Auditoriums and Arenas Sites

Seattle's old Ice Arena, built in 1915, gained a number of improvements from the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. A WPA press release from January 1938 detailed the nature of the works to be carried out: "Modernizing of the Seattle Civic Auditorium and Ice Arena by WPA workers will begin January 21 with the aid of $21,539 in Federal funds, it was announced today by Don G. Abel, state Works Progress Administrator. ...In the Ice Arena new bleacher seats are planned. New lockers and benches will be made for the dressing rooms, and the broadcasting house is slated for complete...

Built by the WPA in 1936 as an ice skating and hockey rink. The arena is still being used today, it is referred to as the "Old Thief River Falls Arena."  

Completed in 1938, these concrete-based football stadium bleachers were constructed in a former quarry that furnished rock to many local New Deal projects. The stadium is still called "The Pit."

The Kenesaw auditorium was originally a Civil Works Administration (CWA) project that eventually morphed into a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project with the termination of the CWA. The WPA portion of the project began in November 1935. The town of Kenesaw donated both money and labor to the project. The WPA installed and constructed two septic tanks and cesspools, finished the interior walls, offices and floors, constructed stage props and the staircase, hung the doors and built a large marquee. The WPA also provided 325 folding chairs for the auditorium. Even so, parts of the building remained unfinished, such as...

Keyworth Stadium was opened in 1936 and was dedicated by FDR himself. After many years of use by Hamtramck High School, in 2016 the newly-formed Detroit City Football Club secured funding to renovate the stadium for soccer matches. From the Detroit News: "Roosevelt, a few weeks shy of his landslide re-election, was on his way to a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the new Keyworth Stadium. It was one of the first Work Projects Administration projects in Michigan, a promise in the midst of the Great Depression of better days ahead, and FDR was here to trumpet its arrival, telling the crowd...

"This combination gymnasium-auditorium has permanent seating at the sides and will accommodate approximately 400 spectators for athletic and dramatic events. Its construction is of interest. The foundations, first-floor slab, and buttresses are concrete, exterior walls of painted brick and the roof of Lamella type, the thrust of which is taken by the buttresses. The project was completed in March 1936 at a construction cost of $28,237 and a project cost of $30,285." (Short and Brown) "Kingman High School's history dates back to the beginning of Mohave County, Arizona. When the original school was built in 1917, it...

Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as completed in an El Paso Times article from June 7, 1936 was "Manufacture of Liberty Hall seat covers. $1528." "The El Paso County Courthouse and its accompanying Liberty Hall was a monumental Classical Revival structure built in 1915" and located at 500 East San Antonio Avenue. The building was demolished in 1988.

Text of the state historical marker reads: "In 1934, the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an auditorium on the original Locke Hill school grounds. Federal workers constructed the limestone building out of stone from a nearby quarry. Built to address the county superintendent’s call for school improvements, the auditorium served as a central community space. Following post-war growth, the school’s infrastructure no longer met increased student needs. In 1976, the Locke Hill School was rebuilt less than one mile away to accommodate more students and to meet new building standards. The historic auditorium exists as a longstanding testament to San...

Louisiana State University's historic Parker Coliseum, also known as the Agricultural Center, was constructed by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1937. The building, which contains numerous artistic details created by artists of the period, is still in use today. WPA Project No. 165-64-2016.

"The Park Auditorium, completed in 1936 as a WPA project, is a domical building, the design of its facade carried out in the straight lines and angles of modern architecture. Constructed with laminated truss-type arches which support the entire roof load, the auditorium has 25,000 sq. ft. of floor space unobstructed by supporting columns. Its acoustics is excellent, owing to the vaulted shape of the roof and the absorbing quality of the timbers in the arches." President Roosevelt toured the site in 1936, The New York Times reporting: " saw a new $17,000 auditorium more than large enough to hold the...

Auditorium used for theatre, performances, concerts, and school and city activities. It is still used today. First referred to as "Junior College Auditorium", then named "McNeese Main Auditorium", and later "F. G. Bulber Auditorium." The building was the first building completed for the then new McNeese Junior College.

Burlington Memorial Auditorium, located near the Mississippi River, was built by the Works Progress Administration and opened in May of 1939. It was first used as a U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center and by the supply company of the 136th Medical Regiment of the Iowa National Guard. Today, the Auditorium serves as an entertainment venue. It is owned by The City of Burlington, IA and managed by Burlington Riverfront Entertainment.

The State of Texas allocated $50,000 for the construction of the Goliad Memorial Auditorium and the United States government allocated $20,000. The Works Progress Administration added $5,000 to build sidewalks, parking areas, and roads and to grade and fill the athletic field and provide floors under the stadium for a clubroom. The building has an auditorium with a large stage, a lobby designed to serve as a museum area, and exterior stadium seating for 1200 spanning the east elevation. Architects Raiford L. Stripling and Samuel C.P. Vosper designed the auditorium with a flat roof, high octagonal window openings, and sculptural embellishments...

The Utah National Guard was funded by the New Deal to built several armories.  One of those is in Mount Pleasant. The exact year of construction is unknown to us.. "During the 1930s, UTNG used federal money, often supplied through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), to build or expand a number of UTNG facilities. The WPA funded eight armories and several garage and storage areas for the UTNG. By 1940, 13 armories were in use by the Utah Guard including  . The building is now utilized by the city of Mt. Pleasant as its Recreation Center, a.k.a. Memorial Hall.

"In 1938 the Public Works Administration allocated more than $500,000 toward the final cost of $1,025,000 for an auditorium to accommodate the academic and cultural activities of the growing MSU student body. Designed by O.J. Munson, the Gothic-inspired pointed arches and lancet windows on the entrance facade, and oak paneling, chandeliers, and white marble flooring of the lobby interior, reflect a desire for an elaborate structure to suit its cultural purpose. The limestone spandrels of the three identical entry portals are decorated with images of comedy, tragedy, musical instruments, and vines. Munson’s building houses two theaters, the large Auditorium at the...

The Works Progress Administration built the Middleberg School in Middleberg OK. Contributor note: "This school was constructed by the WPA in 1938 with an appropriation of $9,000. It is located on Old Highway 62 in Middleberg on the public school campus. The building is rectangular, one-story with a gabled roof. The building has been covered with what appears to be concrete slab veneer. The double windows have been updated and now consist of two-pane fixed units. The building is painted white and has a metal roof facade. The main entrance has two glass doors recessed within a brick arched porch, with the name...

"This building constitutes a cultural and recreational community center. It was constructed with a donation of site and of $40,000 by a citizen of Ashton and with the aid of the P.W.A. It provides a public library, a stack room, a combination auditorium and gymnasium with a stage and men's and women's locker rooms, a kitchen, and a room for the American Legion. It is a fireproof structure and the exterior walls are a light-colored brick trimmed with stone. The auditorium-gymnasium is used by the high school as well as by the public. It was completed in June 1936 at a...

This is an excellent example of the clean, rounded lines of art deco architecture used in a large municipal auditorium that was recently restored and brought back to its original appearance.  Ludwig Abt also designed the school in nearby Renick. The total cost of the project was $160,000 with a Federal portion of $92,000.  At the dedication, the Governor gave the keynote address and the music was provided by Ozzie Nelson and his band. The auditorium also served as the local national guard armory.

"Built in 1908, It was originally the City Hall and fire station. It was remodeled in 1938 by the W. P. A. In Spanish Pueblo Revival Style. It has a recessed portico entry with vigas and ornate wood pillars with lintels and corbels. It has metal casement windows. The east addition has a portico with an ornate wood door. There is a large garage door to the old fire station at the rear of the building. Meeting rooms, a stage and auditorium with high ceilings are still used for meetings and stage productions and is an historic community center." -City of...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Mountainair Municipal Auditorium in Mountainair, NM between 1934 and 1936. Local architect-builder Everett Grist designed the structure. Presently, the auditorium operates under the name Robert J Saul Recreation Center since 1993.  

Barre Auditorium was constructed in 1938-9 as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA provided a $105,882 grant toward the $239,668 total cost of the project. (PWA Docket No. VT 1122.) The facility is still in use today for athletic events and community gatherings. The architecture firm Freeman French Freeman, Burlington, VT, designed the building (FFF Project #150). The firm began operation in 1937 and continues to this day. One of the founders, Ruth Freeman, was the first female architect in the state and was known for her significant contributions to the modernist style of architecture. Upon graduating from Cornell...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, WV. According to WOWK: "The history of the Charleston Municipal Auditorium in West Virginia’s capital city started with debate from citizens. According to the auditorium’s Statement of Significance to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the debate on whether or not to have the auditorium in downtown Charleston began in the 1930s. It says people for the auditorium said it was needed because it would attract performers and bring culture to the capital city. On the other side, people said it would be an 'unnecessary...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed Edinburg, North Dakota's historic municipal auditorium in 1939. It is still in use today.

Harlingen, Texas's historic Municipal Auditorium was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the Great Depression. The building, which has been extensively modified on multiple occasions, is still in use today. The PWA supplied a $60,000 loan and $23,700 grant toward the $87,089 total cost of the project. Work occurred between July 1935 and December 1936. (PWA Docket No. TX 4724)

The Works Progress Administration built the City Auditorium adjacent to Town Creek Park in Jasper. The structure is made of stone masonry with a concrete shingles roof.

The Kansas City Municipal Auditorium was built by the PWA in 1934-35. "Municipal Auditorium is a large, multi-purpose facility in Kansas City, Missouri with three halls: The Arena, Music Hall, and Little Theatre. It opened in 1936 and features Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architecture and architectural details... The streamline moderne architecture was designed by the lead architectural firm of Gentry, Voskamp & Neville to appeal to new visitors with cool and confident restraint. True to its name, the style promised to envelop the visitor in modernity, assuring him/her that Kansas City was a rising star in the country, a place to...

Also known as the Civic Center Music Hall, this PWA Art Deco building was erected in 1937. A 1939 book on PWA buildings describes the site: "Before the erection of this auditorium, Oklahoma City had no place which could seat more than 2,000 people where public meetings could be held. The new municipal auditorium has remedied this condition. It contains an auditorium with a seating capacity of 6,000, a small theater seating 400, a convention hall seating 900, 22 small committee rooms, and an exhibition hall with a floor area of 38,000 square feet. The auditorium stage is sufficiently large and well...

Sarasota's architecturally striking Municipal Auditorium was constructed with the assistance of the federal Works Progress Auditorium (WPA). "Work on the auditorium commenced in July of 1937. The federal government granted the sum of $131,000.00 towards the project. Skilled labor was paid for by the City's General Fund and common labor was paid for by the WPA. The auditorium was officially opened on February 24, 1938, for the Sara de Soto Celebration. Designed in the Art Deco/Moderne style by Chicago architect, Thomas Reed Martin, the auditorium was quite a site for visitors entering from the north Tamiami Trail. At the entry of the...

"This large brick auditorium with a seating capacity of 3000 was built with a WPA grant of $61,363 and the proceeds of a $75,000 municipal bond issue. It was constructed in 1936 and has been the meeting place for Shawnee citizens for decades, at sporting events, concerts, movies, dances, conventions and the like. The high-ceiling, gymnasium-like auditorium has concrete bleachers along three sides and a full stage on the north end. The two building wings have offices and are the home of the Shawnee Senior Center and the Shawnee Economic Development organization (COEDD). A cornerstone to the left of the main entrance shows...

The Public Works Administration provided $7 million in funds to construction this auditorium with room for city offices. The building was renovated in 1991 and is now the Topeka Performing Arts Center.

In September 1935, the village of Primrose was notified that it had been given a grant of $7,363.00 from the Public Works Administration (PWA) for the purpose of building a municipal auditorium and gymnasium. The total project cost was estimated to be $19,700.00. Begun in March 1936, the building was complete by the end of September.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded half the cost of the handsome Municipal Building in Price UT, constructed in 1938-39.  The building includes city offices, a large auditorium and an enormous mural cycle by native son Lynn Fausett in the foyer of the auditorium.   The design is minimalist Neoclassical Moderne clad in desert-buff brick. The city offices have been completely altered, but the foyer with its murals  and the auditorium with its wooden seats with streamline sidebars (photos below) are both still intact.  The cornerstone attributes the building to the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (the formal name for the PWA). The...

WPA Bulletin, 1937: "Amesbury now has a secondary municipal auditorium, auxiliary town hall and community center with the completion of a WPA project which remodeled the old fire headquarters building for that purpose. The building on School Street was erected in 1829, served as the first schoolhouse in the settlement and was later made into a fire station, serving that purpose until the new fire headquarters building was dedicated in 1927."

The Works Progress Administration built the Fredericks Creative and Performing Arts at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches LA. The Center contains the 1,000-seat A.A. Fredericks Auditorium and Theater West, a smaller performance venue. 

A WPA project involved "Improving the Exposition Building", WPA Project No. 65-3-1779, Approval date 10-23-35, $5,673 The Oakland Exposition Building was a hall the Kaiser Convention Center. The California Garden Show was held there, as well as horse shows, midget car races, and other events. The building was constructed in 1931, funded using Agricultural District money that comes from horse racing (which also funds county fairs in California). 1 The design was by Reed and Corlett. It was torn down to build some of the infrastructure for BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) c.1967. Now the land is part of Laney College.

VisitNebraska.com: "A community landmark, Ohiowa Auditorium was completed in 1940 and preserved in near original condition. It is one of many Nebraska buildings constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression." The auditorium is located at the southeast corner of S Main St. & Grafton St.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Oildale Standard School Auditorium in Bakersfield CA. The structure has been in use as a school auditorium since completed in 1937.

Currently known as Levitt Shell, in recognition of funding that saved it from demolition, the Overton Park band shell was constructed by the WPA and City of Memphis in 1936 for $11,935. It has almost been demolished twice.

This building was originally part of the St. Louis Municipal Auditorium complex and was then known as the Kiel Opera House. The rest of the complex was later demolished, and this building became the Peabody Opera House. It was begun in 1932 primarily with bond funding, but it was completed with additional funds from the PWA.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction an auditorium building at the Junior College (today Phoenix College) in Phoenix. The facade architecture features Art Deco elements and white plaster finish. The auditorium is still in service today at Phoenix College.