Education and Health Sites

The Works Progress Administration remodeled the Castroville School in 1939 under project number 665-66-2-541. The workmen added a two classroom wing on the northwest side of the building and a two classroom wing on the southeast side of the building. The wings were constructed using rock masonry with wood floors. The State of Texas formed Medina County in 1848. The county erected the first permanent courthouse in Castroville in 1854. When the county seat moved to Hondo in 1892, the courthouse in Castroville was converted to a school. The building is currently the Castroville City Hall.

A new auditorium/gymnasium was added to the existing Catchings school as PWA project 1288. Architects Hull & Drummond designed the alterations and additions. A $9,000 loan and a $9,163 grant were provided. Approval was received 9/13/1938, and construction began 12/8/1938. The additions were completed 11/2/1939 for a total of $20,386. The name of the town was changed to Delta City sometime during the late 1940s.

In 1933-4 federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) "workers in Pittsburgh had helped move the forty-two-story Cathedral of Learning at the heart of the University of Pittsburgh closer to completion." Excerpt from Alberts, Robert C. Pitt, (1986): "December 23, 1933. The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) announced it was giving a $300,000 labor grant for work on the Cathedral. Pitt contributed $520,000 in materials. Until the program ended on April 30,1934 a force of 1,259 previously unemployed stonemasons, iron workers, plumbers, engineers, and carpenters worked at the site twenty-four hours a week. There were unforeseen complications when it was discovered that the...

This classic one room schoolhouse received repairs courtesy of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). WPA Proj. No. 65-3-3714, December 24, 1935, $1,344 "Repair & paint Grammar school building excavate court & playground." The land was donated to the school by Andrew Cathay in 1879. Thanks to a community effort, when the school was threatened with demolition because of the expansion of the current elementary school, it was moved a mile to the town park. The building still exists and is kept in original shape. Occasionally, it is used to demonstrate older teaching methods to local students. There is an E. Clampus Vitus memorial in front...

The historic Cato-Meridian Central School building was constructed ca. 1939-40 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds.

A 2012  Nation Register of Historic Places Registration Form describes the restroom structures built by the Works Progress Administration circa 1935: "Behind the school, near the southwest and northwest corners of the property are two stone privies. Thought to have been constructed in the 1930s, possibly with funding from the Works Progress Administration, the two small buildings are identical in design. The small rectangular buildings are of rubble stone construction with a plain wood door centered in one long wall. The roof is side gable with wood shingles and exposed rafter tails." After a health department inspection, "The school’s trustees also...

The Cave Springs Public School is a K-12 school in rural Oklahoma. The main building was constructed in 1926. The WPA added this gymnasium in 1939: "This 'Y' shaped building measures 112' by 135' and is constructed from cut and rusticated, randomly laid native stone. The roof is gabled with cross gables and arched over the gym... The walls of the gym were constructed of double rock of about 18 inches in width. Concrete inlays create false arches on the front facade of the structure... The WPA's construction of the building has provided the community with an exceptional community resource... Massive double...

From Our Mark on This Land (2011): "If you have driven, hiked, or slept in the Chisos Mountains, you have experienced CCC history. In May 1933, Texas Canyons State Park was established; it was later renamed Big Bend State Park. Roads and trails were needed for the new park, and the CCC provided an ideal workforce. A year after the park was established, 200 young men, 80 percent of whom were Hispanic, arrived to work in the Chisos Mountains. The CCC's first job was to set up camp and develop a reliable water supply. The CCC boys faced many challenges, living...

“In 1935 CCC Camp Conner was established at the present site of the Shenipsit Forest Headquarters and CCC Museum." What is now the CCC Museum was originally the camp office and officers' quarters. "The Museum is located in the only remaining CCC barracks building in the State and pays homage to the dedicated men who worked in Connecticut camps. The museum features a large collection of tools, equipment, photographs, and memorabilia from the former Camp Conner and 21 other camps in the State.”

Elementary school built in 1935 with funding from the Public Works Administration and Proximity Manufacturing Company for the White Oak New Town mill village community founded by the Cone Mills Corporation, then among the largest denim manufacturers in the world. Still in use as an elementary school today.

Contracts for the construction of two high schools in Cecil County (Cecilton and Chesapeake City) were awarded to the Lang Brothers of Baltimore by the PWA in December 1938.  The $136,190 contract for the Cecilton high school called for "a two-story and part basement semi-fire proof, consolidated school building to accommodate 450 pupils." According to The Cecil Democrat, the contract called for "modern heating, plumbing, and electrical work." The facilities were as follows: Basement: A cafeteria, kitchen, boiler room, fuel storage room, and storage room. First floor: Six classrooms, a teacher room, an auditorium with stage and dressing rooms, and bathrooms. Second floor:...

The Cedar Avenue Complex was constructed in 1938 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). It began life as a county civic center in Lancaster CA, forty years before that city was incorporated (1977).   It included a library, memorial hall, courthouse and sheriff's office, as well as an older jail from the 1920s.  The simple Art Moderne (Art Deco) design was by Los Angeles County architect Edward C. M. Brett.   The Cedar Avenue Complex was successfully nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1990s. The entire complex was renovated by the city in 2014 and...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Cedar City High School in Cedar City, Iron County School District. Docket # 1033-R (Utah).

This large, adobe-built gymnasium is attached to the rear of a 1920s, four-room brick school house in the nearly non-existent community of Cedarvale, New Mexico. The gym was erected by the WPA between 1935-36, under WPA Official Project #s 65-85-402 and 165-85-2081. Both buildings are on private property.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Centennial Building in Port St. Joe FL. Past Use: Auditorium/Gymnasium. Present Use: Civic Center. The 1996 National Register documentation notes that the Centennial Building has been the site of centennial celebration of the signing of Florida's first constitution, which ran from December 7th to December 10th, 1938. The building was dedicated on December 7, 1938. It was also used for other political events and civic functions. Also fund raising events, such as the Fireman's Ball and the March of Dimes President's Ball, have been held in the building. It has sometimes been used for community Fourth of July and...

Originally constructed as a training school, what is now the Center for Hospitality Management at East Stroudsburg University was one of four buildings constructed as a New Deal project. Work was sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).

Originally constructed as Thomaston's high school, what is now the Center School was constructed between 1938 and 1939 with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. contributed a $129,375 grant for the project, whose total cost was $286,068. P.W.A. Docket No. CT 1019

In 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) furnished the cost of labor for the construction of a playground behind Center School in Hatfield, Massachusetts. The 35-man project cost the Town of Hatfield only the price of materials for the project ($982), while the federal government paid for the labor (3,028). The Center School itself was constructed as Hatfield's middle school in 1914. The building much later became the Western Massachusetts Regional Library and, as of 2016, has been vacant for about 10 years. It appears that the playground was demolished at some point as the aerial view of the site shows...

Built in 1939 as a public school in Holmdel NJ. Excerpt from the July 27th 1939 Red Bank Register: "Nearing completion at Centerville in Holmdel township is a new public school, the construction of which is being done entirely by WPA mechanics The Holmdel township board of education is supplying most of the materials and the WPA is supplying the labor, sand, gravel and concrete." Today the building is used for professional offices.

Central Elementary School in Union City, Tennessee was undertaken by the Public Works Administration (PWA) during the Great Depression. The PWA Moderne building, with a distinctive blend of classicism and Art Deco style, was designed to stand out from the more conservative architecture of Union City. Local reformers celebrated its "fireproof construction, circulation flow, ample light and air, structural insulation, sound proofing, sanitary floors, attractive furniture, drinking fountains, modern plumbing, and its auditorium," (Van West, pg. 114). The total federal cost for school construction reached $105,000, while student workers trained in wood- and metalworking by the National Youth Administration (NYA) furnished...

This two story brick high school building was constructed with funding from the PWA in 1936. It was designed by architects Knecht, McCarty, and Thebaud, Inc. of Grand Rapids, and Ralph L. Bauer, Architect of Traverse City. It now houses Central Grade School.

"During the depression years (1938-39) the Central Grade School in Anchorage was built in Art Deco design, as a PWA (Public Works Administration) project of the Roosevelt Administration." (ed.gov) The building was located on Fifth Avenue between F St. and G St. It is no longer extant. PWA Docket No. AK W1023.

A WPA press release from Nov. 1937 reported: "More than 150 schools have been repaired and the grounds improved and landscaped , and five brand new schools in the state were erected entirely by WPA with a small percentage of sponsored funds," among which was a new school in Kirkland, Washington. The precise location and the present status of the school building are unknown to Living New Deal. One story published in 2011 states that the WPA school constructed in Kirkland no longer exists.

The present Central High School building in Philadelphia was constructed as a New Deal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1,084,950 grant for the project, which was undertaken in 1937-1938. PWA Docket No. PA 1549. C.W. Short and R. Stanley-Brown: The first Central High School in Philadelphia was built in 1838 and was the oldest high school in the United States outside of New England. It was replaced in 1844 and in 1900. This project replaces that erected in 1900. The building provides an extensive administration suite including a doctor's office, an infirmary, 28 classrooms, a lunch room for 1,000, a faculty...

Downtown Grand Forks, North Dakota's historic Central High School building received an auditorium constructed with the assistance of the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the 1930s. The building has since been expanded with further additions. Federal Writers' Project: "CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, 1st and 2nd Aves. N. between 4th and 5th Sts., has an auditorium unit constructed entirely without windows. It was the first public building in North Dakota to utilize indirect lighting throughout. It was erected in 1936-37 with WPA assistance at a cost of $275,000, and includes a pipe organ, the gift of the Grand Forks Music Association."

The addition of an auditorium and gymnasium, since demolished, was completed for the 1924 Central High School building, along with improvements to the athletic field and athletic building. Architects N. W. Overstreet and A. H. Town designed the additions in 1936. Public Works Administration project 1148 was approved 7/21/1936 for $34,363 grant. Construction began 12/21/1936 and was completed 11/18/1937 for a total cost of $78,366.

Central High School was built in 1931. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) added a "school room equipment." The WPA cost was $3,085.66. The WPA also did work on the football field and grounds improvements. The WPA cost was $4,750.76.

The WPA built the music hall at this high school. This hall still functions as a music classroom, as well as a storage space for textbooks.

The Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration carried out repair work to the Central High School in San Juan.

The no-longer-extant Central Islip State Hospital "was the largest psychiatric institution ever to exist in the United States." Two WPA projects at the hospital involved the following: 1. "Painting brick walls of various buildings of institution, $23,557." 2. "Removal of old wood floors and installation of tile floors at institution, $9,755.46."

The former Queens Central Library, located at 89-14 Parsons Blvd., "opened in 1930 and was expanded with WPA funds in 1941." "The current Central Library is a product of its era. In the mid-1960s, instead of renovating the existing library at 89-14 Parsons Boulevard, officials chose to build an entirely new structure at 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, six blocks east. The older building was recycled as a courthouse. Its facade has since been incorporated into an apartment building called the Moda."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out maintenance work on the Old Central Public Library in 1935, as well as helping with clerical tasks. That library building had been funded by Andrew Carnegie in 1906.  It was replaced in 1960 and then replaced again in 2004 by the current asymetrical, cantilevered structure with its striking diagonal metal and glass grid, designed by Rem Koolhaas.

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 Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library.

According to Town Reports, works was performed at the CMS by the New Deal. 1933 The following is a list of the various projects which have been carried on during the past three months through the use of C.W.A. Funds. No.1 Rebuilding of 2,500 feet of road from State Highway to Central Maine Sanatorium; work includes rock base with gravel top, also culverts and guard rail fence. No. 13 Excavating under the cellars of three buildings at Central Maine Sanatorium. 1934 Report of Relief Work During the past year, through the use of C.W.A. And E.R.A. Funds, the following projects have been carried on: 9. Excavating under three...

"This little building provides elementary school facilities for the township of Manor, which is an agricultural district lying along the Susquehanna River. It is one story in height with a partial basement and provides four classrooms. The project included the construction of an approach drive and the landscaping of the site. The building is nonfireproof. The exterior walls are red brick, the trim, porches, shutters, cupola, and gable sheathing are wood, and the roof is slate. The floors of all rooms are maple and those of the corridors are asphalt tile. The project was...

Also known as Mustang Hall, the Central School auditorium was built by the WPA in 1939. A 2013 report on the school's history explains: "Mustang Hall also exemplifies the architectural characteristics of the Art Deco style with Mission Revival influences executed in a WPA institutional building... The Mission Revival style characteristics displayed include: the terra cotta tile roof, the stucco wall finish, and the gable roofs. Some of the Art Deco style characteristics include the flat roofs, vertical entry porch, and the chevron patterned tiles."

The Central School in DeRuyter, NY was originally known as the Central Grade and High School. This PWA project (Docket No. NY 6983) was completed during the 1930s. The building has since been expanded. The school was designed by Carl W. Clark of Cortland, NY and constructed by Kirkpatrick & Chappell of Binghampton.

The Downsville Central School in Downsville, New York was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $108,245 grant for the project, whose total cost was $232,607. Construction occurred between Nov. 1938 and Nov. 1939. PWA Docket No. NY 1634

Romulus Central School was constructed as a New Deal project during the Great Depression. Funding was financed in part by the federal Public Works Administration, which contributed a $129,681 grant toward the project's $289,095 final cost. Construction occurred between 1938 and 1939. The facility has since been greatly enlarged. PWA Docket No. NY 1500

The Central School in Salem, New York was constructed during the 1930s with the benefit of federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. 1505-DS). The original building is now part of an expanded educational facility.