Civic Facilities Sites

Danville, Illinois's Veterans' Administration Facility was improved as part of Federal Project F-55. The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted interior and exterior painting and decoration work at buildings on the grounds. The project "carried authorization of $3,100 for materials and a quota of 24 workers."

This auditorium/gymnasium, also called "Steiwig Hall," was constructed by the Federal Works Progress Administration between 1936 and 1937. To this day, it provides recreation and entertainment for the Valliant community.

The 1937 Van Zandt Courthouse was principally funded by the Public Works Administration at a cost of $142,000. The project provided much needed jobs for many unemployed citizens in Canton, Texas. The three story limestone structure has a cast stone veneer exterior with Moderne and Art Deco details.

Along with Tandy, Gamble, and Carver House recreation centers, Vashon Community Center was constructed as one of four community recreation centers to served the African-American population in St. Louis. Vashon Community Center served the population living in the Mill Creek area of St. Louis, MO which was a mixed use area with manufacturing and housing. Although it was built in 1936, it was not finished until 1937, a delay of 8 months which caused a great deal of controversy and claims of indifference by the city government towards the population. When completed, however it quickly became a center of the...

The original Vereins-Kirche (Society Church) was the first public building in Fredericksburg. It was used for church services by the different denominations in early Fredericksburg. “The Vereins-Kirche was also used as Fredericksburg's first school, established under Leyendecker in 1847, and also as a town hall, a fortress, a sanctuary, and, in 1896, a pavilion for Fredericksburg's fiftieth anniversary celebration. In 1897, however, having fallen into disuse and disrepair and regarded as an obstruction to traffic on Main Street, the Vereins-Kirche was torn down. When the Gillespie County Historical Society was formed in 1934, its first goal was the construction of...

OKState.edu: "The Administration Building, located at 831 Southeast 172 Road, is a one-story building, situated at the peak of a rise after entering the colony. Constructed in 1935, the building is the work of the Works Progress  Administration." "The method of construction, contribution of materials, and sources of labor were standard operating procedures for the WPA throughout the nation. WPA buildings are significant as  the program through which t hey were funded significantly reduced the economic and social distress of the national depression of the 1930s. T he Administration Building provides a legacy to the WPA through recognizable architecture by...

W.P.A. Bulletin, 1937: "he Memorial Athletic Field in the rear of King's Highway School is rapidly nearing completion. Last April the field was rather ugly, idle land. Now there is a quarter-mile cinder track, circling a seeded oval, portable bleachers, a memorial plot of war veterans with flagpole, a driveway from the highway to the field, a football field, a drainage system and a fence enclosing the athletic field."

The Shasta County Veterans Memorial Building was constructed with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) and completed in 1939. There is a bronze plaque near the entrance marking the contribution of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, i.e., the PWA. A 2009 article in the Redding Record Searchlight said the following about the hall: "Built with New Deal economic stimulus money during the Great Depression, the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Redding turns 70 this year and it's probably never looked better - belying decades of often tense relations between local veterans and Shasta County officials over the hall's operation and maintenance..." The...

The Veterans Memorial building in San Leandro was constructed in 1934 by the county of Alameda with the aide of funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  The building dedication was held on September 23, 1934.  The site was purchased by the city of San Leandro in 1933 for $65,000 and the building cost $80,000. It was designed by Henry Meyer, Mildred Meyer and George Klinkhardt and the contractor was George Peterson. A new wing was added on the south side of the building, with a cornerstone that says "1950" -- which is confusing since there is no other cornerstone or plaque giving...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) performed minor repair work at the old wooden Veterans Memorial Building in Walnut Creek, California. "Dedicated in 1925, Walnut Creek’s Veterans Memorial Building served as a meeting place for local veterans and other organizations and frequently hosted dances in the second-floor ballroom. For a number of years, the building also doubled as a County courthouse. The building was razed in 2006, and local veterans have a new building in Lafayette." WPA Project No. 65-3-2793, App. Date 11/20/35, $302, "Cleaning interior woodwork and painting interior rooms, halls and floors of Memorial Building." WPA Project No. 65-3-2703, App. Date 2-3-36,...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted work at the Veterans Memorial Building in Concord, California. "Constructed in 1929, The Veterans Memorial Building served briefly as city hall. Today, numbers of community meetings and social gatherings are held there." concordhistory.com WPA Project No. 65-3-2740, $302, App. Date 11-20-35, "Cleaning interior wood works, painting interior wood works in the county owned Memorial Building." WPA Project No. 65-3-2740, $225, App. Date 2-3-36, "Cleaning interior woodwork & painting interior rooms, halls & floors of the County owned Memorial Bldg. located in the town of Concord."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) employed 14 persons during the Great Depression in a WPA painting job on the 1932 Veterans Memorial building. According to posts on the building Facebook page, the building continues to house many community events. WPA Project No. 165-3-2146, App. Date Apr 2, 1937, $1,217, Total Funds $1,484, Average Employed 14, Federal Man-Hours 1,096, "Paint the Municipal Buildings in the city of El Cerrito, Contra Costa County and perform work incidental thereto. Exclusive of projects specifically approved. City owned property."

The Veterans' Memorial Building was constructed in 1934-36 with financial aid from the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) and unemployed workers drawn from the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA), which was funded largely by federal government assistance.   It is a beautiful example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, designed by local architect Rudolph Polley. It features a bell tower, a large auditorium, a serene courtyard and some interior detailing. It is in excellent condition to this day (2019). A park was laid out at the same time across the street, using county funds and probably relief workers, as well. The building (and park) passed...

The WPA built these two stone memorials in 1936. Whether they were both originally at this site is unclear, but they are now both on the lawn of the American Legion hall. The listed date is for the smaller of the two monuments.

W.P.A. Bulletin, 1937: "In the middle 1800s a two-story wooden building on Stevens street, Peabody. served as a town hall and later as the city's first high school (after Peabody became a city). But population increased as the city's leather business prospered and the old building became inadequate for changing conditions. So it was abandoned and seemed to sadly view the passing parade of modern life. Fidelity Post, 1011, 'Veterans of Foreign Wars, needed a clubhouse. City fathers donated the old town hall and high school for the purpose. A WPA project built a cement floor in the cellar, adding shower baths....

The Williamson Housing Authority built the Victoria Court Housing Project with aid from the Federal Housing Authority. The development consists of a complex of seven, two-story brick buildings laid in rows of three providing a central court (now a modern playground). The project still retains the clotheslines behind the apartment units, some of which were are still in use. The development encompasses the block bounded by Gum Street, West 5th Street, Willow Street, and West 6th Street in what is now called the West Williamson community of Williamson, Mingo, West Virginia. williamsonha.com: On November 25, 1940, ground was broken in West Williamson and on...

San Antonio's Board of Commissioners created the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) on June 17, 1937. On September 1, 1937, President Roosevelt signed the United States Housing Act of 1937. This created the United States Housing Authority (USHA) and provided $500 million for subsidies to be paid from the U.S. government to local public housing agencies (LHAs) like SAHA to improve living conditions for low-income families. SAHA made applications to the USHA for funds and the USHA agreed to provide financing for five projects; Alazan Courts, Apache Courts, Lincoln Heights Courts, Wheatley Courts and Victoria Courts. San Antonio enforced segregation in...

"The Sanitary Division, through a W. P. A. grant, started a complete renewal of the siding of the Disposal Station at Victory road. Included in this work was a general overhauling and repairing of the superstructure." The operation was located at the eastern end of Victory Road.

"This small village hall has a distinct Scandinavian flavor and might almost be standing in some Swedish village rather than in Bovey, Minnesota. It is two stories and a basement in height and in the basement houses a garage for the fire department, a large dining room, kitchen and pantry, storage space, and the heating plant. On the first floor are offices for the police department, the council room, a library, and a club room. The second floor is occupied by a large auditorium with a stage and dressing rooms. The building is steel and reinforced concrete with...

In November 1938, the Legion Hall in Decatur was visited by the State Fire Marshall. The building was declared unsafe, condemned, and no further gatherings could be held within the building for the safety of the public. The building had been built in 1927. The community applied for a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant to repair or rebuild the hall. Since the grants could only be awarded for community properties, the American Legion deeded the property to the village. The original building was torn down, beginning in February 1939. Plans for the new building called for a council chamber and...

"The quirky Graceville Village Hall was built with reinforced concrete in the Art Deco style in the late 1930’s by the Works Progress Administration."

The Village hall, as of now situated off River Road and 66th Street, was worked in 1934 through the assistance of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), as per "History of Inver Grove Heights: Minnesota's Treasure 1858-1990," by Lois Glewwe. Its area was once home to Inver Grove School, and a few blocks from the old fashioned were utilized to develop the new structure. It filled in as the gathering place for the town of Inver Grove before the village converged with Inver Grove Township to make what is presently known as Inver Grove Heights. Before it fell into neglect during...

The village hall in Maxwell, New Mexico was constructed as a New Deal project, most likely undertaken by the W.P.A.

The historic McKinley Village Hall was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Port Chester, New York's Village Hall was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during the Great Depression. The PWA provided a $58,725 grant for the project, whose total cost was $121,763. Construction occurred between Sept. 1938 and Oct. 1939. PWA Docket No. NY W1601.

"Mary Ostby is the Executive Director of the Benton County Historical Society. She says the hall was built in 1938 and commissioned by the Works Progress Administration as a way for residents to learn new work skills after the depression."

Original Use: "The building, one of the finest in the state for any village of this size, was made possible by the public spiritedness. of the residents of the community and the whole­hearted co-operation of the National Youth Administration that furnished all of the labor on the building with the exception of skilled craftsmen. "The main building is 78 by 40 feet with an "V for the public library that is 20x20 In the main building, which has a large entrance hall, is the auditorium that will comfortably seat more than 300 for events on the 19x26 foot stage where all types...

Morton's historic former post office building was constructed in 1937 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which housed an example of New Deal artwork (since relocated), served as a post office until the 1970s. It now serves as the Morton Municipal Building and Village Hall.

Constructed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) in 1934 as the village hall, this striking stone building is now privately owned.

The historic former Proctor Village Hall was constructed by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 1940.

Originally the post office, this building was constructed under Treasury Department supervision during the New Deal: "The Wappingers Falls Post Office is an architecturally and historically significant public building, deriving exceptional significance from the role that President Franklin D. Roosevelt played in its design and construction. It was among five post offices in New York State built in the regional vernacular style whose design and construction were monitored by Roosevelt. Constructed in 1939-40 in the Colonial Revival style, the post office was modeled loosely after the nearby eighteenth-century Brewer-Mesier house. Although the house was frame, Roosevelt chose fieldstone and brick as...

"WPA workers leveled sites for 750 homes in the Village of Greendale, an experimental "garden" community built from 1935 to 1938. The WPA's labor intensive work using horses, carts and plows contrasted with the modern technology used by skilled craftsmen employed under the Resettlement Administration. The RA built an electric rail line to bring skilled Milwaukee tradesmen to the Greendale site." (www4.uwm.edu) "Greendale was originally developed in 1936 as part of President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal in the wake of the Great Depression. With the purchase of 3,400 acres of farmland southwest of Milwaukees city limits, the federal governments Resettlement Administration had...

Architects Raymond Marlier, Edward B. Lee, William Boyd, and Bernard Prack designed the 3 public housing units constructed 1938-1940 in the Hill District. The USHA loaned 90% of the cost of the 3 projects. Terrace Village No. 1 was the second project for Pittsburgh, housing 805 families with an estimated cost of $4,950,000. The proposed project required the removal of 800,000 cubic yards of dirt from a hill overlooking a gully. No. 1 was constructed on Ruch Hill, covering 40 acres. No. 2 was built of Goat and Gazzam Hills, covered 89 acres, housed 1,818 families and cost approximately $10,800,000....

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Vine Hill School and Community Building (also known as Horney Buck School) in 1939 in Cape Fair. The building served as a school during the week, as a community center on Saturdays, and as an interdenominational church on Sunday. The structure bears a painted sign above the door that reads "Vine Hill Community Building, 1939 WPA." Above the stone header, a stone plaque reads, "School District No. 30." Behind the main structure there are two outhouses. The stone construction resembles the school building, which suggests that it was also built by the WPA.  

The Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for a municipal hospital for Visalia CA in 1936.  The 68 bed facility served the community of Visalia until 1969, when it was demolished to make way for the new Kaweah Delta Medical center (pictured).

Now a visitor center, what was constructed as a community center in Truth or Consequences was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. From The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties (2004): "A WPA project completed in 1938, the former Hot Springs Community Center is one of the best examples of the Spanish-Pueblo Revival style in Sierra County. On a concrete foundation, the building is one story with a flat stepped roof with parapets. The greater height of the central core of the building denotes the auditorium located at the rear of the building. Consisting of a steel...

The historic Jay Volunteer Fire Department building was, Living New Deal believes, originally one of several similarly designed school buildings built in the area as part of a New Deal project. Their construction was enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA), which provided a $178,140 loan and $56,289 grant, effectively covering the entire $230,491 total project cost. PWA Docket No. NY 2624

"It was not until 1936 that the statue found a suitable home, thanks to the Works Progress Administration, which partially funded a new park in the city at the top of Red Mountain. A 126-foot pedestal was built of local sandstone, and Vulcan was hoisted into place." (Wikipedia) The pedestal was constructed with WPA funds.

The W.P.A. conducted repair and improvement work on numerous civic facilities in Newton, Massachusetts, including at the former Waban / Lower Falls fire station.