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  • 110th Police Precinct - Elmhurst NY
    The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a new station house for the NYPD's 110th precinct in Elmhurst. The project, built for $100,000, is still in use. Inside is a plaque crediting the WPA, with the date 1939, though the public does not generally receive permission to photograph it.
  • Armory (former) Improvements - Wallingford CT
    W.P.A. improvements to the historic former Armory building in Wallingford, CT, included: "Repair and improve state armory building" Official Project Number: 165‐15‐2102 Total project cost: $1,828.00 Sponsor: State of Connecticut Quartermaster General's Department "Paint and varnish interior and exterior of building" Official Project Number: 165‐15‐3014 Total project cost: $597.00 Sponsor: State of Connecticut Quartermaster General's Department The armory now houses Wallingford's police department.
  • Biscayne Park Village Hall - Biscayne Park FL
    "By a vote of its 113 citizens, the Town of Biscayne Park was incorporated on December 31, 1931, and on June 16th, 1933, a state charter was granted changing the name to the Village of Biscayne Park.  The Works Progress Administration built a log cabin, a clear and distinct reference to the Depression as well as to the simplicity of the American frontier days.  On February 1, 1933, at the height of the Depression, the Federal Emergency Relief Program provided the labor for the Dade County pine construction.  William Green, a resident of the Park, as well as a Councilperson,...
  • City Hall - Omro WI
    Omro's current city hall/administration building was originally a theater constructed in 1937: "One of the few buildings in Omro’s downtown built during the Depression years was this fine late Art Deco-style movie theater, which was built using federal W.P.A. funds. Although simple in design, the massive buttresses that line its sides give it a monumentality that is unusual for such a small building. During World War II shell casings were manufactured in the basement by the Speed Queen Corp. while movies were being shown in the theater above. Later, a ladder factory occupied the basement. In 1966, the City remodeled the...
  • City Hall (former) - Artesia NM
    The former combination city hall and library in Artesia, New Mexico was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1939. The PWA provided a $13,975 grant for the project, whose total cost was $31,250. Construction began at the end of December 1938 and the building was completed in July 1939. Artesia Walking Tour: brought several City departments together under the same roof, including the City Clerk, City Manager, and the Public Library. The WPA Sewing Room also was there, as well as an assembly room for public meetings. In later years, the Police and Fire departments...
  • City Hall (former) - Lake City FL
    In 1936, the Works Progress Administration built the Armory, City Hall, Police Department, and Fire Department in Lake City, Florida. All departments were combined in one building.  
  • City Hall and Jail (former) - Prague OK
    This former city hall and jail building was built by the PWA in 1936. "The building is currently the location of the Prague Police Department, with the municipal offices having moved to another location in town. ...The town of Prague applied for a grant and received $6,316 toward construction costs. The building was completed in November 1936 and occupied in January of 1937. The first public meetings were held there in March of that year. The PWA grants were for 45% of costs, and if the applicant was legally allowed to enter into loan agreement, the remaining 55% could be borrowed...
  • Fire and Police Station - Niles MI
    A combined fire and police station in Niles, Michigan was constructed as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The P.W.A. supplied an $40,050 grant for the project, whose total cost was $94,463. Construction occurred in 1938-9. Sources suggest the building has since been demolished. The exact site of the building is unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. MI 1524
  • Former Indiana State Police Post - Seymour IN
    The first State Police Post outside Indianapolis, it was used by the State Police until 2010. The Indiana Finance Authority sought to demolish the building in 2012, but it has been preserved, so far, Presently (May 2021) being used as a Covid-19 testing venue by the local hospital.
  • Fullerton Police Department (Old City Hall) - Fullerton CA
    The Old Fullerton City Hall (now the Fullerton Police Department) was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. It was completed over a 3 year span and cost over $130,000.  The building was built in a Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style. Key characteristics include its central 3-story tower and cupola. Decoratively, it has beautiful terra cotta and ceramic tile work throughout the building and extensive iron wrought elements. It’s a stunning example of New Deal architecture. Additionally, the former Fullerton City Hall houses a large 3-wall mural named the “History of Southern California” by Helen Lundeberg.  A new city hall was...
  • Golden Gate Park Police Stables - San Francisco CA
    As part of extensive improvements around Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built modern stables for the city's mounted police force.  The date of construction was almost certainly 1939, the same as the nearby Public Stables. The stables were built of concrete in the popular Mission Revival style of the time, with a red tile roof. The interiors are made of wood. Both the police stables and public stables, located close to the park's Polo Field, are still in use.  
  • Golden Gate Park Senior Center - San Francisco CA
    As part of extensive improvements throughout Golden Gate Park, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out modest improvement work at the Police Training Academy – now the Golden Gate Park Senior Center.   The work involved alterations to the main office and grading and paving a drill ground behind the building – now a parking lot.  (Healy, pp 70-71). It is likely that the work was done in 1938-39, when the WPA was most active in the park, but we have not been able to verify that.    
  • Hominy Armory (former) - Hominy OK
    "The Hominy Armory is a single story building measuring 257 feet x 141 feet. It was constructed between 1935 and 1937 by the Works Progress Administration. It originally housed the Hominy National Guard."   (wikipedia) As of 1994 it was still in use as a National Guard Armory, but it now houses the town's police and fire departments.
  • Kingfisher County Jail - Kingfisher OK
    Kingfisher is the seat of Kingfisher County. This building, constructed in 1936 as a jail, is currently occupied by the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Department as their county jail. It stands south of the courthouse at 119 S. Main Street. It was built with a WPA appropriation of $5,802. The building is constructed of large, tan-colored brick. The west and south sides have a metal security facade, however, construction can be viewed on the east (rear) side. This is a two-story building with an exposed basement. The windows are single units. A photo from the 1980's shows the openings once held 42-pane...
  • Midtown North Police Precinct - New York NY
    In 1938-9, the WPA built a new station house for the NYPD's 18th precinct on West 54th St. The building was designed to replace the older 18th precinct building on 47th St. The New Deal structure is still in use and is now known as the Midtown North Precinct. Construction of the four-story limestone and marble precinct building cost $558,233. Modern feature details were described in a New York Times article cited below.
  • Municipal Building - Lehighton PA
    Lehighton, Pennsylvania's historic Municipal Building was built in 1936. Its construction was enabled by the provision of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $20,455 grant for the project, whose total cost was $47,764. Construction occurred between Feb. and Sept. 1936. PWA Docket No. PA W1312
  • Municipal Building - Skiatook OK
    This building was constructed by the WPA in 1940: "A rectangular...structure, the Skiatook Municipal Building looks very much like an armory. It is constructed of dressed and lightly rusticated native sandstone laid randomly...It appears to be a military armory, but it was planned and has always been utilized as a municipal facility."   (www.okhistory.org) The building is currently occupied by the town Police Department.
  • Municipal Building - Springville NY
    This building was constructed as Springville's municipal and fire hall building by the WPA in 1936-1937. It no longer appears to house the fire department, but continues to serve as a municipal building housing the police department, court and other offices.
  • Murphy School - Murphy TX
    "There is a Work Projects Administration plaque, dated 1938-1940, on the front of the building, and the school's cornerstone references the WPA and the dates 1939-1940. A Texas Historical Marker at the rear entrance (which is the main entrance today) elaborates: " 'Murphy was originally called Old Decatur after the hometown of founder C.A. McMillen. In 1888 the town was renamed Murphy after William Murphy donated land to build a train depot and a post office. The Federal Works Project Administration (WPA) built Murphy School in 1939, which because of consolidation lasted only until 1950. The city purchased the building and...
  • New Mexico State Police District 1 Campus (former) - Santa Fe NM
    Located on the campus of the New Mexico Department of Transportation is the former New Mexico State Police District 1 office. Constructed as three separate WPA projects between 1935 and 1940, the former State Police campus consists of an administrative building (1935) and a later annex (1939). Both were designed in the regional Pueblo Revival style by Willard C. Krueger, the WPA’s chief architect in New Mexico, who would later design structures for the Manhattan Project. The State Police started humbly in 1905 as the New Mexico Mounted Police, a small division of equestrian officers appointed by the Governor under single...
  • Oaklyn Municipal Building - Oaklyn NJ
    The WPA constructed this brick municipal building in 1941. The building now houses the city police and other offices.
  • Police Department - Thomasville NC
    The Police Department headquarters in Thomasville, North Carolina was originally built as the community's city hall and municipal building during the Great Depression. Construction of the Art Deco-style building was enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA), which provided a substantial grant ($45,818 of the project's $118,344 eventual final cost). Construction occurred between June 1937 and March 1938. A National Register of Historic Places registration form discusses the building: "The Raleigh firm of William C. Olsen and Associates, Engineers and Architects, designed the building. Albert L. Haskins Jr. was the architectural associate, and Olsen was the consulting engineer. When City Hall...
  • Police Department Administration Building - Baton Rouge LA
    Originally the Louisiana State School for the Deaf, this neoclassical design building is now an administration building for the Baton Rouge Police Department.
  • Police Department Headquarters - Snow Hill MD
    The WPA constructed this building in 1936. It originally served as a firehouse, and now serves as the town’s police department headquarters.
  • Police Gymnasium - Los Angeles CA
    "The Los Angeles Police Gymnasium Building, Work Project No. 5034. Sponsored by the City of Los Angeles, is located in Elysian Park in the city of Los Angeles. The purpose of this project was to create a training center for the Los Angeles Police Department and to provide modern housing, recreational and administrative facilities. The building is located against a steep and wooded hillside and is constructed of reinforced concrete foundations, reinforced concrete exterior walls and floors, steel roof trusses and composition and tile roof. All interior walls, partitions and other framing are of wood.   "The basement, approximately 3200 square...
  • Police Pistol Range - North Scituate RI
    WPA crews built this firing range. It is unclear if the range is still in the same location or if the original structure remains.
  • Police Pistol Range - Perth Amboy NJ
    The federal Works Progress Administration constructed a police pistol range in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 1936. The exact location and status of the project are unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Police Pistol Range - San Francisco CA
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a pistol range at Fort Funston in San Francisco. The facility was: Built for target practice and competitive pistol matches with other police departments.--Healy, p. 70.
  • Police Station (former) - Stamford CT
    "The town department first had an office in the Springdale fire house and later was at the Springdale Rolling Mills. The guard at the Rolling Mills took messages from downtown for the officers and alerted them of a message by lighting a light out near the corner of Hope and Rolling Place. In 1941, the department head quarter was located on Haig Ave., where a two-story stone building was completed by the WPA. The town police department was equipped with a 3-way radio system and a 24-hour patrol was maintained throughout the territory outside city limits. In 1949 The Town...
  • Police Station (former) Pistol Range - Leominster MA
    The W.P.A. built a pistol shooting range at the old police headquarters in Leominster, Mass. The location of the old police station is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Police Station and Jail (former) - Atlanta GA
    The first major federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project undertaken in Atlanta during the Great Depression was the city's police station and jail. The PWA supplied a $257,000 loan and $97,460 grant for the project, whose total cost was $355,867. Construction occurred between February 1934 and May 1935. The exact location and present status of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. GA 2983.
  • Post Office (former) - Belle Vernon PA
    The historic former post office in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1940 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which also received an example of New Deal artwork, now houses the Southwest Regional Police Department.
  • Post Office (former) - DeRidder LA
    Constructed in 1935 with federal Treasury Department funds, the historic former post office building in DeRidder, Louisiana presently houses the Beareguard Community Action Association.
  • Post Office (former) - Morehead KY
    Constructed as the Morehead post office, Morehead's police building (previously the Municipal Building / city hall) was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds ca. 1936. The building houses an example of New Deal artwork.
  • Post Office (former) - Philadelphia MS
    "One of many public buildings constructed in Mississippi under WPA legislation during the Great Depression, the building has been well maintained and has retained its architectural integrity" (Weaver, 1995). The former US Post Office in Philadelphia was one of 32 post offices constructed in Mississippi under the New Deal Administration. The nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places described the building as "loosely Classical Revival with Mediterranean influence." Currently in use as the Philadelphia Police Department, the building retains its original wood and glass entry vestibule and other internal and external elements. A mezzanine level is on the...
  • Post Office (former) - Rensselaer NY
    The historic post office in Rensselaer, New York was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project with Treasury Department funds. The building, which was completed in 1936, has since been re-purposed as the town's police department building.
  • Post Office (former) - Rockville MD
    Constructed by the Treasury Department and PWA in 1938, and now used as a city police station. "By the mid-1930s, Rockville’s population was about 1,500, County government had erected the Grey Courthouse, and across the street arose a stately bank in the Art Deco style.  It was time for Rockville to have a permanent post office. The Federal Government paid $35,000 for the lot on the corner of Montgomery and Washington Streets, then demolished the small frame buildings that had housed the Sentinel newspaper since 1855.  Construction began in November 1938 and cost $42,000. Rockville celebrated the dedication of the Post Office on July...
  • Public Safety Building - Selma AL
    This Classical Revival style public building was constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds as Selma's City Hall. Today, the building is used by the police department, fire department No. 1, and the municipal court.
  • Redlands City Hall (former) - Redlands CA
    From the Redlands history page: "Built during the WPA depression days, the building has been designated as the future location of the Redlands Historical Museum. Replacing the original Richardsonian masterpiece that mysteriously burned in 1939, this civic style building with classic elements and artnouveau bas reliefs, contains multiple styles, as if it was built by committee...it was!" This building now serves as the Administrative Offices for the Redlands Police Department. The new city hall is located directly across the street.
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