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  • Home Economics School Building - Portia AR
    Locally known as the Home Economics/F.F.A. Building, this "combination NYA youth community center/classroom" was constructed in 1937-1938. It has been described as "the best local example of a building executed in the indigenous stone Rustic style which was popular with the WPA in its construction throughout Arkansas, and in the Ozark region in particular" (Arkansas Historic Preservation Program).
  • Horace Mann School Buildings - Norfork AR
    "The Horace Mann School Historic District contains four contributing buildings and no non-contributing buildings all sited on roughly two acres of land in Norfork, Baxter County, Arkansas.  The City of Norfork now owns the buildings, and the complex was closed for use as a school in the mid-1980s.  The 1936 Main School Building, 1937 Home Economics Building and Agricultural Vocational Education Building, and circa 1940 Gymnasium are all wonderful examples of Works Progress Administration (W. P. A.) and National Youth Administration (N. Y. A.)-built school in Arkansas. Minor alterations have occurred to the 1936 main building and circa 1940 gymnasium;...
  • Houlton International Airport - Houlton ME
    Constructed under the Federal Emergency Relief Agency/Maine Emergency Relief Agency, with with an 1800 x 75 graded runway and an 1800 x 100 graded runway as part of a state wide airport construction program. The legislative session of the Maine State Legislature of July 22, 1940 issued a report from the state Defense Commission on the pressing need of 6 military airbases out of which Houlton was one. In 1940, the National Youth Administration built a cabin and a hangar at the Houlton Airport. The structures were built as part of  the Aviation Mechanics Project, a program founded “at the Houlton...
  • Hoyt Arboretum - Portland OR
    Once the site of Multnomah County's Poor Farm, the city began developing this land in the West Hills of Portland as an arboretum in 1930. In its first six years, much of the labor for tree planting and park development was provided through the Civil Works Administration (CWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and the National Youth Administration (NYA). The local newspaper, The Oregonian, gave particular attention to the NYA workers' contribution, noting that nearly 100 young people between the age of 16 and 25 were employed for three months. They began the transformation of what was then a 200-acre, rough, wooded landscape...
  • Hurricane Reconstruction - Hanover NH
    The town report for 1938 reported that Works Progress Administration funds were involved in efforts at reconstruction and cleanup after the hurricane of September 20, 1938, but no details were provided. 1940 W.P.A. Work W.P.A. funds expended 440 36 Area covered 634 acres Currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed 8,271 Fifteen local men were employed on Blister Rust Control. "National Youth Administration- One phase of the work which is being done by the central government at Washington is that carried on by the group known as the National Youth Administration. This organization provides funds for young people over 16 years of age who cannot continue their high school or...
  • HWY 287 Rest Stop - Corsicana TX
    Small rustic picnic area along HWY 287 (now I-45 Business) in Corsicana, Texas. There are four picnic tables and four fireplaces. The 1936 County Historical Marker is also located here. The area is along a creek and one of the tables appears to have been buried in silt. There are two markers one giving information on who donated the land to the Texas Department of Transportation and another with information on the National Youth Administration. Donation Marker: "This site was donated for park purposes to the State Highway Department of Texas by Johnson-Wiggins Post 22 American Legion. Ray W. Morgan, Post...
  • Immaculate Conception High School (former) Athletics Facilities - Trenton NJ
    Fourteen boys of the federal National Youth Administration (NYA) built a tennis court and graded a baseball field at Trenton, New Jersey's old Immaculate Conception High School. The exact location of this former school is unknown to Living New Deal, though it was possibly located at 544 Chestnut Avenue.
  • Industrial School for Colored Youth (former) Improvements - Bordentown NJ
    What was then known as the New Jersey Manual Training and Industrial School for Colored Youth was improved by the National Youth Administration (NYA) ca. 1936. The site is presently used as a juvenile penal institution. "In Burlington County 48 colored boys are working at the Bordentown Industrial School for Colored Youth, constructing four tennis courts and keeping the grounds in condition."
  • Infrastructure Improvements - Seabrook NH
    The New Deal provided much help in this small coastal community of 1,606 (1930 population). Between 1933 and 1939, the RFC, the WPA and the NYA undertook improvements in the town, including sewer maintenance, road work, surveying sidewalks and other improvements.
  • Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery - Burnet TX
    In 1938, the Public Works Administration, which had dam construction projects along the Colorado River in Texas, proposed the establishment of a federal fish hatchery in the area to provide fish for the newly created lakes. Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson arranged an agreement between the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and the National Youth Administration (NYA) to construct the hatchery. The NYA established a camp at Inks Dam in 1938 and began construction of the fish hatchery in 1939. Current programs at the hatchery include providing channel catfish for tribal fishery management programs in the Southwest...
  • Inwood Hill Park Improvements - New York NY
    During the Great Depression, the WPA radically transformed this large park at the Northwest tip of Manhattan, making accessible what is now the only largely non-landscaped park in all of Manhattan. WPA workers built roads, trails and overlooks throughout the hilly park. A Department of Parks press release from January 26, 1939 summed up the ongoing work: "The fine native woodland will be made thoroughly accessible by means of a network of footpaths with many benches for strollers... The Authority provided a further sponsors' contribution to the WPA for toilet facilities, benches, drinking fountains and overlooks along the high...
  • Iowa State University Parks Library: Murals - Ames IA
    "The murals in the Grant Wood Heritage Area and on the walls of the staircase leading to the Upper Lobby of the original building are without doubt the major artistic feature of the Iowa State University Library." These murals by Grant Wood can be divided into two main sets: eight panels of the Other Arts Follow mural were painted under the PWAP in 1934; the three panels referred to as "Breaking the Prairie" were painted two years later under the WPA/NYA. "The eight panels of the Other Arts Follow mural reflect the divisions of Iowa State College at the time: Veterinary...
  • Jeff Davis Vocational Building - Water Valley MS
    The rock veneer building was constructed in 1938 by the NYA. The building, in a state of deterioration, appears to be used as storage and privately owned, with restricted access.
  • Kennedy Park Improvements - South Bend IN
    The National Youth Administration (NYA) pursued improvements at South Bend’s Kennedy Park in 1939. The park was known as Bendix Park during the New Deal. “Plans for beautifying Bendix Park are being completed by the board of park commissioners of South Bend, Ind.,” a reporter noted in April 1939. “The board hopes to transform the bare land into one of the City’s beauty spots by next summer. The park will be landscaped around the NYA building, which is being financed jointly by the NYA and the park department as a city recreation center. Plans for landscaping include an experimental garden in...
  • Kenwood Park Drive Rock Wall - Salina KS
    In 1939, a rock wall was constructed along Kenwood Park Drive 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 River. Remnants of...
  • Kuykendall Cemetery Improvements - Cherokee TX
    Among the improvements hoped to be undertaken in the proposed NYA project include 316 feet of cement sidewalk 4 feet wide in front of the cemetery, 2 large columns at the double gate, with an arched entrance; 824 feet of cement curbing for driveway, 824 feet curbing for flower beds, pruning trees and white-washing them along driveway, graveling all grave mounds, fixing markers and clearing and beautifying entire cemetery. Saw evidence of a rock wall, a rock building, columns at the double gate with a steps at the left side, and an arched entrance with name.
  • La Villita Cos House Restoration - San Antonio TX
    It is generally believed that General Martin Perfecto de Cos, a brother-in-law of Mexico’s President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, surrendered to the Texan commander, General Edward Burleson, after the five-day Siege of Bexar in December 1835 at the Villita Street building known today as the Cos House. This structure is considered to be the oldest building in the "Little Village" since it pre-dates the 1835 surrender. The building was restored through the efforts of NYA workers as part of the La Villita restoration project.
  • La Villita Restoration - San Antonio TX
    "La Villita, in the heart of San Antonio, was once the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian village. The first huts in the community were probably erected about 1722... The Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo colonial history of the section is preserved in the name of the streets and houses of La Villita: Guadalupe Street, Bolivar Hall, Juarez Plaza, Cos House, Canada House, and McAllister Corner. La Villita was restored as a result of a city ordinance of October 12, 1939, and is owned by the city and operated as a craft and recreational center. The National Youth Administration assisted in...
  • Library (former) Renovations - New Hyde Park NY
    From 1936 until recently, the New Hyde Park library occupied this building on the Jericho Turnpike. The building itself dates to earlier than 1936, but the NYA renovated the building in the 1930s in order for the library to move in. The building now appears to be occupied by the New Hyde Park Little League. A story discussing the relocation of New Hyde Park library services describes the buildings New Deal history: "The village library has been in existence for 83 years but it has been housed at its current location, in the basement of New Hyde Park Village Hall, corner of...
  • Library Improvements - Ellsworth ME
    A 1939 municipal report detailed extensive New Deal work in the area, including: "During the summer of 1939 the exterior of the public library was cleaned and painted at no labor cost to the city, the work being done by the NYA and relief workers. While this work was in progress the old entrance door was replaced with a new door of the same design, but equipped with hardware of a design more in keeping with the building. Bulkheads were repaired, a new step was installed at the rear entrance and the roof was repaired at this time also. Settees were...
  • Lincoln City Park - Lincoln KS
    The National Youth Administration (NYA) built park facilities in Lincoln City Park in Lincoln KS. West of the entrance is a bandstand built by the NYA in 1938, and restrooms built by the NYA in 1937.
  • Lincoln Park Gateway and Improvements - Los Angeles CA
    Improvements to Lincoln Park (Los Angeles, CA) were carried out by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) in 1932-33. According to the 1932-33 Annual Report of the Los Angeles Board of Park Commissioners, "Two hundred lineal feet of walks were built, and 5,075 feet of redwood curbing used to define the older walks. A fire break, 1,500 feet long and 30 feet wide, was built along the north end and east side of the park, protecting the grounds from fires from adjacent vacant land. Catch basins were installed to control the water from rains that wash down from the hills surrounding the...
  • Lincoln School Assistance (former) - Trenton NJ
    Trenton, New Jersey's old Lincoln School, then a segregated facility, was improved by the federal National Youth Administration (NYA) ca. 1936. The facility now operates as the Rivera School. Quote "The Dawn," a monthly WPA newsletter, July 1936: Twelve colored boys are constructing a baseball diamond at the Lincoln School, and eight girls are doing bookbinding work at the same school.
  • Little Chapel in the Woods (TWU) - Denton TX
    Pictured here is a postcard of the Little Chapel in the Woods on the Campus of Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX. It was built by the NYA and designed by O'Neil Ford and Arch Swank (O'Neil Ford is a big name in Texas architecture). Students at the college designed many of the interior features. Mrs. Roosevelt attended its dedication on November 1, 1939. The chapel's website summarizes its construction: "The students and faculty of Texas Woman's University actively participated in both raising the funds for and designing all the artwork in the Chapel. Throughout 1938 and 1939, more than 300 TWU...
  • Longview School (former) - Pontotoc MS
    The rock veneer school building was constructed using rock from the nearby Tishomingo County NYA quarry, and lumber from the NYA sawmill at Longview. A gymnasium (no longer extant) and a teacher's house were also constructed in Longview. The school is currently in use as a private home. The second entry of double doors was altered at some point to install double windows in its place. An addition has been added to the rear of the building.
  • Low Water Crossing Bridge, Brackenridge Park - San Antonio TX
    This concrete bridge bears the faint stamp "NYA 1939". It crosses the San Antonio River at E. Woodlawn and River Avenue in Brackenridge Park. It was closed to traffic many years ago, but still serves as a crossing for pedestrians and fishermen.
  • Marion County Roadside Park - Jefferson TX
    The National Youth Administration built the Marion County Roadside Park near Jefferson, Texas between 1935 and 1938. The park serves the same function as of 2019. A state historical marker at the site reads: "This roadside park was constructed by the National Youth Administration (NYA) with the support of President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Development began in 1935, after the Mary Louise Hussey family conveyed the land upon which the park would be located. Following its completion in 1938, the park provided residents and travelers a pleasant venue for resting and picnicking. The park eventually fell in...
  • Marshall Park - Lunenburg MA
    WPA Bulletin, 1937: "Picnic Cave Unusual Feature of Playground Lunenburg — An underground cave equipped with a fireplace and picnic facilities for 40 persons is the outstanding feature of Lunenburg's WPA-built recreation centre at Marshall Field. The grounds also boasts a cinder track, a baseball diamond, and two half-completed tennis courts. But the cave is most popular— especially with the Boy Scouts and other young people's organizations who have held many meetings and hot-dog roasts there. As it was not scheduled as part of the project, many of the townspeople and NYA workers pitched in and did the extra work. The cave is about...
  • Max Starcke Park - Seguin TX
    Max Starcke Park is a 227 acre park located along the Guadalupe River. It is the main municipal park in Seguin. The land was a pecan orchard prior to the park's dedication in 1938. The park was designed by Robert H.H. Hugman and built by the Works Progress Administration and National Youth Administration in 1937 and 1938. It was named for Maximilian (Max) Hugo Starcke who served as an alderman in Seguin from 1909 to 1912 and as mayor from 1928 to 1938.
  • Modoc National Forest Improvements - Hackamore CA
    "President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided a work force, which pushed the Modoc Forest development work years ahead. A special camp was built at Hackamore in 1933 and maintained there almost until the abandonment of the Corps in 1942. Spike camps from this main camp were established when necessary but the gentle nature of the Modoc terrain allowed workers from the main camp to reach out much further than in the average forest area... ...By the end of 1933 there were some thirty sizeable CWA crews working out from their homes on Modoc Forest projects. A large number...
  • Mona Airfield Maintenance - Isla de Mona PR
    Youth employed by the National Youth Administration carried out maintenance work at the Mona Airfield on Mona Island. “Campos is one of the Mona boys engaged in clearing and maintaining the Mona Air Field, strategic L-shaped landing field controlling historic Mona Passage midway between Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico. Campos is also champion boxer of the project.”
  • Moorefield School - Batesville AR
    The Moorefield School was built by the NYA in 1936-1937. A one story, Plain Traditional, stone school, it "features some Craftsman influences (Story, 1992). It currently houses the Rehobeth Baptist Church. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Moorefield School - Moorefield AR
    The old Moorefield (Independence County), AR, school building, which now houses the Rehobeth Baptist Church; the original Rehobeth Baptist Church of Moorefield, established in the 1820s, is believed to have been the first church in Independence County.
  • Moosehorn National Wildlife Preserve - Baring ME
    "Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is a northern treasure in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It consists of nearly 30,000 acres of federally protected lands in northeastern coastal Maine. The refuge's landscape is varied, with rolling hills, large ledge outcroppings, streams, lakes, bogs, and marshes. The diversity of forests and wetlands provides habitat for over 225 species of birds, endangered species, resident wildlife and rare plants. A northern hardwood forest of aspen, maple, birch, spruce and fir dominates the upland. Scattered stands of majestic white pine are common. The Edmunds Division boasts several miles of rocky shoreline where tidal fluctuations of...
  • Morro Strand State Beach - Morro Bay CA
    The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built an access road and other facilities, including a day-use picnic facility and protective fencing, at the Morro Strand State Beach in Morro Bay CA.  It is unknown if those features are still standing today. The National Youth Administration (NYA) also worked at Morro Strand State Beach restocking clam beds (shown below).
  • Mounds State Park Pavilion - Anderson IN
    The National Youth Administration (NYA) built the Mounds State Park Pavilion in Anderson IN. The pavilion holds up to 150 people and is still in service.
  • Municipal Amphitheater - Bristow OK
    The Bristow town website explains that the amphitheater was "built by the CCC and the NYA, one of the first youth projects completed. Eleanor Roosevelt came to Bristow to dedicate the project in March 1937." A 1985 National Register nomination form for Creek County explains that the amphitheater itself is a one-story, flat-roofed, wooden structure (later painted white). The foundation is stone, the seats are concrete, and the whole area was planted around with trees, which are still there today. The form further explains that: "Architecturally, the structure is unique to the park in terms of type, style, and workmanship. This project...
  • Municipal Building - Roosevelt UT
    The National Youth Administration (NYA), a branch of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for students and unemployed young people, built the Municipal Building in Roosevelt, Utah, in 1941. The Municipal Building is a modest, one-story structure in brick with very simple decoration (a zig-zag line in a white band above the front entrance).  Over the entrance is a cast-concrete plaque with the name and NYA 1941 on each side (see photo). The building sits next to the public library in the town's Central Park.  Presumably, it once was the town hall, but it presently houses a city ambulance garage (a later addition...
  • Municipal Building Improvements - Ellsworth ME
    A 1939 municipal report detailed extensive New Deal work in the area, including: "During the past year the wood and metal trim of the Civic Centre building was given one coat of paint. The interior walls were washed by the NYA in cooperation with one of the state dependents who makes his residence in the city. Minor repair work was carried on and an effort made to prevent actual deterioration of the building. In the near future a second coat of paint must be given the exterior and the interior walls must be painted. Stokers should be installed to feed the...
  • Municipal Colony (former) Improvements - Trenton NJ
    Eight boys of the federal National Youth Administration (NYA) worked to improve the grounds at the old Trenton Municipal Colony in Hamilton Township, "a complex that included facilities to care for city dependents, including the aged, the homeless, the infirm and those suffering from contagious diseases." The Mercer County Geriatric Center now occupies the site. According to a WPA bulletin, the NYA boys were at work "painting benches, cutting grass and cleaning up the grounds."
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