites

Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as completed in an El Paso Times article from June 7, 1936 was the "paving of Alabama Street and Wilson road, 7.36 miles, cost $31,588.94," as well as "Alabama Street spillway flood control project. $6408.23."

The former main entrance on the east side of the Alameda County Courthouse leads to an elegant lobby flanked by stairways and two large murals made of inlaid marble backed with gold and silver leaf.   The murals, which measure 10 x 30 feet, were designed by Marian Simpson and sculpted by Gaetano Duccini.  They were paid for by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). One is called "Exploration" and depicts the Native American and Hispanic history of Alameda County.  The other is called "Settling of California" and portrays the arrival of Anglo frontier settlers.  That entrance and lobby is...

The February 1934 issue of California Highway and Public Works describes federal funding for extensive road work from Oakland to Richmond. When the Key System replaced portions of their lightrail trolley with bus service, federal funds helped with track removal and widening of portions of San Pablo Avenue. The work took place in two units. The first was complete removal of the 20 foot central area of the street from Potrero Avenue in El Cerrito to Ashby Avenue in Berkeley. The second unit covered the widening of San Pablo Avenue through the cities of Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and El Cerrito...

Multiple New Deal agencies were involved with improving the grounds at the Alamo. A timeline mural board on the west side of the Alamo Museum indicates that "depression-era public works projects" built the walls that now encompass the grounds of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. The Alamo is regarded as the "Shrine of Texas Liberty" due to its location of the famous battle within its perimeter during the Texas Revolution; however, it was originally the site of Mission San Antonio Valero which was moved here in 1724 after several previous locations in the area were not suitable. The New York Times...

San Antonio's historic Alamo Stadium was constructed at/near the site of an abandoned rock quarry by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-40. The facility was dedicated September 20, 1940. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a much loved place for many San Antonians who grew up here. In 2013 Alamo Stadium underwent a $35 million renovation which restored the facades, including plaques and markers.

Alamo Stadium was built by the WPA in 1940. In 1941 four tile murals, entitled 100 Years of Sports in San Antonio, Texas, 1840-1940, were installed above the main entrance to the stadium; this project was under the auspices of the WPA Arts and Crafts program. The stadium recently underwent an extensive restoration/renovation program. The murals were removed and then reinstalled in their original location. The following description is from the NRHP nomination form: "To enhance the stadium, Ethel Wilson Harris, supervisor of the WPA Arts and Crafts Division in San Antonio, undertook her program’s largest project to date. The work was...

"While a variety of public works programs emerged under the umbrella of the New Deal, the WPA with its specific goal of providing work relief for the locally unemployed exerted the greatest impact on small communities in New Mexico (Kammer 1994:48-67). Not only did it create local jobs, it resulted in much-needed public works that contributed to the quality of life in these communities. Administered at the state level and dependent upon local sponsoring authorities who often supplied the land and building materials as their share of the project's cost while the federal government supplied the funds to pay workers,...

The historic Alamosa County Courthouse was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). "The U-shaped complex is one of the county's best examples of the Mission style. The courthouse was the largest of several WPA projects built in the county during the 1930s. Construction began in 1936. Using local clay and sand, more than 450,000 bricks were produced at a kiln located north of Alamosa. The courthouse continues to house a variety of county offices."

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 along a road through Alapocas Woods (Alapocas Drive). 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.  

"Youth and Ambition" by Virginia Pitman, was commissioned by the WPA and presently housed in Laramie, Wyoming's Albany County Library. "The painting is divided into several sections. One shows men in line to enter a factory. Another depicts scientists in the lab. Still another shows a group of shirtless miners striking the earth. The figures are muscular and project a sense of industry. “It’s optimistic,” Schultes said."

Albany did not have a public high school until 1936; students traveled to Berkeley, Richmond or Oakland. The WPA and PWA contributed to the building of Albany High between, roughly, 1936-1941. According to the Albany Times from that period, five building units were constructed, including administrative offices, classrooms, laboratories, a cafeteria, nurse's offices, print shop, library, theater, gym, and music room. Regarding cost, also according to the Albany Times, the WPA contributed $20,000 of the $60,000 it cost to build the first unit, and at least $26,602 to building the third unit. A PWA grant of $28,350 went to the fourth...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to a segment of Albemarle Street NW, between Reno Road and Thirty-Eighth Street, in 1938-39.    The WPA graded the road and prepared it for paving with a foundation of salvaged material: “The old material is obtained from old roadways which have deteriorated due to the strain of heavy later-day traffic and were replaced by new standard type pavements.”   “The improvement of this roadway opened up traffic eastward to the new boulevard at Forty-sixth Street NW, between Massachusetts Avenue and River Road, and also served as an entrance to the new private developments in this vicinity.”   This...

"Albuquerque is home to scores of WPA buildings and works. Among the most prolific are the following- ... John Gaw Meem designed both Scoles Hall and Zimmerman Library on the campus of the University of New Mexico (the corner of University and Central). Both have undergone redesign and restoration, but still carry many of the architects innovative design features. Also on the campus of UNM, the Anthropology building is from that era, and contains three large murals by Joseph Imhof. The Old Albuquerque Municipal Airport (2920 Yale SE) is a Pueblo revival style two-story building that stands in the shadow of the Albuquerque...

"Albuquerque is home to scores of WPA buildings and works. Among the most prolific are the following- ... John Gaw Meem designed both Scoles Hall and Zimmerman Library on the campus of the University of New Mexico (the corner of University and Central). Both have undergone redesign and restoration, but still carry many of the architects innovative design features. Also on the campus of UNM, the Anthropology building is from that era, and contains three large murals by Joseph Imhof. The Old Albuquerque Municipal Airport (2920 Yale SE) is a Pueblo revival style two-story building that stands in the shadow of the Albuquerque...

The Oakland Chapel Greek Revival style building constructed 1840-1851 was completely renovated through support from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and state legislated funds that made repairs and improvements to 20 state institutions 1934-1935. Then known as Alcorn A & M College, the chapel was only one of the projects on the campus. Additional work included repair to the men's dormitory, extension of sewer lines, laying of sidewalks, and installment of concrete floors in the blacksmith and machine shops. A total of $8,728.66 of the over $400,000 spent in the other institutions was expended on Alcorn campus. The Mississippi legislature...

"An earlier bridge that once crossed the Iowa River in Alden had long united the two sides of this small town. However, by the mid-1930s the existing wood structure had "long since seen its best day," according to the Alden Times. In 1935, the Hardin County government sought to replace both the Alden and Steamboat Rock bridges by securing financial assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In October, the WPA approved the two projects, which were a great boon to Alden's unemployed--used as day labor to help construct the new concrete bridge over the Iowa River. The estimated cost...

Several years after the State purchased land from Lane County, Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees improved the Alderwood State Wayside. The work was conducted in 1935. As noted in the Oregon State Park's 1965 publication: "The facilities at Alderwood are not extensive, being a small area for parking cars, two foot-bridges, trails, tables and sanitary facilities, all constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps." Necessary maintenance at the wayside has resulted in replacement of some of the improvements but the basic lay-out remains the same.

"The Alex Public School (pronounced Elic), is a red brick one-story T-shaped building, with its main entrance in the north intersection of the T. This entrance has new aluminum and glass double doors with two concrete steps. The doors are slightly recessed under a triangular pediment, and flanked by two round columns. "Many of the windows have been filled in with concrete block or covered with wood. This main building has numerous outbuildings in this school complex and contains all grades in this small town of approximately 550 residents. The school complex is located at F Street and 2nd Street. "The year...

In January 1940, the Parks Department announced the completion of a complete renovation of what is now the Alexander Hamilton Playground: "At the Hamilton Place area, the old playground has been entirely reconstructed to provide for wider and more intensive usage. Besides a new modern comfort station, there is now a wading pool, volley ball and handball courts, a jungle gym, swings, slides and see-saws, The entire area has been resurfaced with bituminous material to provide for continuous usage throughout the year. The opening of these two areas, designed by the Park Department and built by the Work Projects Administration, makes a...

"During the 1930s, the Civilian Works Administration (CWA) made general repairs to the lodge and outbuildings and erected a new flagpole."

From On September 17, 1935, the Bernalillo Board of Education prepared a WPA project proposal for an addition to an existing elementary school in the village of Algodones, a rural farming north of Albuquerque. The project would not only include the addition, but also “leveling and straightining of the school grounds” (WPA OP 65-85-492: 7158). The Board estimated that the work would cost $2,768,00, with the WPA contributing $3,168.00. The school addition and improvements was the only WPA project funded in the small community. The WPA played an important role in developing school infrastructure in New Mexico during the Great Depression. Prior to...

The science building at Alhambra High School was renovated in 1935 with New Deal funding, including from the Los Angeles County Relief Administration. Twenty-five laborers and 12 skilled tradesmen were employed on the project.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at the old Alhambra School in Phoenix, Arizona during the 1930s. A gymnasium was also constructed in 1938. Living New Deal believes the old facility to be demolished.

The Alice Keith Park Swimming Pool in Beaumont, TX was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. A ten-acre municipal tract, Alice Keith Park was constructed in 1932 to help alleviate unemployment and provide a recreational space in the southeastern section of the city. The Superintendent of Parks and Recreation remarked after the pool’s completion: “As a WPA project, which included sewer lines, sidewalks, and other park improvements, the pool was constructed and landscaped in about six months and was opened May 28 , designated as city-wide ‘Splash Day.’ The pool is the last word in modern appearance,...

“Muskogee’s Alice Robertson School, now a 7th and 8th grade center, and the adjacent stadium, Indian Bowl, used WPA labor. The plaque in the school lobby indicates Federal Works Agency is credited with the job, as the project was completed after the reorganization requiring that label. Many communities wanted to avoid using the letters WPA, because of the stigma of using ‘relief’ labor. That did not appear to be true in Muskogee, which had many WPA projects. Federal Works Agency was a proper term, but many schools finished during that time used the common shield with the date and WPA,...

The Works Progress Administration built the Alice Savage Elementary in Red Oak. Contributor note: "The Alice Savage Elementary School, located on North Main is a one-story coursed native sandstone building, with a flat roof on the classroom section and a barrel roof over the gymnasium which is connected perpendicularly to the rear of the school. The school contains 10 or more classrooms, and was built in 1939-1940. The front of the school has two double-door entrances recessed beneath arched openings. Between the two entrances are two projected stone pilasters with decorative projections. The windows are set in triples. The top one-third of...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Alice Whitney Park Dam on the Sauk River in St. Cloud MN in 1938.  WPA workers also built steps going down the riverbank to the dam and a path along the river.  The dam was  meant to provide a swimming hole for park users. The dam was about 4 feet tall and provided a walking path to get across the river, connecting Whitney Park and Sauk River Park.  All of the stone and wood was cut by WPA workers.  The dam’s purpose was to raise the water level of the Sauk River to create a...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) added a Kindergarten to the Aliso Elementary School in Carpinteria CA.  It is unknown to us which part of the present school this is. 

US highway 101 from Center St. to Mission Rd. Connected the Ramona Parkway (present day Interstate 10) with the proposed Hollywood Parkway (now US 101). Crosses over the LA River as well as numerous city streets and railroads. Originally the lanes of the highway were separated by Pacific Electric tracks running down the center of the bridge/viaduct. "The Aliso Street Viaduct was torn down in 1940 and replaced by the present freeway structure which entered service in mid 1943. PE participated in the cost of this mammoth structure, paying $350,000 as its share of the improvement. With the opening of the first...

The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve Allapartus Road in Ossining , New York during the 1930s. One project, which cost $10,557 (of which the WPA contributed $7,701) was described by the WPA in its project rolls: "excavating, shaping shoulders, cutting ditches, constructing catch basins, surfacing, relocating fence, and performing" other related work. WPA Official Project No. 665-21-1-180.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted major development work at New York's Allegany State Park between 1933 and 1942.

"The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided jobs to people willing to work towards reforestation of cut-over timber land and was the progenitor organization of the Allegheny National Forest. A number of CCC camps and CCC associated property types are located within the  Forest including planted red pine plantations, including the first such effort at reforestation by the CCC in the United States." (https://www.fs.usda.gov) "The second CCC camp in the country opened on the Allegheny National Forest. These newest enrollees came to the Forest from Pittsburgh, the hard coal region around Scranton, south Philadelphia, and the deep South. They were immediately put to work...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the bleachers at Allen Field in Washington, Indiana.

The Allen Jay School Rock Gymnasium opened on November 21, 1939, on the school campus then outside High Point, North Carolina. Besides a gymnasium, the building had locker rooms, a library, and two classrooms. The project was completed using funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Since the county school board could not fund school construction in 1937, the small community decided to build the gymnasium themselves with locally-donated materials and funding from the WPA. In the final plans, the gym needed to be masonry construction, which had not been figured into the initial project. The WPA had experience building...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a garage for what was then known as Allentown Hospital (now Geraldine L. Thompson Care Center) in 1936. The status of the old garage is unknown to Living New Deal.

The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Bronx street repair and maintenance project along roads throughout the borough. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were surfaced with penetrated macadam. Roads improved included the 0.4-mile stretch of Allerton Avenue between Pearsall Ave. and Eastchester Rd.

"The Allerton Ballfields are not mentioned by name in the NYC Parks Department Press releases because they were part of the same project: the construction of a large playground alongside four ball fields. Today they have separate labels: French Charley's Playground and Allerton Ballfields. The Department of Parks Press Release, July 29, 1940, says " will be developed with two children's playgrounds, one on the westerly side near 204 Street, and the other on Bronx Boulevard opposite Rosewood Street . Two softball diamonds and also a regulation baseball diamond will be provided." These are the diamonds adjacent to French Charley's...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) paved approximately six miles of alleys throughout Parkersburg, Wood County.

An August 1935 Parks Department press release lists Alley Pond 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 as having play areas designed for mothers and infants, older children, adolescents and adults. Today's NYC Parks website confirms this timing: "The park, including 26 acres of newly constructed playing fields and the Alley Pond Park Nature Trail, the first such trail in the city’s park system, officially opened in 1935 at a ceremony attended by Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia (1882–1947) and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses (1888–1981)....

At Alley Spring, the CCC constructed many trails, rock walls, 11 buildings, campgrounds, roads, restored the mill including replacing the floor, and diverted the slough adjacent to the mill to insure that it did not silt in. The CCC unit that worked this site consisted of WWI veterans.