Community Centers Sites

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) refurbished an old factory and turned it into a neighborhood center, primarily serving impoverished children. The idle Muchenberger Center resides at what had been the corner of 5th Street and Sycamore Street before highway development in the area. News Express Now: "Between 1936 and 1938 Works Progress Administration workers worked with a local architect to modify the building and grounds to turn it from a factory into a recreational center." Today, the building is barely noticeable, tucked at the end of a long driveway north of Hickory Street between a highway interchange cloverleaf and the train tracks.

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."

An article in the Illustrated Daily News noted that as part of a group of 8 federally funded projects in the early period of the New Deal was "No. 3 - Construction of a municipal fish market in San Pedro. $205,000 will employ 130 to 170 men for 10 months." The Mission Revival style building exists today and provides fish wholesale to businesses and to the public early Saturday mornings from 3:30 to 7:30am.  

"The Gym is one of only two remaining WPA Project Gymnasium in Texas and has been fully restored to its original appeal. The Gym offers 7200 sq. ft. of space for reunions, business meetings, trade shows and family activities. Included are food prep areas, restrooms, with large showers and a refinished Theatrical Stage. Ample parking is available."   (https://www.quanahnet.com) The gym is also apparently now the site of the Pease River Cowboy Church.

According to an index of WPA projects in the national archives, the WPA did extensive work in Brentwood, including: installing water mains, constructing sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and paving and storm drainage. Records show the WPA also constructed a Law Hall for Municipal offices, a fire department and a community hall. The exact location and current status of these buildings is unknown.

"Munson Valley Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its landscaping and eighteen of the buildings.  During the 1930’s and 1940’s, landscape architects Thomas Vint, Merel Sager, and Francis Lange oversaw the development of the rustic landscape around Munson Valley at almost every level.  The landscaping of Munson Valley no longer has much of the original work of Vint, Sager, Lange and the CCC, but the layout and natural placement of buildings still remains. Some of the historically significant buildings within the Munson Valley Historic District include: Administration Building Ranger Dormitory Superintendent's Residence (now housing part of...

In 1938, the National Youth Administration (NYA) constructed the Murray Woman’s Club Clubhouse. It is made of limestone and was built in the Tudor Revival architectural style. During World War II, “The Red Cross set up hospital rooms in the clubhouse for training nurses aids. Members worked with the Red Cross rolling bandages for hospitals and in making kits for soldiers overseas and dinners and dances for soldiers were also hosted by the club” (Murray Ledger & Times, 2017). Today, the Murray Woman’s Club Clubhouse is a Kentucky Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is rented out...

This WPA armory was constructed by the WPA in 1936-37: "The Muskogee armory is a huge two-story, essentially rectangular shaped (260' x 160) building of cut, coursed, and rusticated native stone of buff colors. The masonry is of exceptional quality... Architecturally, the armory is unique as a WPA structure for its massive size, quality of workmanship, and its vernacular style."   (wpa3muskogee.pdf) The building is now in use as the Muskogee Teen Center.

The National Guard Armory in Greenwood, Mississippi was built by the federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) with the City of Greenwood and Leflore County as sponsors. Began in 1939, the building was completed in 1940, with the facility dedicated March 31, 1941. The cost was approximately $80,000. Architects were N. W. Overstreet and A. H. Town. Frank McGeoy was supervising architect until his death in 1940 prior to completion. Superintendent of construction was Paul Thomas. The building was of reinforced concrete with an 80 x 100-foot drill hall, 20-foot ceilings, and maple floors. It included a stage with 1,600 square...

Newton, Massachusetts's Senior Center was originally constructed as the Newtonville branch library. The building was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA contributed $50,040 of the project's total $102,011 cost. The Town of Newton's official site writes: "In December of 1939, on a cold winter night, an excited group of some 400 residents of Newton gathered in the newly constructed building at the corner of Walnut Street and Highland Avenue to witness the dedication of a new branch library in Newtonville. The new library was located where the Newton Club, a social organization, had been. ... After...

The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) funded the construction of a community building for the Nichols Avenue Houses and surrounding area, ca. 1943. It is unknown to the Living New Deal if this building still exists. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a federally controlled special authority. It then slowly evolved into today’s DC Housing Authority, an independent agency of the DC Government. The Nichols Avenue Houses Community Building was part...

From 1938 to 1939, young relief workers from the National Youth Administration (NYA) built the North Casper Clubhouse in the city of Casper, Wyoming. Upon finishing the structure, the NYA noted that the “building was planned to meet a pressing need in the North Casper community and has been extensively used by various organizations and activity groups” (Cassity, 213). NYA workers constructed the building using a unique architectural method known as rammed earth construction. The walls of the clubhouse measure eighteen inches thick and are finished with metal lath, plaster, and stucco. The original design of the building included space for...

There is a unique building within the historic district, the Ravenswood Community Center (JA-0177 and JA-177A). It was constructed by the National Youth Administration, a program under the “New Deal” program of Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The “NYA Hall” was built in 1938 in the Art Deco Style with the cooperation of the City of Ravenswood and the program was geared towards employing younger adults. At some point, it was connected to the McIntosh House via an elevated, brick hyphen. The McIntosh House was built c. 1890 and is Colonial Revival style. It is now used as a community center, either hosting city events...

The Oak Ballroom is situated near the bank of Lost Creek in the city of Schuyler’s Community Park (CX06-003). It was built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief project between 1935 and 1937 at a cost of $37,000. The Oak ballroom was designed by a local architect to reflect the popular Period Revival and Rustic architectural styles of the time. It is constructed from native oak trees and stones from the ruins of the Wells & Abbott, Nieman Milling Company. The interior features a wood dance floor, band pit, dressing room, bar, and ticket and coat check rooms. A hand-painted mural...

The Old Fort Community Building was built in 1937 with aid from the Works Progress Administration. Native river stone was used in its construction. It served as a community center and later an inn. Since 1973 the building has been home to the Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The museum interprets the history and culture of the mountain and foothills regions through exhibits and educational programming.

The heart of today's Greenbelt, Maryland – popularly known as "Old Greenbelt" – is a large, planned community laid out and constructed during the New Deal. It features community facilities such as a school, theater and community center, a large number and variety of housing, basic infrastructure of roads, water and sewers, and extensive landscaping and an attached forest.  Almost all of the original facilities are still intact. Greenbelt was one of four greenbelt towns initiated by Rex Tugwell, head of the Resettlement Administration (RA). Greendale, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee, and Greenhills, Ohio, near Cincinnati, are other surviving greenbelt towns; a fourth,...

"Constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Ozark Community Building was dedicated in July of 1933. The material used for the exterior walls of the building is native fieldstone, referred to locally as “giraffe stone.” The Community Building became obsolete when the City opened the new Ozark Community Center in 2009. While the building has a sensitive owner in the Christian County Museum and Historical Society, it has now been vacant for a number of years. Several areas of its fieldstone walls are in need of re-pointing, and the roof is compromised and leaking. Lack of interior environmental control...

The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) funded the construction of a community building for the Parkside Dwellings and surrounding area, ca. 1941-1943. It is unknown to the Living New Deal if this building still exists. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a federally controlled special authority. It then slowly evolved into today’s DC Housing Authority, an independent agency of the DC Government. The Parkside Dwellings Community Building was part of the...

The Works Progress Administration built the Perrine Community House in Palmetto Bay FL in 1935. Used by Perrine Women's Club, South Dade Chamber of Commerce, Village of Palmetto Bay.

The Works Progress Administration built the Phillipsburg Community Building in 1936-1937. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: "Through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Kansas realized many new public buildings and recreational facilities, including 58 community buildings like the one in Phillipsburg. The construction of the Phillipsburg Community Building in 1936 and 1937 employed about 150 area residents during the two-year project. Local newspapers promoted this as one of the largest community buildings in northwest Kansas, and it would consist of a large auditorium with bleachers, stage, dressing room, toilet and shower facilities, a library, and city hall office. Local architect Owassa...

Located in Anson's City Park, construction on Pioneer Hall began in 1938 and was completed in 1940. The Hall is 71’ wide and 121’ long with a “barrel” roof concealed by stone façade on its front side. The exterior is constructed of native stone that was provided by Works Project Administration (WPA) workers. In 1885, M. G. Rhodes hosted a wedding party and dance at his Star Hotel in Anson. One guest was Larry Chittenden, a salesman and writer visiting his uncle in Jones County. He was so inspired by the dance held that night for the cowboys and ladies that...

The Portales Woman's Club building was constructed by the W.P.A. It is still in service, and may have housed examples of New Deal artwork in its early days.

Built in 1937 to re-start a floundering city library system, to be staffed by Works Progress Administration librarians. Building continued to serve as the library until the 1960s. Currently in private ownership. Built of rusticated sandstone and unusual in the fact that the main entry in on the second floor. A pair of stone staircases provide front-door access. Adjacent to the building is on overgrown park with BBQ pits and picnic tables. It's unclear whether the park was part of the WPA construction.

"Pulliam wanted to give Loveland a meeting place 'solely for community purposes.' In 1936, he and Lillian donated the land and $20,000 to build the Pulliam. The 20,000-square-foot building was built by 100 workers paid by the Works Progress Administration, a Federal jobs program. The Great Depression had hit Colorado hard. 'People were unemployed and hungry,' said Wallower. 'Men rode the train from town to town, looking for work. The construction of the Pulliam Building was great for Loveland because it gave people jobs.'"   (https://www.pulliambuilding.org/)

"Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT) is a community theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina that produces 10 to 11 full productions annually and maintains a comprehensive youth and adult theatre education programs... Raleigh Little Theatre started in 1935-36 when a group of Raleigh performers joined forces with technical workers from the Federal Theatre Project to bring community theatre to Raleigh. ... Then, civic leader Cantey Venable Sutton started the Works Progress Administration construction of the main theatre, amphitheatre and Rose Garden. In 2000, the main theatre was named in honor of Mrs. Sutton. ... RLT was the first community theatre in the South to cast...

A WPA press release from Jan. 1938 reported: "Bayview, Skargit County, will have a new recreation building and the grounds improved with a WPA grant of $6,935." The exact location and status of the project is unknown to Living New Deal.

Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as in progress in an El Paso Times article from June 7, 1936 was the "construction of a recreational center at Fabens." The location and status of this project are presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a recreation hall in Vernal, Utah during the Great Depression. The exact location and present status of the structure is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

This tudor-style building in Recreation Park was constructed by the WPA in 1936-39, along with a pool and other park facilities: "In August 1934, the Village of Arlington Heights began to think about constructing a municipal swimming pool for the community. Walter Krause Sr. donated 13.59 acres of land for a park and pool (500 East Miner Street today). But, by September 1935, money for the project was still scarce and plans had yet to be drawn. On the last day to submit plans to the WPA (Works Progress Administration), Trustee Schneberger, Mayor Flentie, and Walter Krause Jr. went over to...

In 1933, acting under the leadership of Mayor Thayer, the local C.W.A. administrator, various actions were taken to stabilize the finances of the town and reemploy as many people as possible. Reconstruction Finance Corporation Grant Received during 1933: $19,820.75 Among the various project launched: 1-H Sewing project "supervised by Mrs. Blye Drew. Clothing of all kinds has been furnished, through the Poor Department, for the relief of needy persons. More than 400' mackinaws have been made and distributed to minimum paid 'Civil Works employees engaged in outdoor work, in this, the most severe winter we have experienced in a generation." (Thayer) No. 1 J -...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted numerous projects at Riverside Park in Iola, Kansas. "It wasn't until the WPA projects were built that Riverside Park received the beautiful football stadium, pool, pool building, community building, shelters, and one baseball diamond."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the gorgeous (original) Community Building at Riverside Park in Iola, Kansas. It is now known as the Iola Recreation Center & Little Theatre. GetRuralKansas.com: "The community building was built by the WPA program for the national guard armory. By 1941, it was changed to a basketball court and a small theater which was used by the school system for many years, as well as clubs, organizations and citizens of the community. After the school district built their own gymnasium, the community building is being used for indoor exercising, pick up basketball, and an area that's available for...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the striking municipal pool house and pool Riverside Park in Iola, Kansas. GetRuralKansas.com: "The WPA pool was one of the largest pools in Kansas, and because of its size, a new swim meet regulation size pool and a zero entrance, along with many other modern amenities, were built inside of the old pool."

Robinson Hall was constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. Discussions regarding the hall’s construction started in 1934 with Bismarck-based architect HM Leonard. According to Golden Jubilee, Robinson North Dakota, “A special election was held October 3, 1934, to issue bonds of $2,000.00 to erect a community hall. In August 1935, lots 10, 11 in block 3 were purchased for $100.00 from OB Wells as a site for the community hall.” Pete Konningsrud worked as foreman during the hall’s construction. The construction of the hall alone employed a great number of people from the area. According to an article from...

The Flanagan Center alternately also referred to as the Rockland Recreation Center was built in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration. It is a red brick and granite building with a small playground in the back. "Our indoor facility is located at 61 Limerock Street in Downtown Rockland, Maine and offers many Youth Programs and Adult Programs. It consists of a lined gym floor for both basketball and volleyball, a new Weight Room, and a game room. The game room, which is located on the lower level, has a concession stand, many table games, arcade games, board games, and a living...

An onsite marker reads: "Rockport School has served the town of Rockport for many years as both an educational and community institution. It dates to 1935, during the era of the Great Depression. One of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs to combat the Depression was the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, later the Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the National Industrial Recovery Act. Workers completed construction on the Rockport School, labeled Project Number 2813, under the PWA, and local bonds helped to subsidize the government project. The district had the structure built on the site of an...

This building was constructed as a community center in 1938 by the National Youth Administration (NYA) (which was a branch of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)).   It is a craftsman-style, one-story, T-shaped building constructed of native stone and wood. The front entrance has a porch and double doors. Above the door are the letters N Y A. There is an NYA cornerstone at the building's southeast corner.  It reads: National Youth Administration Community Building Erected 1938 Huston A. Wright, Dir NYA for Okla. Mason Hart, Mayor James Kelley, Eng. City Com. Hardin Ray, Dir. - Grey Garter C.B. Alexander, Co. Supt. - Lee Perkins Luther Lail, Bldg. Supt. - Lee...

Phone: 415-488-8888 The San Geronimo Community Center is home to Maurice Del Mue's 1934 mural, "Rural Landscape," installed when the building was still Lagunitas School.

A school in Hawk Springs, Wyoming was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project during the Great Depression. Construction was completed in 1939. School operations ceased in 1965, and the building has since been rehabilitated for community use. PWA Docket No. WY 1087

The fieldstone school was built in 1936 by the WPA, in part in an effort to help revive the town. The school closed in 1946 during a consolidation, and was later converted to a community center. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From contributor Lindsay Penn: "In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the Smithville Public School Building in Smithville, Arkansas. The WPA-funded stone building replaced a ca. 1872, one-room, frame schoolhouse, which had replaced the Solomon Schoolhouse (constructed ca. 1840) on land that is now part of the Smithville Cemetery. Smithville had served as the county...