Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Restoration – Washington DC

The Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) and the National Youth Administration (NYA) undertook crucial preservation work at the Frederick Douglass home (“Cedar Hill”) along the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington DC, where the great abolitionist writer and former slave lived and worked… read more

General Hancock Sculpture – New York NY

“This monumental bronze portrait bust, dedicated in 1893, depicts Civil War General Winfield Scott Hancock (1824–1886), and was created by American sculptor James Wilson Alexander MacDonald (1824–1908).” (www.nycgovparks.org) In the 1930s, the bust was restored with federal funding under Karl… read more

Government House Reconstruction – Christiansted, St. Croix VI

Government House, in Christiansted, St. Croix, was reconstructed and fireproofed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The Annual Report of the Governor of the Virgin Islands for 1941 mentions that the rehabilitation of the Government House in Christiansted… read more

Government House Repairs – Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas VI

“Outstanding achievements were the completion of the rehabilitation of the Government House and Administration Building in Charlotte Amalie and the Government House in Christiansted, providing modern, comfortable living and office accommodations. (…) This work has been done under the supervision… read more

Grand Army Plaza: General Sherman Sculpture Restoration – New York NY

“This majestic, gilded-bronze equestrian group statue depicts one of the United States’ best-known generals, William Tecumseh Sherman (1820 – 1891). Dedicated in 1903, it was master sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s (1848 – 1907) last major work, and serves as the centerpiece… read more

Grand Army Plaza: Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch Restoration – Brooklyn NY

This dramatic arch in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza was created by architect John Hemingway Duncan in 1889-1892. The statuary on the arch was added over the next several years, by several different artists including William Rudolf O’Donovan (men), Thomas Eakins… read more

Grant Square: Ulysses S. Grant Sculpture Restoration – Brooklyn NY

“This large bronze equestrian statue by William Ordway Partridge (1861-1930) depicts Civil War General and 18th United States President Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822-1885). Though Grant’s reputation was tarnished after serving as President amidst one of the most corrupt administrations in… read more

Hale Pa‘ahao Prison Improvements – Lahaina HI

Stone marker about WPA at Hale Pa'Ahao Prison - Lahaina HI

Hale Pa‘ahao (stuck-in-irons house) was Lahaina’s “new” prison, built in the 1850s during  the whaling era. The prison has been restored three times, in the 1930s, 1950s and 1970s. The Lahaina Restoration Foundation reports that:  “During the 1930s, County of… read more

Hydaburg Totem Poles – Hydaburg AK

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) engaged native communities in Hydaburg in collaborative projects seekeing the preservation and restoration of native totem carvings: “In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), supervised by U.S. Forest Service personnel, created Hydaburg Park, and several other similar parks in… read more

Kinishba Ruins National Historic Landmark – Fort Apache AZ

“Kinishba Ruins was constructed by the Pueblo people and occupied as early as 800 until as late as 1400 A.D. Byron Cummings, director of the Arizona State Museum, and his students began excavation and reconstruction of Kinishba in 1931. In… read more

Klawock Totem Park, Blackfish and Brown Bear Pole – Klawock AK

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) restored/recarved the Blackfish and Brown Bear Pole between 1938 and 1940. The restoration was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service program focused on the conservation of totems and Native cultural assets. The pole was originally found… read more

Klawock Totem Park, Bullhead and the Fight with the Land Otters Pole – Klawock AK

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) restored/recarved the Bullhead and the Fight with the Land Otters between 1938 and 1940. The restoration was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service program focused on the conservation of totems and Native cultural assets. The pole… read more