Works Progress Administration (WPA) Sites

On the northwest corner of 6th and Leach, this Boy Scout Hut is located in a park area. This is a one-story native stone building, with an entrance facing east and located in a slight projected portion of the building. A sign shows that it is occupied as a hut for Cub Scout Pack 183. It was constructed in 1935 with an appropriation of $9,806. The roof is hipped and covered with composition shingles. The entrance projection has a reversed gable. The windows are currently large one-over-one double hung, with a couple of them covered with metal siding. An historical photo...

The WPA constructed a city pool and pavilion for La Grange's city park in 1935. It was closed in 2007. The whole park is now undergoing extensive renovations. The pool is no longer there, but the original pavilion is being rehabilitated. The project is expected to be completed in late 2015.

A large allocation of WPA funds for school construction and improvement projects for the state of Montana was issued in late 1938. Among the construction provided for was a new school building in Boyes, Montana. The location and status of this structure is unknown to Living New Deal. The allocation for the building appears on Montana WPA Roll 25 under project number 665-91-2-62.

Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this Mission Revival-style fire station was built in 1936. The building has been substantially altered since its original construction.

The history of Boyle Stadium, which is located behind Stamford High School, is detailed on the school's website: "Beginning in 1935, federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds helped support the construction behind Stamford High of the high school stadium in Connecticut. The stadium was completed over several years and, like today, was the site of athletic competitions and graduation ceremonies. It was named the Michael A. Boyle Stadium in 1942, after SHS' famous athletic director and football coach. In the 1940s, Boyle Stadium was the training field for students preparing for military service in World War II." "The first baseball game...

"This red brick armory was constructed by the WPA in 1936... Architecturally, the armory is unique in terms of materials in that brick WPA structures are unusual in northeastern Oklahoma. Moreover, nothing in Boynton compares to the structure in terms of scale. This WPA project also gave work to those desperately in need of it and infused wages from almost 75,000 man-hours of labor into Boynton's economy." The building, which is located at the northeast corner of Porter and 3rd, is currently vacant.

The Wichita Falls Boys Club (now the Boys and Girls Club of Wichita Falls) at 1318 6th Street, Wichita Falls, TX, was dedicated on November 22, 1942. The one-story stone building was sponsored by the Rotary Club and constructed by the Work Projects Administration (WPA). Philanthropists J.J. and Lois Perkins of Wichita Falls were important benefactors of the project. The building contained club rooms, a library, an auditorium-gymnasium, and a workshop. It now serves as the administrative office of the Boys and Girls Club of Wichita Falls and home to the Central Club.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed the construction of a pumping plant at the Boysen Reservoir in the vicinity of Shoshoni, Fremont County. The facility provided water supply. The exact location and condition of the pumping plant is unknown to the Living New Deal. The Boysen Dam & Power Plant was rebuilt in 1946-1948 through a joint program of the Bureau of Reclamation and the US Army Corps of Engineers, and is still in service today.    

"A low limestone perimeter wall built in 1936–1937 separates Broadway and the adjacent sidewalk from the green space in front of the Witte and Pioneer Hall. The wall, which runs the length of the property, was built by Witte museum and WPA workers. Entry points through the wall connect to sidewalks leading to both the Witte and Pioneer Hall. A stone bench is built into the wall, presumably to provide seating for bus patrons. The wall culminates at Tuleta Drive on the south and on the north at the northeast corner of the park property. Curved wing walls and planting...

The Reptile Farm had originally opened in 1933 in close proximity to the Witte Museum. It would move twice before coming to this final location in 1937 when permanent stone structures replaced the temporary structures made of planks, barbed wire and old sheet metal. The NYA assisted museum employees in constructing the large tank and surrounding snake houses. It is on the edge of the Witte Museum property which is in the boundaries of Brackenridge Park. The Reptile Farm was a huge success from the time it opened. Attendees paid a dime to walk through the amphitheater-like enclosure to view snakes,...

Bradbury Mountain State Park is a public recreation area in the town of Pownal, Cumberland County, Maine, managed by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The state park covers 730 acres. The park was created in the 1940s as one of Maine's original five state parks after the land was acquired from the Federal government in 1939. This Park land was acquired by the Government under the Soil Conservation Land Utilization Program. Purchased from the owners in 1936 to 1938, it was developed by WPA labor in 1939. It is leased to the Maine State Park Commission and administrated by...

Braithwaite Park is "a 32-acre WPA-built recreation area containing picnic grounds, a bathing beach, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, and a dance pavilion." The park, with different amenities, is still in use today.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Branch Avenue SE, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Randall Circle. This WPA project was described as follows: “This project requires heavy grading and eventual temporary roadway treatment. At the present time, grading has been completed to the extent of 40 percent. When completed, it will join with the permanently improved portion of Branch Avenue, south of Pennsylvania Avenue and this will form a direct route into southern Maryland. In connection with this project, the construction of a culvert under this roadway was approved. During a severe rainstorm, which occurred this summer, the old...

The WPA completed this law school building in 1938-39 when it was known simply as the University of Louisville Law School. The project submitter reports that the building's WPA heritage is locally known, and is also referenced in a letter dated May 13, 1938 from Adele Brandeis, Director of the FAP for Kentucky to Thomas Parker.

"It is possible to view 'Navajo Blankets Portfolio' by Louie Ewing and a small watercolor by Ramos Sanchez, San Ildefonso Pueblo. On request one can also study the 'Portfolio of Spanish Colonial Design' created by E. Boyd and others." -Treasures on New Mexico Trails

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve many roads in San Francisco, including the 1.6-mile stretch of Brannan St. between The Embarcadero and 10th St.

“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 truly benefited the taxpayers both at the time and generations later." "More schools were built by WPA in Oklahoma than in any other state. The Final Report lists 825 new school buildings and 185 substantial additions to existing schools. The number of school projects made up nearly one-half of the public buildings constructed with WPA funds. Other buildings constructed by WPA totaled 1,309.” “The Antlers...

"Brea Creek is one of four principal tributaries of Coyote Creek, which is a lower tributary of the San Gabriel River. It drains parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. The creek flows 11.7 miles (18.8 km) from the cities of Brea and Anaheim to Whittier, where its mouth is on the left bank of Coyote Creek, at a point 481 feet (147 m) lower in elevation."   (wikipedia) The Work Projects Administration was involved in concrete channelization along the lower portion of the creek. It is unknown if the dam...

The WPA made improvements to the school and bleachers.

"Brecksville Nature Center was created in 1939 by Works Progress Administration craftsmen. Excellent examples of chestnut carpentry with curved walnut leaves, wrought iron work and native stones grace the building inside and out."

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers worked at Breeds Pond in Lynn, Mass. WPA Bulletin: Bacterial dangers are eliminated by the WPA construction of several thousand yards of large-stone, rip-rap work, along the vertical banks of Breed's Pond, one of Lynn's main water storage units. This wall prevents road embankment dirt and clay-bearing silt from being washed into the pond.

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted the following work in Lynn, Massachusetts. WPA Bulletin: In Lynn, construction of the first unit of a system of sewers to serve the district around the easterly shore of Breed's Pond, has recently been approved by WPA.  

Breese Gymnasium was completed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939 on the campus of Western Carolina Teacher’s College, now Western Carolina University. It was named for William E. Breese, a trustee of the college who was influential in its construction. It was the first indoor basketball facility in the region, and also housed a swimming pool. In addition to sporting events, many dances were held there and in the 1950s it was listed as a nuclear fallout shelter. Today, it is used by physical education, musical theater and dance students. The formidable stone structure is just one of...

"Breezy Point began in the early 20th century as a shantytown called Irish Riviera. Then, the sandy sliver of land that lies on the far western edge of Rockaway Island was considerably thinner than it is today. In 1935, as part of the New Deal, the federal government built a jetty to keep sand from accumulating at the mouth of New York Harbor. Behind this boulder jetty, the sandbar grew considerably and allowed year-round residencies."   (https://www.eenews.net) "The land began accreting in Breezy Point after the Federal Government built a jetty on the peninsula's westernmost tip in 1935 to prevent sand from clogging...

The City acquired Breininger Park (previously known as Braddock Park) in 1938. The Department of Parks officially announced the opening of the park in August 1939: "In Queens, the new playground is located at Braddock Avenue and 240 Street, in the Queens Village section, where a three and one half acre plot, on which there is a fine stand of mature shade trees, was acquired as an adjacent playground site in connection with the Belt Parkway, from which it is three blocks distant. A feature of this playground is a large oval lawn surrounded by a roller skating rink. A comfort...

"Constructed with locally available building materials in the traditions of the Rustic Style, the Brenham High School Gymnasium combines a native fieldstone veneer with metal factory-sash and massing reminiscent of the International Style. Ranging from 1 to 3 stories, the structure is composed of geometric building blocks which express the different functions housed within... The gymnasium was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939-40. It is similar to the WPA constructed gymnasium on the Blinn College campus. The property is an excellent example of Rustic architecture that characterized labor-intensive craftsmanship, government building in the 1930s. Its use of local stone...

"At the southern-most tip of Aquidneck Island lies a WPA sea wall that helps protect the historic seaside city of Newport, Rhode Island. Just feet inland from the 10-foot-high concrete sea wall that runs over a mile sit some of the largest and most historic mansions in the country. The Mansion District extends up through town and includes the homes of some of the wealthiest industrialists in the US at the turn of the 19th century, including coal baron Edward Julius Berwind whose house and "servants quarters" you can now tour. Newport's Mansion District and wealthy community relied, in part, on the 2,229...

The Works Progress Administration created irrigation canals in Brentwood, CA. "This work included grading and cement lining of the Irrigation Ditches and the manufacturing and installation of Cement Concrete Pipe."

This school was supposedly constructed by WPA funds that were then matched by the community. The school has been heavily altered but the original outdoor amphitheater remains behind the gym.

The stone wall at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina, was erected by the Works Progress Administration in 1936-37. Portions run along French Broad Avenue and North Broad Street. At the intersection of the streets, the walls are connected with a graceful stone arch entryway to the Brevard College campus. The wall originally enclosed the athletic field (another WPA project), which has since been moved. Tradition dictates that the smooth stones were collected from the nearby Davidson River. Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina, opened in 1934, the merging of two Methodist colleges in the area. Weaver College in Weaverville and...

"This log cabin in Solomon City Park retains a high degree of integrity and was listed on the National Register in 2000... The Brewer Scout Cabin was constructed for the Boy and Girl Scouts in Solomon by the CWA using local labor. Materials (timber, stone) were obtained locally. The WPA awarded $7,380 for park improvements, including the scout cabin, in 1935."

The Works Progress Administration built the Brewton Alabama Country Club and facilities for an adjacent airport on Highway 31 in Brewton. Next to the country club, the WPA built a nine-hole golf course, a landing field, 5000 linear feet of runway, and an adjacent airport hangar.

The Works Progress Administration built a new city hall building for the City of Brewton. The two-story structure with a raised basement was designed to house the City offices, the jail, the fire and police departments, and other uses. The project cost was approximately $31,000. A 1982 the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form describes the architectural features of the building: "Brewton City Hall (212 St. Joseph Street): 1939; two story with raised basement and wings; brick; five bay facade with central entrance; excellent example of a W P A public building in the Georgian Revival style."

The Works Progress Administration landscaped and beautified the Brewton City Park through the WPA Community Beautification Project sponsored by the City of Brewton.

The Works Progress Administration built the Brewton Courthouse Annex in Brewton, Escambia County. The new annex provided additional space for ten county offices—the Department of Public Welfare, the county Education Department, the Home Demonstration and County Agricultural Agent, the County Health and Sanitation Departments, among others. The15-room brick structure has a basement with a storage vault. The approximate cost of the project was $16,000.

A local source states that brick road paving in Dalhart, Texas was undertaken as a WPA project. Additional information about this project is requested.

A city sponsored Works Progress Administration (WPA) project (14752) dismantled a hazardous steel truss bridge crossing a drainage ditch in Clarendon. The WPA then excavated and widened the channel and built a new reinforced concrete slab over masonry substructure bridge. The construction of the bridge employed a number of skilled masons and cost a total of $12,050 to erect. The four span slab rests on stone piers, abutments and wing walls composed of rubble laid in irregular courses bonded with thick mortar joints. The bridge is in use and in good condition.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bridge on "Kehoe Road" in rural Greenup County, Kentucky, at the intersection of Highway 2/7 and Highway 784.

The concrete bridge constructed by the Works Progress Administration over the Hobolichitto Creek (also spelled Hobolochitto) was 100 feet wide and part of the county's farm to market road program. It was constructed 5 miles from McNeill for a cost of $6,304. It has since been replaced.

A bridge carrying a dirt county road over a creek south and east of Phillipsburg, Kansas was constructed by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 1940, as identified by a plaque on the bridge. The bridge is "not named, on Sante Fe or Thunder , south and east of Phillipsburg." Based on the information and images available, Living New Deal thinks this may be a structure carrying Sante Fe Road over a creek bed just west of E 300 Road. However, more information is needed to confirm this.