“The March 11, 1889 Act of the California Legislature authorized the establishment of a school for juvenile offenders. Dedication and laying of cornerstone was done by Governor R. W. Waterman on February 12, 1890. Officially opened as ‘Whittier State School’… read more
Now officially Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, what was originally Wichita Municipal Airport was improved and developed by the W.P.A. during the 1930s. Improvement work included paving the runways.
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge began in 1901 when part of the Comanche-Kiowa-Apache Indian Reservation was set aside as a National Forest. The area was transferred in 1935 to the Bureau of Biological Survey to become a wildlife refuge under the… read more
The park includes a 232-acre tract of land owned by the township. Established in 1927 for use by township residents, it was renovated with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The clubhouse is one of the… read more
Funds provided by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) enabled construction of a library addition to the old Wilbur Watts High School in Burlington, New Jersey, since demolished.
The WPA was involved in construction work in Wildcat Canyon. “State of California, National Guard – Construct new rifle range on Wildcat Canyon in Contra Costa County, near Berkeley, by excavating; clearing and grading site; surfacing roads; erecting pit timbers,… read more
This Work Projects Administration building was constructed in 1939 as a Wilderness School using local materials. A large rock wall and well also benefited from the skilled masonry of New Deal craftsmen. As of 2014, the building has been repurposed,… read more
“Several of the campground buildings and cabins hold important historic and educational value. The bunkhouse and dining hall area still reflects the architectural signature of its builders, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Likewise, the… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook several wildfire control projects in the hills behind Oakland, including brush clearing, fire breaks, fire patrols and fire trails. Given the natural frequency of fires in California’s dry summers – such as the massive… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at Ashland’s Wildwood Cemetery, beginning in 1935.
Wildwood Elementary School in Piedmont CA was expanded under the New Deal, with the addition of new classroom buildings and an auditorium. Prior to that, about one-third of Piedmont students were being taught in temporary buildings (derisively called ‘shacks’ by… read more
Suffolk County News reported that between 1935 and 1936, the WPA “improved recreational facilities in [the] following State Parks [in Suffolk County]: Sunken Meadow, Heckscher, Wildwood, Orient Point and Hither Hills…”
The Works Progress Administration completed improvements on Wiley Street in Morgantown, Monogalia County.
“The Wyoming Valley Airport, located in Forty Fort and Wyoming and built in the 1920s, was expanded and given a paved runway through WPA, enabling it to handle passenger and freight traffic – including early air mail — and help… read more
“Will Rogers Courts is located east of S. Pennsylvania, south of Exchange Avenue. It was built by the WPA as a low-income housing project with an appropriation of $2,000,000. In 1939, it was taken over by the U.S. Housing Authority…. read more
This is a one-story tan brick building with 6-over-6 double hung windows. The main entrance has four concrete steps leading to double doors, under a flat metal awning. Above the awning is a divided transom. The entrance has a large… read more
This mural “Deep Sea Magic” by Oklahoma artist Olinka Hrdy was painted in 1939 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. It is composed of two panels, each measuring 6 feet by 19 feet, and is currently located in… read more
“Development of this 118-acre park began in the 1930s as a joint project of the Oklahoma City Parks Department and the National Parks Service, with labor from the CCC and WPA. The CCC cleared trees and brush, pruned, built terraces… read more
The College of Charleston’s Willard A. Silcox Physical Education and Health Center gymnasium was a WPA project.
The Willcox Women’s Community Center was sponsored by the City of Willcox and completed in 1936. The project was completed with federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor. Project O.P. No. 65-2-166
“In 1934, under the Resettlement Administration, federal and state agencies united to buy 5,000 acres of this submarginal land to develop a recreation area. The Civilian Conservation Corps, as well as the Works Progress Administration, helped construct the site while… read more
The school grounds contain a small New Deal sculpture by Hugo Robus entitled “Girl Weeding.” It was made in 1938, probably under the auspices of the Federal Arts Project of the WPA.
This large bronze and marble memorial in Bryant Park commemorates the 19th c. poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant. The statue was created by Herbert Adams in 1911. In the 1930s, the it was restored with federal funding under Karl… read more
“Los Angeles County purchased 15 acres on the property east of Lake Boulevard, between Concha and Mount Curve, in 1921. It was first used as a nursery for trees and vegetation, eventually producing more than one million trees for mountain… read more
The WPA built the rock garden near the lake as well gutters and other improvements throughout the park.
The beautiful and well-used William Penn Park in Whittier, California was built by the WPA. Some WPA stamps from 1940 remain in the sidewalks.
“Two new junior high schools in Bangor were built and equipped at the cost of $740,000. Every cent of this was paid by the W.P.A. (Works Projects Administration) City Manager Wallace designed the two school grounds.” Original name was the… read more
A small park in Bangor with playground equipment, a basketball court and non functioning tennis court with plans to convert it into a Pickleball court. When constructed by the WPA as part of their comprehensive city-wide work program it originally… read more
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) rebuilt Williams St. in Pittsfield, Mass. WPA Bulletin: William [sic] Street, Pittsfield, a direct route from Pittsfield center to the Washington Mountain Road is being widened and reconstructed by WPA. Work includes filling, grading, oiling, building… read more
From 1934 to 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) employed workers to construct Williamsbridge Oval in The Bronx’s Norwood neighborhood, one of the most diverse areas of the City. Researcher Frank da Cruz notes the WPA Classic Moderne Style of its recreation… read more
The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with street repair and maintenance projects that improved roads throughout the Bronx. A 1.9-mile stretch of Williamsbridge Road was surfaced with penetrated macadam as a result of one… read more
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… read more
The school at Williamsburg was destroyed by fire and a new building was erected. Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects approved in the amount of $13,604 in July 1935 included construction of a gymnasium and improvements to the teacher’s house. Fifty-eight… read more
The Williamson Avenue underpass beneath the Santa Fe railway line was built with the aid of the Work Progress Administration (WPA), c 1937. “Construction of the Williamson Avenue underpass was a fine example of cooperating agencies (Works Progress Administration, Atchison… read more
The Williamsport Community Building at Byron Memorial Park, in Williamsport, Maryland, was constructed by WPA workers in 1938. The building is still used today, highlighting once again the enduring value of WPA projects.
The Williamsport Memorial Library was built with the assistance of the WPA in 1936-1937. The library is a memorial to 14 Williamsport High School students who lost their lives in 1935, when the bus they were riding in was hit… read more
This beautiful structure, the Williamsport Town Hall, was built by the WPA in 1939.
The original Willis Avenue Bridge over the Harlem River opened in 1901. In the 1930s, the WPA allocated $326,290 toward reconstruction of the roadway crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge, which connects the Bronx to Manhattan in New York City. WPA… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a bridge across Granite Creek on West Willis Street (at Granite St), just northwest of downtown Prescott AZ, in 1937. It is a simple concrete span with a central pillar and low railings. It… read more