Auxiliary Civic Facilities Sites

"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 of the Public Buildings Administration, Federal Works Agency."

WPA crews built the South Dakota Governor's Mansion in 1936 in the capitol city of Pierre. In 2004, it was purchased and moved 175 miles to Rapid City, but in 2013 was sold at a foreclosure auction. It remains privately owned, and serves as an event hall. From a local Rapid City television station report in 2008: The current owner paid around $40,000 for the mansion 16 of South Dakota's governors called home.  It cost him five times that to have the property moved from Pierre to Rapid City. Now, instead of being home to South Dakota's first families, it's open to...

Governor’s Mansion, constructed 1839-1842 in Greek Revival style, was “redecorated” in 1935. Architect Albert hays Town was involved in the “work with the interior and exterior getting a thorough going-over with repairs and redecorations. Some alterations were made to the interior, the roof repaired, electric wiring renewed and floors refinished” (Improvements completed, 1935, p. 5). The total expenditure was $9,813. The family of the governor was moved from one suite of rooms to another as rooms were renovated one-by-one. Lena Brock supervised the renovation job, and as part of the process, secured a pre-Civil War table c.1840 for use in...

"Contracts were awarded on December 15, 1934, for the construction of the Grayson County Courthouse. It is a four story and basement building, 140 by 87 feet in plan, and contains on the first floor an assembly room, the tax department, county clerk, auditor, sheriff, the county courtroom, judge's chambers, and a jury room. On the second floor are two large district courtrooms, offices for the district judge and court reporter, and jury rooms. The third floor contains the upper parts of the courtrooms and jury dormitories, while the top floor is entirely occupied by the jail which is arranged...

"The new courthouse at Snow Hill is three stories and a basement in height, 95 by 45 feet in plan, and replaces an obsolete structure built in 1876. The basement provides two offices in addition to the necessary service rooms; the first floor houses all of the county officials; on the second floor are the courtroom and jury rooms; and the third floor is given up entirely to the jail which can house 24 prisoners. The building is fireproof throughout, the exterior walls being faced with brick, trimmed with stone. It was completed in January 1936 at a...

Coudersport, Pennsylvania received a new school building during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Construction occurred between May 1936 and January 1937. The school is no longer in use and is now known as the Gunzburger County Office Building. PWA Docket No. W1108

"The Hall of Records is a much needed addition to the group of State buildings at Dover. It contains offices for the governor and the secretary of state, the research room, the archives lobby, and a vault 19 by 24 feet for the storage of records, on the first floor. On the second floor are offices for the motor-vehicle department and the franchise-tax department. The building is fireproof throughout. The exterior walls are red brick laid in flemish bond and the trim is marble and wood. The roof is covered with slate. The finish throughout the interior is...

Originally installed in the Burns post office, this mural was one of the Treasury Section's 48-State Post Office Competition murals. "New Deal mural entitled "Cattle Round-Up" painted by Jack Wilkinson in 1941. When a new post office was built in the early 90's, the mural was moved to the 2nd floor court room in the Harney County Courthouse." (flickr)

Houston's historic Harris County District Attorney's Building was constructed as a federal office building and post office during the 1930s. The building, whose construction was funded by the Treasury Department, was completed in 1939. Harris County purchased the building in 1978.

Formerly Burlington's high school, what is now a municipal building at 61 Center St. was constructed as a New Deal project with Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) assistance. The P.W.A. supplied a $76,950 grant for the project, whose total cost was $163,411. The cornerstone was laid on Dec. 3, 1938 and the building was put into use in Sept. 1939, though formal dedication didn't occur until Oct. 12, 1939. PWA Docket No. MA 1437 The building's design is most unusual for its era, and the building has been extensively renovated. The only real architectural cue of the building's heritage is its 1938 cornerstone. Town reports thoroughly...

"This is a one-story rectangular, one-room chapel constructed in 1940 by the WPA. It is built of cut and coursed rusticated native stone and has a gabled roof, currently covered with metal siding. The building is currently used as a maintenance building for the cemetery. A large overhead door has been installed, and the two windows in front and three at the rear have been boarded up. The end walls are stepped and rise above the roof line. A concrete cross has been built into the stone side wall. The building is approximately 30 by 16 feet."   (www.waymarking.com)

Courtesy the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.), Village Hall in Framingham was "repaired and painted, both inside and out. New plastering was installed where necessary..." In 1937 the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) replaced the electrical wiring, installed a cement concrete floor, and re-shingled the roof. In 1940: "The floor system of the upper Village Hall was reconstructed and strengthened by putting in new steel beams and columns, and a new oak floor was laid over the whole upper hall and entrances. The interior of the building was also painted," by the W.P.A.

WPA Bulletin, 1937: "A saving from one-half to one-third on electric bills is a saving in anybody's household. The City of Worcester expects to save this amount at the Home Farm, where a new electric generator is being built by WPA. This is but one of many improvements made by WPA at the farm, where poultry houses have been built, new barn additions made, a new kitchen and mess hall facilities installed and a dam constructed to give a greater water supply."

"The Hughes County Courthouse was designed in the Public Works Administration Moderne style with Art Deco features by the architects Hugill and Blatherwick and constructed by the Henry Carlson Company, all out of Sioux Falls. This governmental interpretation is a simplified version of the exuberant Art Deco style that appealed to a nation in the midst of the Great Depression. The uninterrupted square massing of the building and vertical bands of windows separated by decorative-patterned brick spandrels provide the only historical references to the style. The buildings utilization of Art Deco and Moderne design elements is typical of South Dakotas...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided funding for the Humboldt County Public Health Building in Eureka, California, built in 1939.   The building was originally the county welfare building and juvenile detention home. It is now used by the county health department. The two-story, Streamline Moderne style building was designed by architect Frank Georgeson.  

In 1933, the Washington Post reported that $15,905 had been allotted to the Public Works Administration (PWA) for unspecified repairs to the Internal Revenue Service building, which had been completed in 1930.   The IRS building is part of the Federal Triangle area, a group of government buildings between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, all built along neoclassical lines in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

A state historical marker on the courthouse square has text that reads that "The present courthouse, constructed of locally made red brick, was completed in 1889.... An adjacent office building was erected by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1940 ..." There is a WPA plaque by the east entrance with the dates 1938 - 1940.

Nashville’s Tennessee State Office Building was built circa 1939-40 as part of the New Deal Public Works Administration program. It is an example of the Federal government’s efforts to provide employment during the Depression. The Streamlined Classical design of Nashville architect Emmons Woolwine is seen in the monumental scale of the pilasters and cornice and the simplified classical details of the building. Bronze screens and bas-relief sculptures by Rene Chambellan enhance the design on the exterior. Inside, the building has two large murals depicting "The Discovery of Tennessee" and "The Development of Tennessee," painted by well-respected artist Dean Cornwell. It...

In May 1938, a storage yard and highway shed was under construction on 33rd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Utilizing Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor, the building and completed site was estimated to cost $8000. One and one quarter acres of ground were fenced with six-foot wire mesh on steel posts set in concrete. A patrol shed, measuring 56 by 40 feet, with three large stalls for maintainer machines and trucks was built on the site. A repair shop and office space were located in the building as well. Factory-made steel trusses and columns were used in the construction....

This is a one-story tan brick building, with a flat roof, constructed by the WPA in 1940. A bronze shield is attached to the building documenting this. The building is located at the corner of E. Bowman and S. 5th. The entrance is a single pedestrian door, flanked by columns of standing brick for decoration. Four rows of darker brick run horizontally between the windows. The windows are four-pane casement, set in doubles and triples. Three overhead doors are located on the east side, with one on the rear. The building is an actively used shop, and there were many vehicles and...

One of the few Art Deco style dwellings in the county, it was constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds between 1938 and 1939, of a limestone foundation and walls. It features banded corner windows, offset entry flanking louvered windows rear entry and attached one car garage with walkout porch atop. Incredible limestone curved/carved fireplace surround and mantel.

"There were nine PWA-financed courthouses constructed in South Dakota during the Depression era. Although designs were not standardized, most were three or four story buildings designed in variations of the Moderne styles. Building materials and finishes included brick, stone, concrete, terra cotta, terrazzo floors, marble, wood, steel casement windows, and cast metal ornamentation. Most courthouses from this era are distinguished by their massing and form. Typically larger, block-like buildings on elevated bases, courthouses usually display symmetry with a central entrance and uniformly placed window bays. Detailed surrounds and/or projecting bays often emphasize the central entrance. Interior character-defining features generally include large...

This 1939 mural "Afternoon on a Texas Ranch" by Ethel Edwards was a winner of the Treasury Section's 48-State Post Office Mural Competition. It was originally located in the Lampasas post office constructed in 1938, but was moved to the city hall when the post office moved to a new location.

"The Lincoln County Court House in Carrizozo was a product of this time but it is now an annex to the main court house. The Women's Club proudly displays 1939 on its wall, another Pueblo Revival style of architecture. The curbs and sidewalks were made of rock, as was the sculpture of a spider occupying a prominent place in the park, all built with WPA funds." -Phyllis Banks

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers constructed an extension to the multi-purpose former community building and Linden Fire Station in Malden, Mass. WPA Bulletin: A ward meeting place has been built, recreational quarters added and library floor space doubled by a recent WPA addition to the Linden Fire Station, and branch public library, Maiden. The addition is provided with modern heating, plumbing and electricity. The expansion housed a small branch library, in addition to the fire station. The building has not been an active fire station or library for years, however, it remains the property of the City of Malden which utilizes it for...

"At the time the Louisiana State Capitol was constructed, it was considered large enough to house virtually all of the administrative offices and departments of the State government. This proved to be incorrect and due to urgent need, the State Office Building, often called the Capitol Annex, was erected about 400 feet distant from the capitol. It is a part four and part six-story building, rectangular in plan, with over-all dimensions of 130 by 260 feet, and in addition to a large amount of office space, housed the official board room and library. It has a...

Conrad Albrizio was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration to paint several murals in the foyer of the Capitol Annex. An exhibit in the foyer today explains that "Albrizio's murals in the Capitol Annex were designed to illustrate 'the achievements of the state program under the administration of' Governor Leche." They depict social security and social well being, industrial prowess, public construction, and health care. The murals have been recently restored by a conservator who "worked on restoration projects in Louisiana, most notably Conrad Albrizio's murals at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport and his students' frescoes in LSU's Allen Hall....

“The CWA was implemented to deal with expected high employment. The president believed Many Americans would starve unless given a chance to work in the program. The plan included a specific amount of money and time, and it was under FERA in the winter of 1933-1934. Later, the WPA finished projects begun by the FERA or the CWA. In Oklahoma this resulted in the construction of the Mangum Community Building and the Purcell City Building.” --Leaning on a Legacy

New York's 1 Centre St. Municipal Building received improvements as part of the New Deal, including new elevators installed in part by Public Works Administration (PWA) funds.

The records building housing the Illinois State Archives, now known as the Margaret Cross Norton Building, was built during the 1930s with New Deal funds. SJ-R.com: “A bunch of World War I records were burned up ,” said David Joens, director of the Illinois State Archives. “The archivist at the time, Margaret Cross Norton, who was the first director of the State Archives and a real leader in the archives field, had been lobbying to get our own archives building and that certainly served as the impetus to get it.” The building was constructed for $820,000, with help of $500,000 the state...

"The McCook County Courthouse consists of a hip-roofed, rectangular, three-story building constructed of concrete clad with brick in the Art Deco style. The front and sides are symmetrical with seven bays on the front and five on each side. There is a contrasting stone base rising to the sills of the first floor windows. The ground floor is slightly projecting and topped with a contrasting stone belt course, giving the appearance that the upper two floors rest on a raised foundation or pedestal. The center bay on the facade has an entrance framed by a slightly projecting stone surround. On...

W.P.A. project description: "Metropolitan District Commission Headquarters Building; painting, with two coats, all interior walls, columns, partitions, all exterior metal work, window sash and frames, rebronze all radiators and kalsomine all ceilings. The work will be completed about March 1, 1938."

"There were nine PWA-financed courthouses constructed in South Dakota during the Depression era. Although designs were not standardized, most were three or four story buildings designed in variations of the Moderne styles. Building materials and finishes included brick, stone, concrete, terra cotta, terrazzo floors, marble, wood, steel casement windows, and cast metal ornamentation. Most courthouses from this era are distinguished by their massing and form. Typically larger, block-like buildings on elevated bases, courthouses usually display symmetry with a central entrance and uniformly placed window bays. Detailed surrounds and/or projecting bays often emphasize the central entrance. Interior character-defining features generally include large...

The Georgian-Revival building that houses the MS FWC is owned by the state of Mississippi and was  constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The state has the right to terminate the lease on the "highly valuable piece of land" on which it sits. Concern has been expressed among some historic preservationists that the changes may present a threat to the building at some point in the future.

"Mitchell County is a prosperous agricultural district. Its sound financial condition aided by a grant from the PWA enabled it to erect a court house building and a jail building both much needed in the county. The upper picture shows the court house which is two stories high with partial basement, and the lower picture shows the jail. The plan is the first floor of the court house. The first floor accommodates the various county officials and the second floor houses the courtroom, judges' offices, jury room, and witness rooms. The exterior brick walls are faced with marble....

From the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: “The administration building and four log cabins built by the CCC at Mohawk Trail were featured in Albert Good’s 1938 book, Park and Recreation Structures, as outstanding examples of CCC rustic design and are still used today.”

In 1900 the city's old town hall was replaced with the present building serving as the town's community hall and theater with a stage at one end. A number of alterations have been undertaken over the years. In 1936, the WPA excavated and installed the current basement underneath the building. As the city's website explains: "Sixty feet long and the full 35-feet wide it was framed by thick stone retaining walls on the east and north sides, and a stone wall with window and door on the rear, west faade. The east side was formed of concrete poured into board forms....

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Municipal Building in Marietta OH, in 1935. "Before 1935 the municipal government was housed in an obsolete nonfireproof building with an auditorium seating 900 on the top floor, necessitating unsightly fire escapes. The new municipal building occupies an ample site and the project included, in addition, a connecting wing to a relatively new and modern fire-department building and the landscaping of the entire site. The new building contains quarters for all of the departments of the city government and also an auditorium seating 1,400 and a banquet hall with kitchen facilities. The construction is...