Works Progress Administration (WPA) Sites

Works Progress Administration (WPA) records in the National Archives report that in 1937 WPA workers were used to "Remodel, renovate, and paint buildings located at 460-476 C Street NW, together with other small supplementary buildings." The work included, "installation of plumbing and electrical facilities… demolishing and removing partitions, structures, equipment, etc., salvaging usable materials...". The purpose of the work was to render the buildings usable as offices and storage space by various departments of the District government. Exact location of the buildings in question was not given, but they have almost surely been demolished for subsequent federal office buildings, court houses and...

 The Cabildo has a long and notorious history. It was constructed in 1795-99 as the seat of the Spanish municipal government in New Orleans. The name of the governing body who met there was the "Illustrious Cabildo" or city council. It was site of the Louisiana Purchase Transfer in 1803.  The building later served as the home of the Louisiana Supreme Court and was where  the nationally significant Slaughterhouse and Plessey vs. Ferguson cases were heard before they went up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Cabildo became the home of the Louisiana State Museum in 1911 and remains the flagship of that institution.

In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European explorer to see the coast of California. This statue of the explorer "Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo" was made in cast concrete by Henry Lion in 1936. It was a Federal Art Project. It stands on the shore near the San Pedro Breakwater.

The WPA improved the recreation area at the Cabrillo School.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a field house (recreation hall) and athletic courts at the Cabrillo Playground in San Francisco, CA.   The exact date of this work is unknown to us. "Constructed field house for district recreation headquarters; basketball and 2 tennis courts, 1 volleyball etc. This improvement provided facilities for intensive supervised play." (Healy, p. 63). The "Hansel & Gretel" style field house, with restrooms, is still there, as are basketball and tennis courts which have been greatly modernized in recent years.

Text from the state historical marker reads: "To create jobs and bring county services nearer to residents of this area, Newton County officials provided materials and the U.S. Work Projects Administration (WPA) the funds to pay laborers to construct this building in 1940-41. Named for Harriet Trotti Cade who donated land for the project, it served as a sub-courthouse and Town Hall. The Cade building and rock wall were built with hand-shaped native sandstone and lumber milled in nearby Wiergate. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993"

"The bowling greens at Cadwalader Park are kept in playing condition by the personnel." The WPA conducted major work at the park as well.

"The City of Roswell acquired the Haynes property in the 1930s and turned it into a municipal park. It was named Cahoon Park in 1936 after pioneer banker E.A. Cahoon. Now, the North Spring River is an intermittent waterway about 5 miles in length coursing through Roswells western suburbs with its banks largely lined with masonry wall or riprap. Numerous improvements to the park were undertaken as Works Progress Administration projects in the 1930s. One notable improvement along the river was construction of the masonry channel lining or riprap. Riprap lining was first added to the rivers channel through Cahoon...

"Besides constructing the amphitheater, workers from the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) also helped drain the ravine which Cain Park is situated in, covering up and culverting the creek that ran through its center. Attractive landscaping, tennis courts, ball fields, and walking paths completed the transformation of the former "wild" land into a public park."

Workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the amphitheater at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, Ohio during the 1930s. "CAIN PARK THEATER was the first municipally owned and operated outdoor theater in the U.S. ... A permanent 3,000-seat open-air auditorium and 80' stagehouse were built by Italian stonemasons working under the WPA and dedicated on 10 Aug. 1938."

In 1937, the California Department of Natural Resources sponsored the Works Progress Administration to "Construct warehouse, garage, barracks, and residence; install refrigeration plant, water mains, and sewer facilities; landscape and improve grounds; and perform other appurtenant and incidental work, at and in the City of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County. All work under this project is in connection with the construction and development of buildings and facilities to be used solely in the prosecution of the normal functions of the State Forestry Division, Department of Natural Resources. In addition to projects specifically approved. State owned property." WPA...

A sign on the community building in Caldwell, Kansas identifies it as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project.

Calf Pasture Beach is a Norwalk city park. Multiple New Deal agencies worked to improve the park during the 1930s. "Some additional buildings and sidewalks were constructed at Calf Pasture in 1935 with funding provided by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Many of the buildings and sidewalks at Calf Pasture were washed away during the hurricane of September 1938. They were then replaced by Works Progress Administration workers."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an administration and residence building for the fire-fighting arm of the California Division of Forestry in Humboldt County in 1941.  This is now a unit of Cal-Fire, the statewide forest and wildfire agency. The four or five building complex appears to have been constructed all at the same time and in the same style.  It is not clear if the WPA work went beyond a single building or the Division of Forestry added the rest of the structures.

The Works Progress Administration built this courthouse in Grantsville between 1941 and 1942. The building is stone construction with an entrance marked by a portico and a taller central portion. The massing of the rear facade is minimized by a gable roof and the facade is built of similar stone work. Of an interesting side note, Grantsville is named for General and President US Grant who is a distant cousin of FDR with the common ancestor of Philip Delano of 17th century Massachusetts.

By building abutments and retaining walls, access was made possible to properties hereto inaccessible due to precipitous slopes of the hill. this work was of a precarious nature and required skill and courage. The photographs show the little homes on the edge of the slope. Ordinarily this work would be done by a contractor specializing in underpinning and foundation work.--Healy, p. 49.

Repaired roof and made ground repairs.--Healy, p. 70. WPA workmen also worked on the African wildlife exhibit.

Under project number 5517, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) graded and improved a national guard airfield on the site of Griffith Park where the zoo and Autry Museum are currently. $28,491 was spent by the federal government with $7,489 by the local sponsor. Total was $35,980. It employed 40 men on average for 8 months. Built in the mid 20's as the Griffith Park Aerodrome, the National Guard Air Service's 40th Air Corps Division (115th Observation Squadron) established a base & laid 2 runways: 3,600' northwest/southeast & 2,975' oil & gravel north/south strips. Training missions were flown from Griffith Park until...

A historic marker attributes the construction of the California National Guard Armory in San Jose to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). However, given as the WPA was not established until 1935, it is possible that this project was constructed by the Civil Works Administration (CWA). Plaque: "Built in 1933, the California National Guard Armory was funded by the U.S. Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Depression. This structure reflects a Spanish architectural style and is one of the few known WPA structures remaining in downtown San Jose. Originally constructed to consolidate National Guard Units from the South Bay Area, the Armory is...

These two wood carvings by Sargent Johnson were moved from the school's former site in Berkeley. "Jungle Scenes," hanging over the reception desk, consists of two 8' x 4' lunettes made of mahogany with gold leaf. "Louis Braille" is 4' x 2.5' and hangs in the library.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve many roads in San Francisco, including the stretch of California St. from Fillmore to Presidio Ave. "Consisted of narrowing the sidewalks ten feet from Fillmore to Presidio Avenue with all work incidental thereto, such as reconstructing catch basins, moving fire hydrants, street signs, recurbing and repairing. This improvement created a wide artery providing for additional traffic to the Richmond District from downtown."--Healy, p. 43.

The California State Fair was established at this location in 1909. The WPA worked on the site during the 30s, most likely on the 75 acre expansion of the grounds in 1937. The fair, however, has since moved to a new location, and there does not appear to be much left of the original site.

During the Great Depression factory jobs were sparse, and unemployment was high because not many could afford consumer goods. Therefore, F.D.R. created programs, including the Works Progress Administration (WPA), to put people back to work through the development of public works projects. Physical labor was employed for the construction and landscaping of public roads and parks facilities, among others. One such location of WPA labor efforts in Cincinnati was the California Woods Nature Preserve. This 113-acre site required a large amount of manpower in order to get it to the beautiful and rich preserve it is today. This allowed hundreds to...

California Woods Nature Preserve was built in 1938 by Hubert M. Garriott and John W. Becker . The WPA hired local workers to built this modern 2 story pool house. Surrounded by woods and beautiful scenery, people got to enjoy coming here and soaking up some sun and playing in the community pool. This project allowed many people to provide for their families and be contributing members of society. Years after being built it was then used as a day camp. Some years later it was marked as a nature preserve.

The Callahan County Hospital was built by the WPA in 1938-1939 in an Art Deco/Art Moderne style to serve the rural population of Callahan County, Texas. The hospital operated at least through the 1960s, as late as 1966. The building is currently used by the Texas Department of Human Services.

The New York Times reported in 1941 that, as part of WPA efforts, Brooklyn would receive six new playgrounds, located at: "Third Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street, Second Avenue and Fifty-fifth Street, Fort Hamilton Parkway and Fifty-second Street, Albany and Foster Avenues, Park and Nostrand Avenues and Eastern Parkway Extension and Fulton Street." In November 1942, the Department of Parks announced that the WPA had completed the first part of the construction of a new playground at the last site mentioned above. The press release explained that Parks had received the land in 1940, with some restrictions for the nearby subways, and...

From the school website: "In the 1930s the famous WPA Murals, under the direction of Grant Wood, were painted for the walls of Callanan. The school was fortunate to be chosen to have two such artistic treasures to beautify the upper portion of each stairway. The south mural Nation at Work' was painted by George Grooms in 1936. The north mural 'Nation at Play' was by Glen Chamberlain and dated to 1937. Each mural made a statement about preparing young people for participation the the adult world. They were viewed as a patriotic reflection of President Roosevelt’s aim to get all...

The WPA built this addition to Calumet High School in 1938. The site is now Calumet Junior High School. From Waymarking.com: The Calumet High School building was constructed in 1920. It is a one-story red brick building with high stepped parapets. There is stone coping and stone blocks for embellishment. The addition to the school extends to the north and consists of one-story flat roofed classrooms. The first section is brick, with ribbon windows set in two units of four, and one unit of five. The section to the north of this is also one-story flat roof, but has a single unit...

This airport was originally the Oxnard Airport, then became the Oxnard Air Force Base, and has now become the Camarillo Airport. The WPA built a large hangar here (now known as Hangar #2) in 1939.

Camas National Wildlife Refuge lies in southeast Idaho along the Camas River and just west of the Grand Tetons of Wyoming.  Its 10,000 acres are half lakes, ponds, and marshlands and half grass sagebrush uplands, meadows, and farms.  It is a major viewing site for swans, geese and curlews, among other birds and wildlife. Camas NWF was created under the New Deal in 1937.  Lacking further details, we can only say it is likely to have been enacted by a presidential Executive Order and carried out by the Bureau of Biological Survey, as were most wildlife refuges of the New Deal....

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted substantial improvement work at Cambridge Reservoir (Hobbs Brook Reservoir) in Lincoln and Waltham, MA. Work included nine miles (for an area of about 500,000 square feet) of shore rip-rapping and the clearing 316 acres of trees and underbrush.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to renovate the old Municipal Building in Pennsauken, New Jersey in 1936. The project was completed with no direct expense to local taxpayers. The exact location of the old building is unknown to Living New Deal; it was demolished in 1986.

An Oklahoma Historical Society document records that: "Unlike many other Oklahoma towns, Henryetta appears to have weathered the Depression reasonably well, in part because of the lingering importance of coal. As a result, Henryetta possesses fewer buildings constructed as Depression-era relief projects. One facility which did result from a 1938 WPA project is Cameron Field, located at South C Street at Jack Gibson Drive." The field is still extant and actively used.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a rail footbridge carrying lower Cameron Parkway across Spring Creek in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to Camp Ben McCulloch in 1935. The WPA cleared the grounds and created a network of dirt-packed roads leading from the highway to the campgrounds. They modified the open sided gathering hall built in 1904 with a stone facade with a faux cornice to resemble entering a building. The current bathroom was built as a shelter by the WPA and converted to bathrooms in the 1970s. Camp Ben McCulloch was organized in the summer of 1896 as a reunion camp for Confederate veterans and named for Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch, who was killed at...

Buxton Lodge is the main building of Camp Buxton, a small campground owned by the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It is a long, low building, with Arts & Crafts-style detailing and was constructed by the WPA in 1935-1938.

The Works Progress Administration built cabins for a camp in Centennial, Albany County. The exact location and condition of this facility are unknown to the Living New Deal.

Camp Colorado was a United States Army outpost in Coleman County, Texas. From 1857 to 1861 Camp Colorado was the center of Coleman County's settlements. The camp's buildings were made of adobe with shingled roofs and pine floors. U.S. troops abandoned the fort during the Civil War and did not re-garrison it after the war was over. The land was sold and the new owner dismantled the buildings. Citizens of the City of Coleman and Coleman County desired to participate in the Texas Centennial in 1936. The idea was proposed to erect a replica of the administration building of old Camp...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built ammunition magazine and made ground improvements to the Camp Conley in Point Pleasant WV. "In 1940, the Works Progress Administration built a new ammunition magazine, modernized the buildings and grounds, and constructed tent floors. " (McDaniel, "Camp Conley") It is possible that this is the site of the 1957 armory at Ohio River Road and University Lane. True extant is unknown.  

The Works Progress Administration completed drainage system improvements at Camp Conley in Point Pleasant WV. Construction began on the camp in 1927. Named for Wiliam Gustavson Conley (1929–33) in 1929. The state police used the camp to train in 1928 and 1935. In 1935, the guard applied to the WPA for drainage improvements. The camp was used twice by Governor Homer Holt as a refugee camp there for 1933 and 1937 flood victims. The Camp Conley appears in the property maps in a subdivision of housing dating to the 1940s to 1950s. The site appears no longer extant.