Works Progress Administration (WPA) Sites

Coffeeville High School was built in 1939 and was in service until 2011. The Town of Coffeeville has recently purchased the property and converted it into the Town Hall and Community Center.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Colby City Hall in Colby KS in 1935-1936. The limestone building has always served as the City Hall for Colby, KS. The library was housed in the same structure for a time as well, and the Fire Department had an annex attached to this building. The building continues to serve as an office building for city offices.

Founded in 1813, Colby College is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. It moved to its current location in the 1930s with significant help from the New Deal: Former Colby student Leonard C. Cabana (class of 1933) wrote recently that "by the time the Great Depression was sweeping the country, 'the new Roosevelt administration began implementing a hail of New Deal agencies to create jobs for the unemployed. It was my privilege to work under one of these, the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It poured in a million dollars (worth probably over $20 millions today) into...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved Cold Brook Road outside Saranac, New York. Work began October 19, 1936 and was slated to put 30 men to work for six months.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed greatly to the development of the park system in Woonsocket, R.I. Cold Spring Park benefited from landscaping improvements and the development of athletic fields.

This brick fire hall was constructed as Colden's Fire Station #1 by the WPA: "In the 1930’s plans were drawn for a new Station #1 to be located across the street from the hall of the time next to Cazenovia Creek. Near the end of the Great Depression Colden managed to have this hall built through the Works Progress Administration. This hall included one truck bay, a downstairs meeting room and an upstairs gymnasium that was used for basketball games, dances, and other social events. In the 1940’s two additional truck bays were built on the side of the original hall."  ...

$76,116 WPA Project Slated for Coleman. Improvements to the extend of $76,116 will be made on Coleman city schools and campuses during the next 12 months, according to an announcement made today. Of that amount the WPA is expected to expend $58,097. It will require 112 men a total of a year to complete the work outlined In a project. The area WPA office has given its approval to the project and other approval is expected within a short time. Improvements to the campus athletic fields, and buildings; rubble masonry walls, concrete curbs and gutters and sidewalks, paved play areas and courts, and...

Works Progress Administration (WPA) appears to have built a high school in Coleville, Mono County, California, in conjunction with the Antelope Union School District.  A WPA project card indicates that the project was approved at a cost of $3,780. The card says:   "Located on the grounds of Antelope Union School, owned by the Antelope Union School Dist. Construction of a 3-room frame school building with concrete foundations and basement. 122' long by 46' wide including heating, plumbing, etc. Sponsor: Antelope Union School District." The present Coleville High School (pictured) is a larger, more modern building than that described on the WPA card,...

In 1937 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) "completely paved and modernized" Denver's Colfax Avenue, "and built a new western route which took it over the hill and across ranch land to the entrance of Mt. Vernon Canyon, its present route. Around this time Colfax was designated U.S. Highway 40."

"The Colfax Grammar School (shown below) was built in 1940 as a Administration (WPA) building. Later it became the Colfax Elementary School. In 1986, it was acquired by the Sierra Vista Community Center, which offers classes, programs, and community events." The school has been substantially altered since its original construction and bears no direct indication of WPA involvement. However, sidewalks and retaining walls on the grounds bear at least five separate instances of WPA imprint stamps.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed to the development of what is now College Point Boulevard, prior to the advent of the 1939 World's Fair. Then called Lawrence Street, WPA efforts involved "the widening and paving of important approach to Whitestone Bridge." The New York Times: "The Lawrence Street improvement, which will employ fifty men for the next two months, will create a street eighty feet wide from building line to building line between Northern Boulevard and Thirty-second Avenue, where Lawrence Street joins Willetts Point Boulevard at the north end of the West Bridge," since redeveloped as the Whitestone Expressway,...

The Classical Revival (Art Moderne and Neoclassical Revival influences) two-story school was constructed over a period of 4 years. The project began with $250,000 from CWA in 1933-34, shifted to TERA in 1935, and was completed by WPA workers in 1935-36 (Van West, 2001). When the new high school was constructed, the building was converted to use as Collierville Middle School. The proposal is to utilize the building for future use as administrative offices for the school district. The building is designated with National Register of Historic Places status.

"In 1941 after the Collinsville Academy burned down, a two-winged, twenty room school was built by a government program (WPA) designed to provide jobs to people and help end the Depression. This building with an extension is still in use as our elementary school." (Collinsville ISD website)

The Seattle Park Department acquired the land for Colman Playground in 1910, shortly after the opening of nearby Colman School. A regrading project in the early 1910s made the site suitable for picnics and baseball, but otherwise the Park Department made few improvements to the site prior to the 1930s. When WPA funding became available, several neighborhood organizations joined together and convinced the Park Board to upgrade the playground. Major work on improving Colman Playground started in 1937, when WPA workers began constructing the two-story, reinforced concrete shelter house that stands near southwest corner of the playground. As construction of the...

During the late 1930s, with funds from the WPA, the Seattle Park Department upgraded Colman Playground. The largest component of the improvement project was the construction of a new shelter house near the southwest corner of the playground. WPA workers began constructing the shelter house in 1937. Designed by Seattle architect Arthur Wheatley, the two-story, reinforced concrete structure housed a playroom, caretaker's room, and storage room on its lower level, and a social room, office area, and restrooms on its upper level. A plaque on the north side of the building reads: "Built by Works Progress Administration, 1936-1937." Despite the...

Colonial National Historical Park (CNHP) was created by Congress and President Herbert Hoover in 1930 and consists primarily of the Yorktown Battlefield, the historic Jamestown Settlement, and Colonial Parkway. Several federal agencies participated in its development. The National Park Service (NPS) provided general supervision of the entire historic site project after it was given responsibility for all historic battlefields by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Public Works Administration (PWA) contributed at least $600,000 (and probably much more) in funding. Relief agencies provided labor power: the Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked over the winter of 1933-1934 (probably for mosquito control and general...

Colonial National Historical Park (CNHP) was created by Congress and President Herbert Hoover in 1930 and consists primarily of the Yorktown Battlefield, the historic Jamestown Settlement, and Colonial Parkway. Several federal agencies participated in its development. The National Park Service (NPS) provided general supervision of the entire historic site project after it was given responsibility for all historic battlefields by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Public Works Administration (PWA) contributed at least $600,000 (and probably much more) in funding. Relief agencies provided labor power: the Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked over the winter of 1933-1934 (probably for mosquito control and general...

"Located on the south side of South Table Mountain, the amphitheater was constructed by the WPA during 1933-35. With an estimated 2,500 seats, it is the second largest of only four known historic open-air amphitheaters in Colorado. The fieldstone and concrete seating area was built on the natural slope below the mesa’s edge. It forms an inverted Ushape that is flanked by concrete mortared stone walls, which are buttressed for support. An associated footbridge, crossing a drainage, provides access from a parking lot."   (www.historycolorado.org) The amphitheater was built to serve Camp George West of the National Guard. One of its primary...

The current Colorado County Courthouse was built between 1889 and 1891. In 1939, the Works Progress Administration was involved in excavating a basement for the courthouse for more office space. The WPA also coated the building with a cement mixture to seal the bricks against moisture. The workers applied cream colored paint to the exterior, green to the window frames and white to the dome cornices. The dome was given a coat of aluminum paint in order to make it appear silver, and the clock was repaired.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive from one end of the Colorado National Monument to the other.  It is a remarkable road that winds along the top of the cliffs, with spectacular views of the Colorado Plateau countryside below. Construction of the road was a risky undertaking, with three tunnels through the cliffs, the longest of which is 530 feet.  Apparently, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) also participated in the construction of the road and the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided funding to the National Park Service for the road, but that needs further confirmation. Rim Rock road...

"The fairgrounds have long been a gathering place for the state’s agricultural community and have also served as a vehicle to educate, promote and entertain the public about Colorado agriculture. Since 1901, farmers and stock men and women have come to the annual exposition at this location to display and compare their products, to see and learn about the latest advances in agricultural technology and techniques, and to purchase quality livestock. The 4-H club, a youth organization orientated toward agriculture education, has maintained a steady presence at the fairgrounds since 1918. The complex benefited from a number of Depression-era New...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an exhibit for the Colorado State Museum in Denver. WPA workers built a model of the Union Pacific Stage in the Transportation series.

"Station 211, located at 303 East "E" St, was constructed in 1936 by the City of Colton and the Works Progress Administration. It is considered a historical landmark by the Historical Preservation Commission, and is Landmark No. 10. Station 211 also serves as administrative headquarters. The Fire Chief and five administrative support staff, along with six suppression personnel, work at 211. One Battallion Chief, Captain, Engineer, Firefighter, and two Paramedics respond from this station on Truck 211, and Squad 211." - City of Colton Fired Department Website

In 1939, a dead-end wall was constructed at the south end of Columbia Avenue in Salina, Kansas by youths who were employed by the National Youth Administration (NYA). The NYA was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that focused on training, employing, and educating young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Chris Cotten, Parks and Recreation Director of the City of Salina, Kansas tells us that "n April 1939 the Salina Journal reported that 35 NYA youths, working part time and using rubble masonry, were hired to construct 'ten dead-end walls' on streets that terminated at the Smoky Hill...

Columbia elementary received additions via the Works Progress Administration shortly after its construction 1937. This Italianate-style building appears in very good condition. The facility was built in the current location in 1936 replacing the one-room school that served during the towns existence as a major gold mining area in the mid to late 19th century, most likely in line with the New Deal sponsored archaeological research that resulted in the town being changed into a state park in 1946. In 2007, major additions were added to the campus and the 1937 building has become just an additional classroom or administration...

The Columbia Hospital for Women was established at this site in 1870. According to Works Progress Administration (WPA) records in the National Archives, the WPA did extensive improvements at the site in 1938, "working on the grounds, erecting fences, pointing up the masonry wall, lining coping on wall, and other  incidental and appurtenant work." Although the archival records only indicate that the work was approved, this project was most likely completed as described, when the WPA was very active around the District of Columbia. The extensive brick facility is now a condominium residence called "The Columbia Residences." 

U.S. Route 50, commonly known in Cincinnati as Columbia Parkway, was a project built in association with the Works Progress Administration. The highway runs through Southern Ohio from east to west. It passes through Cincinnati, Chillicothe, and Athens. The highway grade separation in Cincinnati was funded by the Public Works Administration in 1938.

The Works Progress Administration repaired the fence and entrance gate to the Columbia Cemetery. The gate is known as the Summer House.

The WPA worked on Columbus Ave. between Montgomery St. and Bay St.

The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve New Rochelle's, New York's former Columbus Branch Library (a.k.a. Feeney Park Library; opened 1931) during the 1930s. The exact location and present status of the building that housed the library, which was used as such until 1980, is presently unknown to Living New Deal. One WPA project, which involved numerous municipal buildings in New Rochelle including this one, was described by the WPA in its project rolls: "Work includes performing carpentry, masonry, and sheet metal work; excavating and constructing walls; painting, placing tile, and roofing." WPA Official Project No. 665-21-2-635.

Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) laborers landscaped and conducted other work at Columbus Circle in Syracuse, New York. Work concluded in 1936.

The New Mexico Humanities Council and the New Mexico Chapter of the National New Deal Preservation Association list Columbus City Hall on their map of New Deal structures built in New Mexico.

Columbus Park, located in Manhattan's Chinatown, was one of the city's earliest major parks. By the early 1930s, it was quite rundown. New Deal programs greatly remodeled and upgraded the park and its facilities. In October 1934, the Department of Parks announced the opening, presided over by Mayor LaGuardia, of the newly remodeled Columbus Park, saying: "This old park with its fine big trees formerly included a small play area, which was in reality only a broken surfaced area containing poorly arranged rusted swings and slides. It has been replanned to double the size of the play area and provide...

In 1938 the WPA allocated funds for the construction of a new school building in Columbus, Montana. The location and current status of the structure in question is unknown to Living New Deal.

"Deming has an impressive list of WPA projects: Deming Public Library, Country Club, Junior High, Morgan Hall, Columbus School, Sunshine School, Hospital addition, Park, street paving, sewer work, curbs and trees plus a National Guard building." -Phyllis Eileen Banks

"The City acquired this land on July 19, 1910, and since the 1920s Italian-Americans of Queens have gathered here to celebrate Columbus. The Board of Aldermen, on April 1, 1930, named the site for the famed explorer. The Italian Chamber of Commerce installed a bronze tablet here on October 12, 1937, indicating its intention to build a full monument to Columbus. In 1938, with funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Italian sculptor Angelo Racioppi was commissioned to create the seven foot tall bronze of a youthful Christopher Columbus standing in front of a ship’s tiller. At the unveiling event on...

Columbus Youth Camp provides outdoor activities for adult and youth groups. Credited work by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) included a 350 ft-long dam forming a 17 acre lake, 6 cabins for overnight stays, stone shelter house at the lake, and remodeling an 1837 farmhouse into the camp administration building. The 2023 article gives a total WPA expenditure of $50,000. The 1935 article gives a figure of $15,000 for construction of the dam. Anecdotal local history credits the donor of the original property, Q. G. Noblitt, chairman of Noblitt-Sparks Inc. (Later Arvin Industries Inc., since merged with Meritor Inc.) with...

"The art deco or "modern-style" Comanche County Courthouse stands in the center of Comanche, Texas. It was built in 1939 with limestone from a local quarry, thanks in part to WPA funds. The architect was Wyatt C. Hedrick. With its nice stonework, this is said to be one of the best WPA courthouses in Texas."   (https://www.virtualtourist.com)

The Works Progress Administration built a 6800 seat rock masonry amphitheatre in City Park (now Comanche Trail Park) in Big Spring, Texas between 1939 and 1940 under official project number 665-66-2-578.

An inventory of WPA project photographs compiled by Becky Jordan at Iowa State University includes reference to numerous public works projects undertaken by the agency in Iowa between 1935 and 1940. The collection of 1,271 photographs documents the variety and extent of New Deal related efforts undertaken in the Hawkeye State. The Comiskey Field Clubhouse in Dubuque (Project 430) is included among the many WPA projects described in the collection. Living New Deal believes this structure to have been demolished.