Colleges and Universities Sites

Virginia Tech's Smyth Hall, originally known as the Natural Science Building, "was built in 1939 at a cost of $127,650," and was constructed as part of a larger Public Works Administration (PWA) project on the campus. It was part of a broader development of several buildings on its corner of campus that involved both the PWA and the Work Projects Administration (PWA). The building was sometimes referred to as "agricultural unit two," and has since been extended.

The Students Activity Building at the Virginia Polytechnic institute in Blacksburg, Virginia was built as part of a Public Works Administration (PWA) project in 1937. The original building was completed in May of 1937 and was 54,366 square feet. The building was renamed the “Squires Hall” in 1949 and then “the Squires Student Center” in 1970. Though the building has had two major renovations, and the outside has been substantially changed, the inner core of the building still consists of the original Squires Hall. The facility also contains two ballrooms, a 510-seat theater and dining areas.

Originally the Fine Arts Building, Texas Woman University's Visual Arts Building was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds in 1936.

"The Stadium at Cary Field was constructed in 1935 at a cost of $138,395 under a grant from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration. The namesakes of the stadium are Walter (W&M class of 1937) and Betty Zable (class of 1940), who made a $10 million contribution to William & Mary in 1990, adding the Zable moniker to the existing Cary Field. The construction of the stadium is distinct in that the primary entrance to the stadium is at the 50 yard line on one side, eliminating prime midfield seating locations. In order to secure the stadium, college officials...

Walter Williams Hall is on the northeast side of the University of Missouri and the arch is the main entry to the historical quad of buildings that are the oldest on the campus.The structures were constructed from 1935-37 with PWA funding and designed by architectural consultants Jamieson & Spearl. It is named after Walter Williams who was the creator of the first school of Journalism in 1908 and was the head of the Journalism School until 1930 when he became the president of the University of Missouri. The building was recently redone and still houses the school of Journalism.

Syracuse's old College of Medicine building, now Weiskotten Hall of State University of New York Upstate Medical University, was built during the Great Depression. Its construction was enabled by funds provided by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA supplied a $825,000 loan for the project. The building's cornerstone was laid by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 29, 1936. The building was dedicated November 22, 1937. SYR.edu: "A loan of $825,000 was given to SU for construction of a Basic Sciences building for the College of Medicine by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). In 1949, Syracuse was selected by...

Wells Hall was built by the PWA in 1938 to house the library, and is named after the university's first librarian, Edwin C. Wells.  Currently, it houses offices for Communication, Theatre, Modern Languages, Mass Communication, and TV and radio stations.  It has a brick façade with concrete elements that blend with the buildings throughout the campus.

Then known as the West Chester State Teachers College, West Chester University of Pennsylvania benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $240,924 grant for the project, whose final cost was $770,533. Construction occurred between February 1938 and May 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1873.) Seven buildings were constructed on the campus, including a library addition, dormitory, laundry, and heating plant. The present status of these structures is unknown to Living New Deal.

Built in 1939, this Works Progress Administration project was the Auditorium and Dining Hall for West Georgia College.

The University of Michigan's West Quadrangle was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. " proposal including a grant from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works of the federal government was acted on by the Regents by mail vote in July, 1938. The proposal contemplated the completion of the residence hall development of which Allen-Rumsey House was the first unit and the construction of another residence hall to accommodate medical students. This expansion was made possible by an outright grant of 45 per cent of the project cost by the federal government....

Then known as West Texas State Teachers College, the campus of what is now West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) was greatly impacted by the New Deal. Notably, multiple sizable construction projects were accomplished with the aid of Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. Many students were involved with various New Deal agencies: In the 1930s, "Frustrated by the parsimony of the Texas Legislature, WTSTC leaders turned to the federal government for help. By conservative estimates, approximately 25 percent of the student body worked for such New Deal agencies as the National Youth Administration (headed in Texas by Lyndon B. Johnson), the Civil Works Administration and...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of facilities for the West Virginia State University (former West Virginia State College) in Kanawha County. The West Virginia State University was founded as an African American college.

The National Youth Administration built a road for the West Virginia State University (former West Virginia State College) campus.  

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of a campus building for the New River State College in Montgomery. The University was renamed West Virginia Institute of Technology in 1941. Due to declining enrollment, the university moved to Beckley in 2015. The former Montgomery campus is now vacant. The exact location and condition of this facility are unknown to the Living New Deal.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of two additions on the northern and southern ends of Women's Hall, housing women’s dormitories at West Virginia University in Morgantown. (Project W. Va. 485.) The building is still in service today as a residence hall, under the name Stalnaker Hall. The brick structure was built in 1918, and PWA-funded additions were completed in 1935-1939. It is designed in Neoclassical Revival style. Stalnaker Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The McKee Building on the campus of Western Carolina University was built in 1938-39 as part of a six-building expansion of what was then Western Carolina Teacher’s College. The North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $110,000 for a new training school for teachers in 1937. An additional $90,000 came from a Public Works Administration grant. The brick structure has been refurbished and it currently houses several academic departments at Western Carolina University. Some of the original woodwork and chalkboard remain. It is named for Gertrude Dills McKee, first woman elected to the N.C. Senate. She served in Raleigh from 1931-1948 and was also...

"Simpkins Hall is located just west of Sherman Hall, on the campus of Western Illinois University, and opened in 1939.   The building at that time was called the “Training School” or “Lab School.”  It was here that Western student teachers, under supervision, practiced teaching in classrooms with actual students.  It served as a training school, until the school moved to Horrabin Hall in 1968.  Today Simpkins Hall houses the Department of English and Journalism. ...What is historically unique about the construction of Simpkins Hall is that it was built during the Great Depression, a time when unemployment was rampant and construction...

Western Kentucky University received money from the PWA for the construction of the Kentucky Building and of Cherry Hall in the late 1930s. WPA and PWA assistance also helped build a new music building. Henry Hardin Cherry Hall, named in honor of the then-recently deceased president of Western Kentucky State Teachers College (now Western Kentucky University), was project number KY 1043-R of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. The building was dedicated in September 1937, the month after Dr. Cherry's death and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The architect was Brinton B. Davis. The contractor...

Western Michigan University's Speech and Hearing Building, originally the Health and Personnel Building, was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant money (PWA Docket No. 1825). The PWA supplied a grant of $77,725; the total cost of the project was $165,681. Work occurred between 1938 and 1939. "Western still had no dormitories, so it was decided to build a combination Union building and girls' dormitory, which was finished by the fall of 1938 and named Walwood Hall. A men's dormitory, Vandercook Hall, was also built plus a student health and personnel building. Both of...

Western Michigan University's Vandercook Hall was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant money (PWA Docket No. 1590). The PWA supplied a grant of $128,160; work occurred between 1938 and 1939. "Western still had no dormitories, so it was decided to build a combination Union building and girls' dormitory, which was finished by the fall of 1938 and named Walwood Hall. A men's dormitory, Vandercook Hall, was also built plus a student health and personnel building. Both of these were partly built with Federal money as P.W.A. projects." (Yearbook)

Western Michigan University's Walwood Hall was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant money (PWA Docket No. 1590). The PWA supplied a grant of $128,160; work occurred between 1938 and 1939. "Western still had no dormitories, so it was decided to build a combination Union building and girls' dormitory, which was finished by the fall of 1938 and named Walwood Hall. A men's dormitory, Vandercook Hall, was also built plus a student health and personnel building. Both of these were partly built with Federal money as P.W.A. projects." (Yearbook)

The PWA built the Physical Education building at what was then the Western Washington College of Education (docket #W1049-R). From the WWU Library Special Collections site: "The Physical Education Building, designed by Bebb and Gould of Seattle, was completed in 1936 by the Henrickson-Alstrom Construction Company. It included a 90 x 100 feet gym, a pool, offices, classrooms and shower rooms." The building is now known as "Gym D." The complex is undergoing extensive renovations, but the original building is slated to be preserved.

Originally called the Auditorium and Commons Building, this 553-seat auditorium was built in 1938 with Public Works Administration funding. It's named for George Wilner, the first head of Wichita State's speech and theater department. It is still in use.

The College of Charleston's Willard A. Silcox Physical Education and Health Center gymnasium was a WPA project.

The federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of what was then the University of Arkansas-Little Rock's medical school; construction occurred from 1933 to 1935. The building now houses the William H. Bowen School of Law.

The William H. Robinson Science Building at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, was constructed as part of a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the Great Depression. A National Register of Historic Places nomination form states that the building bears a plaque stating that the building was "designed by Federal Works Agency architect John M. Carmody."

William Jones Building, formerly Albert Lewis Turner Hall, at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, was constructed as part of a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the Great Depression. The building has since been expanded. A National Register of Historic Places nomination form states: "Completed in December, 1937, this tall T-shaped and hip-roofed one-story building with a mezzanine and a raised basement is part of the campus building campaign sponsored by the Public Works Administration. Brick elevations in English bond are punctuated by tall windows with splayed brick lintels and limestone keystones. Limestone also is used for the...

Construction of two of the Windsor Halls: Wood Hall and Shealy Hall, was enabled by Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds in the form of a $247,500 grant. The total project cost was $604,813. PWA Docket No. IN 1368.

Plans for a new men's dormitory at Stephen F. Austin were approved in 1933. By the end of that year, President Dr. Alton Birdwell and Business Manager J. H. Wisely went to San Antonio to appear before the Public Works Administration (PWA) Project Committee to secure funds for the dormitory. In 1934, the Board of Regents issued bonds for $93,000.00, with the PWA lending funds using the bonds as collateral. Construction began in 1935 and the dorm was occupied in 1936. The troublesome construction of the men’s dorm nearly worked Wisely to death. Because of his work on the project and...

Woodburn Hall was the first home of IU's School of Business (now the Kelley School of Business, located in Hodge Hall). Woodburn now houses the African Studies and Political Science departments. It  also contains two murals by Thomas Hart Benton.

Originally constructed as a gymnasium, what is now Zimbar-Liljenstein Hall at East Stroudsburg University was one of four buildings constructed as a New Deal project. Work was sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).