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  • Deming Public Library - Deming NM
    "The land on the corner of Tin and Hemlock, was acquired in 1921 for $900. It was not until 1935, however, that the library building was constructed with funds provided by the Public Works Administration. Although the building was remodeled and enlarged throughout the years, the original architectural style was preserved. Built of adobe with beamed ceilings in the original part of the building, it is a typical southwestern structure, featuring a beautiful Spanish corner fireplace in the room which housed the fine Southwestern collection. An added attraction were the hand painted windows depicting wildflowers of New Mexico. The latest addition...
  • Duncan Public Library - Duncan OK
    This WPA building was originally constructed as the general Duncan Public Library. It now houses the Stephens County Genealogical Society Library. "This one-story buff brick building, located at 301 N. 8th Street, was constructed by the WPA, as were several local school buildings. A bronze plaque at the entrance show it was constructed in 1937, however, the NRHP nomination form shows 1939. The Colonial Revival style was used, in lieu of the typical native stone construction. The architect was Kenneth T. Price... The building was placed on the National Register in 1999 (#99001427)."   (https://www.waymarking.com)
  • East Lake Branch Library Improvements - Birmingham AL
    The Civil Works Administration completed repairs and improvements at the Birmingham's East Lake Branch Library. The New Deal mural "Fairy Tale Scenes," painted by Carrie Hill, and commissioned by the Federal Art Project, is located in the children's room at the East Lake Branch Library.
  • Edgell Memorial Library Improvements - Framingham MA
    In 1935 F.E.R.A./W.P.A. labor painted Framingham's Edgell Library, and conducted plaster repair and woodwork varnishing. "On the outside the doors, sash, and some of the stone masonry were painted, and the rain water conductors were replaced or repaired." The W.P.A. continued work in 1936; "the building has been entirely rewired, modern control replacing obsolete methods, and many lights installed where there had not been any."
  • Elmhurst Branch Library Alterations (demolished) - Elmhurst NY
    A federal WPA-sponsored set of alterations, repairs, and general improvements was undertaken at the old Elmhurst branch library in Elmhurst, New York during the 1930s. The building was demolished in 2012.
  • Erie Public Library (former) Art Gallery Paintings - Erie PA
    "The Art Gallery, also on the second floor" of the main branch of the Erie Public Library housed, among other works, "Two interesting paintings by Harry Klopp, done under the WPA Federal Art Project, are Robin Hood and The Pied Piper of Hamlin." The library has since relocated, and the current status of the paintings is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Fairport Historical Museum - Fairport NY
    Originally constructed as Fairport's library, what is now Fairport Historical Museum was constructed with Works Progress Administration labor during the Great Depression. The building also houses an example of New Deal artwork.
  • Farmington Public Library (former) - Farmington NM
    "The library was founded in 1921 in the living room of Mrs. Lorena Mahany’s home at 506 West Arrington in downtown Farmington, New Mexico. Mrs. Mahany offered her services as the first librarian. In 1938 the library was moved to a new building constructed as a Works Progress Administration project located on the small city park at the corner of East La Plata and Orchard. The collection consisted of 2,000 books. This building was remodeled in 1961 and again in 1974. In 1984 the library was moved into the former First National Bank building located at 100 West Broadway in...
  • Findlay-Hancock County Public Library - Findlay OH
    "Finally, in 1935 the Findlay Public Library moved from the Courthouse basement into the old Post Office building on Broadway." The conversion was aided by the provision of a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant. Construction occurred between April and November 1935. The building, which has since been expanded, is still in service. PWA Docket No. OH 8140.
  • Fort Lewis College, Old Fort Lewis Campus - Hesperus CO
    The main campus of Fort Lewis College was moved to Durango, Colorado in 1956, but before then it was located at this site, 16 miles southwest of Durango on what was originally a military site, then a boarding school for Native Americans, then a high school, then a two-year college. Since the 1950s, this has been the site of the San Juan Basin Research Center and is currently connected to Fort Lewis College once more as an auxiliary campus used for agricultural research among other purposes. During the 1930s, New Deal programs contributed important resources to the campus: "Dean Bader faced...
  • Fullerton Museum Center (Old Public Library) - Fullerton CA
    In 1941, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a Public Library for the City of Fullerton, California. This replaced the existing Carnegie Library which was demolished to make way for the new building. The Public Library was built on the Carnegie Library site and on an additional plot of land just north of the original library. The library was designed by prominent architect, Harry Vaughn. It structure contains two wings and two courtyards. He designed the building with a mix of style influences including: Moorish, Aztec, and Spanish Revival. Vaughn designed another WPA project in the area - the original Fullerton...
  • Glendale Branch Library - Glendale NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a new public library in Glendale, Queens. The WPA also constructed additions to other libraries in the borough.
  • Glendale Public Library (former) - Glendale CA
    The old Glendale Public Library was built in the early 1900s. The WPA added two wings between 1940 and 1942. Unfortunately this building was replaced by the current library in 1973 and demolished in 1977.
  • Goodell Hall (UMass) - Amherst MA
    Goodell Hall was constructed as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. Construction occurred in 1934-5.
  • Goodnow Library Improvements - Sudbury MA
    The federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) conducted repair work at Goodnow Library in 1934. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) continued the work that year: "The walls were painted, ceilings whitened, floors oiled and a fine window seat built in the juvenile room making that room much lighter and more cheerful. The books are now clean and properly classified and the town can be justly proud of the library."
  • Grandview Heights Public Library - Columbus OH
    Opening its doors in 1924, the Grandview Heights Public Library moved to four different sites until arriving at its present location in 1936 where it was "built with WPA funds on land donated by George Cambridge Urlin, one of the founding fathers of Grandview Heights."  (ghpl.org)
  • Greenfield Library (former Annapolis Hall of Records) - Annapolis MD
    What is now St. John’s College’s Greenfield Library was originally constructed as the Annapolis Hall of Records, which served as the Maryland State Archives until 1984. The facility was constructed in 1934, and was funded by the Public Works Administration (P.W.A.). The land was deeded to the state of Maryland for $10, and Lawrence Hall Fowler was the architect. The building is part of the Georgian Revival style.  Originally, the building had a seven storied interior. The building was completely renovated from 1994 to 1996 as part of the conversion to Greenfield Library, featuring conversion to a three-story interior.
  • Gymnasium (former) - Meridian MS
    The two-story red-brick former gymnasium was constructed by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (later the PWA) in 1936-1937. It retains its original massing and pedimented parapet. It was renovated in 1964 to become a first floor library and second floor science laboratories/classroom space.
  • H.L. Trigg Building - Elizabeth City NC
    The H.L. Trigg Building, on the campus of Elizabeth City State University, was originally the G.L. Little Library and later the Thorpe Administration Building. It was built with Public Works Administration and state funds. It was dedicated in May 1939, along with Bias Hall, a women's dorm. That same year, the name of the school changed from the Elizabeth City State Normal School to Elizabeth City State Teachers College.
  • Henderson County Library (Old Post Office) - Athens TX
    The Henderson County Library in Athens, Texas, also known as the Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library, was constructed in 1935 as the Athens post office. The building has served as a library since 1973.
  • Howard University: Founders Library - Washington DC
    Founders Library, the centerpiece of Howard University campus, was built 1937-1938 with the aid of the Public Works Administration (PWA).  The official opening came in mid-1939.  The library stands on the site of the 19th century Old Main building, which previously housed most of the functions of the university. The Georgian-style edifice was designed by African-American architect Albert Cassell, who did several buildings on the Howard campus.  It recalls Independence Hall in Philadelphia.  The walls are red brick, the trim is limestone, and the roof is slate.  The clock tower soars 167 feet high and is topped by a golden spire. Congress...
  • Howell Library - Evansville IN
    Roof Cont: windows, rear brick chimney. Typical mid 20th cen library, completed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939.
  • Huff Memorial Library - Jackson WY
    The Huff Memorial Library (otherwise known as the Old Teton County Library) was a constructed by the WPA in 1938-1940. "The single-story log building was built to replace a library in St. John's House, and was named after Dr. Charles Huff, a local physician. Additions were made in 1945, 1959 and 1970."  (Wikipedia.org)
  • Huguenot Children's Library Improvements - New Rochelle NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve New Rochelle's, New York's former Huguenot Park Library (opened 1926) during the 1930s. The library, which was used as such until 1992. The building since reopened as a children's library. One WPA project, which involved numerous municipal buildings in New Rochelle including this one, was described by the WPA in its project rolls: "Work includes performing carpentry, masonry, and sheet metal work; excavating and constructing walls; painting, placing tile, and roofing." WPA Official Project No. 665-21-2-635.
  • Hunt Memorial Building Improvements - Nashua NH
    This building was originally built as a public library in 1903. During the 1930s, New Deal workers significantly improved the building. In 1970, the library moved to Court Street. The Hunt Memorial Building then housed the offices of the Nashua School Department until 1991. Since renovations in 2011, the building has been rented for events. Municipal reports from the 1930s detail New Deal work on the site: In his town summary of 1934, Mayor Lucier wrote: "This has been a year of much needed repairs both inside and outside the building. Here, again, federal aid stepped in and grateful thanks are due the...
  • Hunts Point Branch Library Expansion - Bronx NY
    "The Hunts Point Branch of the New York Public Library is the thirty-seventh and final Carnegie branch library to be built in New York City and the ninth to be constructed in the Bronx. It has been in continuous operation as a branch library for over eighty years." The library was built in 1929. From 1935-38, the library was expanded by the WPA, "with the construction of a rear two-story addition that accommodated a new activity space and supplementary reading room."   (https://hdc.org)
  • Hurricane Valley Museum - Hurricane UT
    What was the Hurricane Library/City Hall "was constructed in 1938-1940 as a Work Progress Administration (WPA) project. The WPA was one of several New Deal programs designed to stimulate economic recovery during the Great Depression while providing needed public services and facilities. Over 230 Public Works buildings were constructed in Utah approximately one half of them retain their architectural integrity. This building housed the city offices, library, police and Hurricane Canal Co. until the mid 1980s. The city then made it available to the Hurricane Valley Heritage Park Foundation to develop a museum. The structure is built chiefly of hand-hewn...
  • James Memorial Library Addition - Williston ND
    "Library additions were also constructed," by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) "such as the expansion of the Williston and Mandan Public Libraries ..." Living New Deal believes this library to be what since became known as the James Memorial Library, though further confirmation is needed.
  • Java Public Library - Java SD
    A WPA municipal building on Main St. in Java, South Dakota. It is now used as the Java Public Library.
  • Kanab Heritage Museum - Kanab UT
    The historic public library, now Kanab Heritage Museum, in Kanab, Utah was constructed by the federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) between 1939 and 1940. "The library is one of 226 buildings constructed in Utah under the WPA and is important in documenting the impact of New Deal programs in the state. ... Although the Kanab Library was founded in 1915, it was not at first housed in a permanent structure but was rather moved around to various temporary accommodations. In 1938, an $8,000 bond election was approved to build a permanent library, and plans drawn by the architect Carson F. Wells were...
  • Kenilworth Free Public Library - Kenilworth NJ
    Constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this public library was completed and opened to the public in 1936. In 1981, the town of Kenilworth added an addition to the existing New Deal Structure. Located in the heart of downtown, the library continues to serve as an important community resource to the public of Kenilworth.
  • Lamb County Library (Old Post Office) - Littlefield TX
    The historic Lamb County Library building in Littlefield, Texas was constructed as the city's post office in 1940 with federal Treasury Department funds.
  • Leslie J. Savage Library, Western State College - Gunnison CO
    From History Colorado:  "The library is an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style as executed by Temple Hoyne Buell, a prominent Denver architect, developer, and philanthropist. The library was constructed in 1939 on the campus of the State Normal School for Western State College (now Western State College) with the aid of Public Works Administration funds. In 1964, a newer three-story building was attached to the northeast corner of the original library by way of a one-story corridor."
  • Library - Blue Hill ME
    Built to replace the former library that shared an 1895 building with the town hall. "By the early 1930s, the Town Hall location was too small. Even though these were the years of the Depression, plans began for a new library. Adelaide Pearson, who had moved to Blue Hill in 1928, took on the formidable task. She was described as “a small woman who got things done” and had a vision for a library that was an integral part of the community, serving more than as a place to store and retrieve books. To fulfill that dream, she organized a fundraising campaign...
  • Library - Chesterfield NH
    The current stone Chesterfield Library building opened in 1939. Constructed as a New Deal project, the facility was built with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. PWA Docket No. NH 1130
  • Library - Dayton WA
    The library in Dayton, Washington was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during 1937. The building, which has since been extended, is still in use today. PWA Docket No. WA 1318
  • Library - De Pere WI
    The De Pere Public Library was constructed in 1935-6 with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. supplied an $13,891 grant for the project, whose total cost was $33,275. PWA Docket No. WI 1034
  • Library - Forrest City AR
    The Forrest City Public Library was constructed between 1938-39 and was designed by the Little Rock, Arkansas, firm of Sanders & Ginocchio. The PWA provided a grant of $10,791 for the project, whose total cost was $24,242. It was the first purpose-built public library in the city and was funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works as Project No. ARK. 1147-F. It has continuously functioned as a library since its completion. The only alteration to the building occurred in 1976, when a rear addition was constructed. The interior still mostly appears the same way it did historically. Forrest City Library:...
  • Library - Harrison NJ
    The Harrison N.J. Public Library was constructed in 1936-8 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $42,476 grant for the project. "The overall dimensions of the building are 94 by 60 feet. In the basement there are a community room, staff room, workroom, boiler room, and toilets. On the first floor are a reading room, a stack room, and librarian's office. There is an exhibit room on the mezzanine floor. It is fireproof with concrete floors, steel trusses, and brick bearing walls. The roofing is slate. It was completed in February 1938 at a construction cost of $79,041...
  • Library - Hobbs NM
    The Hobbs Public Library in Hobbs, New Mexico was originally constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The building has been renovated and expanded multiple times since.
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