Works Progress Administration (WPA) Sites

Construction of a school building and ground improvements.

"In 1928, Clarence Hatzfeld, a member of the park board and architect of many northwest side recreational, commercial, and residential buildings, designed a Tudor Revival-style fieldhouse for the park. A stone grotto and fountain originally graced the front of the fieldhouse. Inside, a Federal Works Progress Administration artist created a mural entitled "The Participation of Youth in the Realm of the Arts.""

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built. the Eureka Fishing Lake in 1938.

These sidewalks still bear WPA stamps from 1940.

An enormous mural called The Evolution of Western Civilization is located in the library of the former Evander Childs High School. The Federal Arts Project (FAP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned the mural cycle in 1935 and it was completed in 1938. It is true fresco, rather than a painting, and covers 1,400 square feet.   (https://newdeal.feri.org) A film made by the WPA depicts the creation of the mural by artist James Michael Newell, aided by students at the high school. It can be viewed on the Living New Deal video page. The murals have generated significant controversy over the years, as discussed in...

In 1937 Romuald Kraus completed this sculpture entitled "Alma Mater" for Evander Childs High School with funding from the WPA's Federal Art Project (Archives of American Art).

At Evans Park the WPA and the City of Reno built a circular cement wading pool fifty feet in diameter. A sprinkling system was installed and gravel walks laid out. Today the park which sits just to the south of the University of Nevada, Reno is a grassy lawn with horseshoe pits. Students are found there enjoying the space.

Large building along HWY-183 in Coryell County town of Evant. It is located next to a modern school building. Building is mainly rubble rock construction with brick accents. Has Evant engraved above the entrance. Has an outside metal staircase to a second floor.

"The project began in October of 1938 and ran 6.5 miles of sewer pipes through Everett. At a cost of $110,839 the project improved the sewer system throughout Everett at no cost to residents." (https://depts.washington.edu)

"Everett's domestic water storage reservoir improvement project on the Sultan River watershed was assured today with the announcement from WPA State Administrator Don G. Abel of approval of the City's application for federal aid. In creating this new project, with operations expected to get under way November 1, the WPA granted an allotment of $92,448 to meet the $25,745.05 pledged by the city of Everett for preparing the ground surface so as to increase the water storage and to build a driveway around the reservoir. Present operations on the water system is expected to be finished by March 31, 1938,...

Portland's "Evergreen Cemetery" was improved by the WPA: "In 1936, the Public Works and Park Departments received $86,875 in WPA funds for engineering, supervision, a portion of the wages of skilled labor, equipment hire, and some materials. The Park Department used workers for grading and improvements at athletic fields, the golf course, and the city cemetery, and for pruning and spraying of trees along city streets."   (Conforti) The 140-acre (57 ha) historical portion of the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Today's NYC Parks website explains: "The City of New York acquired the property for this park in January 1941. At that time, the park was divided by 60th Street, which cut through the property. The City then assigned Evergreen Park to the Board of Education and Parks in the spring of 1942. In order to expand the parkland and unify the two sections, the City closed 60th Street and gave the area to Parks. Part of the park is jointly operated with the adjacent P.S. 68. The playground opened officially on January 11, 1943." A 1943 press release announcing the park's...

""1939 will long be remembered in Everton and with much pride because it marks the completion of our beautiful new school building through the cooperation of the W.P.A., local school board and our entire citizenship...  This new structure was made possible by the united efforts of a public spirited citizenry and the unstinted cooperation of the federal government through its agency, the Works Progress Administration.  With the completion of this plant the Everton district is adequately equipped to take care of the youth within her present and extended borders..." The first schoo1 in Everton was established around the turn of the...

A WPA press release from Nov. 1937 reported: "More than 150 schools have been repaired and the grounds improved and landscaped , and five brand new schools in the state were erected entirely by WPA with a small percentage of sponsored funds," among which was a new school in Ewan, Washington. The precise location and the present status of the school building are unknown to Living New Deal.

The WPA worked on Excelsior Playground in San Francisco.

This school was rebuilt with New Deal help after it was damaged by an earthquake in the early thirties. WPA construction included an auditorium and a classroom building, as well as a boiler house. The buildings showcase a combination modernistic and Spanish style. The high school saw its last graduating class off in 1981. The building is now home to the Norwalk Adult School.

The WPA contributed $1,511 toward improvements for the Exchequer Grammar School. The work included the following tasks: "Improve school building lighting, leveling playground & building wall & frame." WPA Proj. No. 65-3-4630, February 8, 1936. Exchequer no longer exists. It was a mining town for the nearby Exchequer Mine and was serviced by the former Yosemite Valley Railroad. When the New Exchequer Dams height was raised in 1967 to increase the reservoir's capacity to 1,032,000 acre⋅ft, the town was inundated.

"'In the Bronx, the reconstruction of an outfall sewer under Exterior Street near Broadway developed into one of the big engineering jobs at the NYC WPA. This sewer had been laid in the bed of the old Harlem River after the building of the Ship Canal.' It saved neighboring buildings from flooding with sewage."

According to the NYC Parks Department: "In 1935, the City of New York acquired this property and it underwent renovations performed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s (1882-1945) Works Progress Administration (WPA). In addition to removing the deteriorating music halls, carousels, and shooting galleries, the WPA also laid down the present two and a half-mile long boardwalk. In 1939, it was dedicated to the former governor and president." The WPA Guide to New York City reported that this was "a two-million-dollar board-walk, constructed by the WPA in 1938." The boardwalk runs along the eastern border of the neighborhood of Dongan Hills on...

Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as completed in a Abilene Daily Reporter article from June 14, 1936 was "Repairs on a girls' dormitory and finishing of an auditorium and recreation building Ranger, at a total cost of $1659. Twenty men were employed for two months." The location and status of these facilities is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The WPA built an elementary school with agricultural buildings in Fair Grove circa 1935-1937. The site appears to now be used for all grade levels. In 2009, a windstorm with sustained winds of over 100 miles per hour tore off the roof; subsequent repairs in 2013 may have significantly altered the building's original structure.  

The river rock wall around community clubhouse was done by the WPA. Unsure whether the building itself is also a WPA project.

Fair Park was expanded by New Deal agencies WPA, CCC, and PWA in 1936. The Dallas City Commission is considering to privatize Fair Park in 2018.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the National Youth Administration (NYA) completed work for the Fair Park in Tyler TX. This is the location where the East Texas State Fair is held. In 1940 many old buildings were demolished and replaced by WPA workmen, including the headquarters building. Ornamental fence set around the pavilion and ornamental spiral staircases was made by NYA shops in Marshall.

"Built by the Work Projects Administration near the end of the great depression in 1940 at a cost of $57,000, the stadium has is the second oldest in the Texas Panhandle. The first game played at the stadium was on Sept. 27, 1940 against the Chillicothe Eagles where the Bobcats recorded a 19-0 victory."   (Fair Park Stadium turns 75)

"The Fair View School building is a single-story, T-plan structure built in 1938 by Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor and designed in the Craftsman style . The school building, as well as the two adjoining service buildings (coal house and well shed) was constructed of fieldstone veneer and rests on a continuous concrete foundation." (National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form) The building is last known to be privately owned.

Miami and the surrounding Dade County were effectively without city or county parks until the 1930s.  The city got its first park in 1925, after which the city was devastated by a hurricane the following year. The county received its first donation of land for a park in 1929, which became Matheson Hammock Park.  In 1930, the park system got its own director and a beach park, Surfside, was added in 1932. The county began improvements on the parks using mostly convict labor and men sent by the Charity Office once the Depression hit, as well as starting a Roadside...

FERA started and the WPA completed the construction of these two 18-hole golf courses between 1933 and 1940.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted development work at the former Fairfax Municipal Airport / Fairfax Field in Kansas City, Kansas. The project, sponsored by the Commanding Officer of Fairfax Airport, U.S. Army, cost $29,310. Description: "Construct garages, storage systems and facilities." WPA Project No. 865‐82‐2‐9

In 1935-36 the WPA worked on reconstruction and renovation of the historic 1794 Fairfield Town Hall building, including the addition of wings to both sides of building; basement improvements and utility upgrades; a new cupola to replace an older cupola that had been demolished; and the construction of a circular terrace at the rear of the building. The building presently houses an example of New Deal artwork, relocated from the former Fairfield main post office.

The Work Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell at the then-Stanton County fairgrounds at Stanton, Nebraska, and conducted other improvement work at the grounds. The bandshell was dedicated by the governor of Nebraska on July 26, 1936. The location and status of the work is unknown to Living New Deal; however, Living New Deal believes it to be located on county property southeast of Stanton by the Elkhorn River.

The pool was refurbished as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the mid 1930’s. The previous pool was a circular pool that measured 420 feet in diameter and was one of the largest outdoor pools in the world. It could hold between 10 and 25,000 swimmers. At the time of the WPA project, it was a segregated, white’s only pool. Interestingly, Fairground Park in which it is located is a large park on the north side of St. Louis that has an interesting history itself, one facet being that it was the landing spot for the first air mail...

WPA Bulletin, 1937: "Athol — In horse-and-buggy days when sulky racing was the vogue, Athol fair grounds was a mecca for thousands of horse lovers, race fans and devotees of the old-time cattle show. For many years the grounds had been unused, neglected. WPA has made the grounds into a modern recreation center."

"This WPA-constructed building stands at 500 E. Choctaw, just east of Hwy. 81 in historic Chickasha, which is located on what was once the famous Chisholm Trail. This is a large one and two-story native sandstone building built in 1940, which contains 25,000 square feet (100 x 125 ft). This building was built with a WPA appropriation of $73,439. Known originally as the Administration building, it is now referred to as the North Exhibit building. The building underwent a major renovation in 2000. Large, open courtyards, originally built to offer more light through exterior windows, were enclosed under the building's...

"The Livestock Exchange Building is located on the Grady County Fairgrounds, at 500 E. Choctaw, east of downtown Chickasha. The primary fairground buildings are this livestock arena, and an administration building to the north. The livestock building was originally constructed as an open air arena, with stalls, offices, and a grandstand. A photo of the arena as it stood for so many years is shown in the gallery. A major renovation was completed in 2000, and a roof was erected over the arena. The native sandstone walls were preserved, inside and out, and the upper walls were finished with stucco and...

Bellingham, Washington's old historic Fairhaven Hotel occupied the northeast corner of 12th Street and Harris Ave. "A new use for a famous old landmark in Bellingham hes been found with a recently approved Works Progress Administration project designed to convert the old Fairhaven Hotel into a community recreational center and headquarters for local public welfare agencies. ... he question of what to do with the county-owned historic building is now settled." The building is no longer extant, having been destroyed during the mid-1950s.

The Works Progress Administration carried out improvement work on Fairhope Point Clear Road, along Mobile Bay, in the vicinity of Mobile. The work consisted of headwalls, culverts, and road paving. The estimated WPA cost was $92,340.

The Works Progress Administration built a two-room schoolhouse in the Fairland community near Marble Falls, Texas. The rock masonry building was completed by February 1940 under official project number 665-66-2-485. The building is currently a private residence.

Fairlead Academy I is part of the St. Mary’s County Public Schools system. It used to be called Great Mills School and was built by federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers in 1936. It originally served as an elementary school, and now serves as a school that helps young adults prepare for their post-high school lives. Another example of how the great work of the WPA continues to be utilized.

"The Architect and Engineer" of 1936 reports that a ward building at Fairmont Hospital was a WPA project.