The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was present in Death Valley National Monument from 1933 to 1942. CCC ‘boys’ built erected dozens of buildings in the monument, including administrative, residential, maintenance and visitor facilities. One important building is the Emigrant Junction… read more
“Emmons County Courthouse in Linton, North Dakota was built in 1934. It is notable for being the first Works Progress Administration project granted in the state. Seven courthouses in the state were completed as part of this program. The Emmons… read more
Emporia, Virginia’s historic National Guard armory building was constructed with federal funds and labor. The building, presently owned by Greensville County, also served as a school gymnasium. It has housed operations for the local chapter of the Boys & Girls… read more
“The Enid Armory, located at 600 E. Elm Avenue is a two-story red brick building, constructed as a WPA project in 1936. At the time, it was the third largest armory in Oklahoma. It is the only armory built using… read more
An ‘equipment building’ in Mott, North Dakota was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA supplied a $1,600 grant for the project, whose total cost was $6,192. Construction occurred between Jul. and Sept. 1934. The location… read more
The historic Erie County Courthouse building in Sandusky, Ohio was extensively renovated with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds between 1936 and 1939. [Note: Some sources mis-attribute the work to the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.).] The P.W.A. allotted $141,095 for… read more
Originally the Erie County Jail, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office in Buffalo, New York was constructed with federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. 1282-D). Construction began February 1937 and the building was completed in 1938. According to a local… read more
The Works Progress Administration worked to beautify Cleveland’s Erie Street Cemetery during the Great Depression. The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: “Complaints of neglect inspired WPA action, including erecting a fence fashioned from the demolished Superior Ave. viaduct’s sandstone. In 1940… read more
The New Deal built this humane society building in Escondido (near San Diego).
New York’s 15,000 square foot Essex Street Market, located along the east side of Essex Street between Rivington and Delancey Streets, was constructed with the assistance of the Work Projects Administration (WPA). The market opened in 1940. It was “one of… read more
This 1940 oil on canvas “Autumn Wisconsin Landscape” by Ethel Spears was originally painted for the Hartford post office. It is now located in the Schauer Arts & Activities Center.
“Built in 1935 and finished in 1937, this building continues to house a unit of the Oklahoma National Guard… Construction began in November of 1935 on the Armory. The building was constructed of quaried of native sandstone. The architecture created… read more
Architectural firm Bonsack and Pearce designed this building which was completed in 1934 by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. The building originally served as the Eureka High School. At present, it continues to serve the community as headquarters… read more
"A 1935 WPA project, the massive Eureka Muni is an example of the Art Deco style. Fluted piers separate the extrance bays between the heavy fluted corners. The section is embellished with abstracted, two-dimensional ornament typical of the style. At… read more
Portland’s “Evergreen Cemetery” was improved by the WPA: “In 1936, the Public Works and Park Departments received $86,875 in WPA funds for engineering, supervision, a portion of the wages of skilled labor, equipment hire, and some materials. The Park Department… read more
"Workmen are breaking ground for an $8,000 City Hall and firehouse, which will be built under the C.W.A. plan. Of brick construction, the building will be erected on the site of the old firehouse, which is being razed. The project… read more
The F. Edward Hebert Federal Building was built from 1935 to 1939 and is still in use. At the time it was built, the Treasury Department was responsible for all federal buildings. Formerly home to the New Orleans Main Post… read more
Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as completed in a Abilene Daily Reporter article from June 14, 1936 was “Repairs on a girls’ dormitory and finishing of an auditorium and recreation building [in] Ranger, at a total cost… read more
The Skowhegan State Fair is “The Nations Oldest Consecutively Running Agricultural Fair” Celebrating 197 Years. During the Great Depression, various public works projects were initiated in town, including the construction of a grandstand for the racetrack. According to the Independent… read more
Fair Park was expanded by New Deal agencies WPA, CCC, and PWA in 1936. The Dallas City Commission is considering to privatize Fair Park in 2018.
In 1935-36 the WPA worked on reconstruction and renovation of the historic 1794 Fairfield Town Hall building, including the addition of wings to both sides of building; basement improvements and utility upgrades; a new cupola to replace an older cupola… read more
Bellingham, Washington’s old historic Fairhaven Hotel occupied the northeast corner of 12th Street and Harris Ave. “A new use for a famous old landmark in Bellingham hes been found with a recently approved Works Progress Administration project designed to convert… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped create the old Forest Dale city park in the Sugarhouse section of southern Salt Lake City UT in 1935-37. The name was later changed to Fairmont Park (the adjoining Forest Dale golf course kept… read more
This red brick post office building was built in 1936 as Philadelphia’s Fairmount Station post office, and is now the Fairmount carrier annex.
In 1936, the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a wall on the west side of the Fairview Cemetery. The wall, which is approximately 1320 feet long, runs north to south along the east side of N. Harrison Avenue. The… read more
Excerpts from the state historical marker read: “Work began on a fifth Falls County courthouse in 1938. A county bond issue for $130,000 was matched with a 45% Public Works Administration grant in 1938. The cornerstone was leveled by the… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a sizable public building improvement project in Brooklyn, New York beginning in 1935. The project involved the “Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices” at more than 30 locations, including the no-longer-extant Family Court… read more
The old Fargo Arena was a short-lived recreation facility. Located at Island Park, it has been largely dismantled, though its shell remains. The facility was constructed in the northwest corner of the park, near the park’s present-day pool. A 1939… read more
The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve what is now the Fargo VA Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota during the 1930s. One project was described by the WPA in its project rolls: “[G]rading; reconstructing roads; sidewalks; installing sewers;… read more
This PWA building is the “large arena” just off Cameron St. in the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. “The new arena is of sufficient size to accommodate all livestock judging, with several classes being judged at the same… read more
From contributor Charles Swaney: “This single story elementary school with 2-story gymnasium was constructed with local bluestone as were 2 other schools constructed at the same time. The date of construction is well seen above the entry. Currently, the school… read more
The Works Progress Administration built a farmers’ market building in Palmetto, Manatee County FL. WPA work project no. 2301. The location and status of the structure is presently unknown to Living New Deal.
This two-story Art Deco building adjacent to Cleveland County courthouse was built by the WPA in 1940. It was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and removed in 2005, apparently when it was demolished. The Cleveland Historical… read more
The historic Federal Building and Post Office in Duncan, Oklahoma was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building was constructed between 1933 and 1934, and it is still in use today.
The Federal Building and Post Office in San Pedro CA was built in 1936 by the Treasury Department. It also formerly served as a U.S. Customs Office. The building has recently undergone a major renovation. The design is a good… read more
The historic Elk City, Oklahoma Federal Building / post office was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building was completed in 1936 and now houses the Elk City Board of Education.
The Federal Building in Grand Island, NE underwent an extension during the early era of the New Deal. “Supervising Architect of the Treasury James Knox Taylor designed the new post office and federal building in Grand Island, authorizing the final… read more
The Salisbury Post Office, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, was originally built in the 1920s. The U.S. Treasury commissioned an expansion of the building circa 1936 “which included a second floor and…an additional two bays on each end of… read more
The Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut was constructed with Treasury Department funds and completed in 1940. The facility is still in use today.
Constructed by the Treasury Department in 1938 as a post office and courthouse. It is still in use by the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota.