Education and Health Sites

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Eden Grammar School in Eden, Concho County. The one-story building is a combination of brick and rock. The WPA plaque bears the date 1938-1940. The cornerstone above mentions the date 1941. A high school building next to the elementary school, and a rock wall around the schools, are unmarked.

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."

Then known as Edinboro State Teachers College, Edinboro University benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $228,000 grant for the project, whose final cost was $719,763. Construction occurred between February 1938 and March 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1856.) Four buildings were constructed on the campus, including a gymnasium, auditorium, and power plant. The present status of these structures is unknown to Living New Deal.

Edison Elementary School was reconstructed with New Deal funding following the devastating 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. Designed by Earle R. Bobbe in WPA/PWA Moderne style, Buildings A and B were completed in 1935. A relief panel, likely executed by a WPA artist, is located over the entrance to the school. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs,...

The  Edison School is identified as a project that received New Deal assistance in the form of Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in an article in the Carlsbad Current-Argus.

The Works Progress Administration completed improvements and repairs for the Edison School in South Charleston. The work consisted of “Painting and repairing Edison school, installing new fire escape.”

"The building represents, both physically and intellectually, the growth and evolution of public education in the South Park area of Park County. The original Italianate style portion was constructed in 1881, and it has remained in use as a public educational facility ever since. The 1934 Moderne style gymnasium/classroom addition, partially funded by the Public Works Administration, was designed by prominent Denver architect Frank Frewen Jr. Subsequent additions were constructed in 1947 and 1985."

The Edler School was constructed in either 1937 or 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It sat amidst former farmland that had been abandoned because of the Dust Bowl. The school is constructed from blocks of Dakota sandstone. It has since been converted into a private residence.

Edmondson Hall, originally the west wing of the Men's Dorm, is now part of Collins Living-Learning Center, a dorm and classroom building for undergraduate students at Indiana University. It was constructed by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) in 1940.

Originally the Morrisville Central School, what is now known as Edward R. Andrews Elementary School was constructed during the 1930s with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building was designed by Carl W. Clark of Cortland, NY; Kraft & Detor of Syracuse were the general contractors. The PWA provided a $185,625 grant for the project, whose total cost was $414,833. Construction occurred between 1936 and 1937. PWA Docket No. NY 1118-A.

Philadelphia's Edward W. Bok Technical High School was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds between 1936 and 1938.

Effingham, Illinois's historic junior high school building was originally constructed as the city's high school in 1939. Sometimes attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the building was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building bears a Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (PWA) plaque and a 1939 cornerstone. The building was designed by Royer, Danely, and Smith, and the general contractor was E. C. Childers Construction Co. PWA Project No. Ill. 1977

Originally constructed as a high school, what is now Eisenhower Middle School in Norristown, PA was built as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $487,086 grant for the project, whose total cost was $1,114,009. Construction was completed in April 1938. "The building contains 65 rooms, including shops, laboratories, music rooms, an auditorium seating 2,011 people, a cafeteria for 600, a library for 120, and 2 gymnasiums which when thrown together make a room 88 by 112 feet. There is an outdoor theater and stage, with sloping, sodded seats of 3,300 capacity. The building is fireproof. The exterior...

The El Dorado Springs "old" Gymnasium and a series of classrooms were completed in 1939 as a project of the Federal Works Agency of the Public Works Administration in 1939. The gym and attached classroom building is a red brick structure designed to harmonize with the old high school (destroyed by fire). The gym features a full stage complete with a second story property room and "crow's nest", as well as downstairs locker rooms. The lower walls of the gym and hallways are covered with pumpkin-colored oblong tiles, with plaster to the ceiling. Following several decades of few to no substantive...

Two separate WPA projects were initiated at this school that was built in 1930. Sponsor: El Portal Grammar School District WPA Proj. No. 65-3-3769, December 12, 1935, $2,567 "Painting inside walls, etc., on El Portal Grammar School." WPA Proj. No. 165-3-2074, December 11, 1936, $1,287, "Paint walls, window casings and make minor repairs to El Portal Grammar School, in El Portal, Mariposa County; also excavate and level school yard, repair road entrance and other work incidental thereto. In addition to projects specifically approved. El Portal Grammar School Dist. owned property." In 1963, a new school was constructed further down the road in a...

A former set of "Spanish-style cottages," known as El Pueblo, was created for married students at what was then West Texas Teachers College. The project, built in 1936, was enabled by Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds: a $27,400 loan and $11,105 grant. A 1936 article in the Canyon News newspaper says the cottages were "located on the northeast corner of campus and are situated in a semi-circle." Satellite imagery shows that the houses were located between Russell Long Blvd. and 2nd Ave.; and east of 26th St. Local sources (see Facebook link under Sources) state that each of the structures was...

Pennsylvania State University's Electrical Engineering West was one of a dozen buildings constructed on the campus during the Great Depression as part of a massive construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The building is still in use today.

The elementary building was part of 11projects undertaken in Pearl River County in 1937. The school building was projected to cost $14,000. Projects included bridges, buildings at Pearl River College and other local schools, and a new City Hall. Wilford S. Lockyer was the architect for the school project. The building is still in use as part of the Carriere school system.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) allotted $128,138 toward construction of a new elementary school. R. W. Naef was the architect for the two-story brick 1941 International style building. W. T. Beckelheimer was the superintendent of construction. An auditorium was added to the building in 1956. District Manager for WPA office announced the building would be ready for occupancy in fall of 1941. The building remains in use.

The Crosbyton Review reported in Dec. 1939 that, finished three years prior, Crosbyton's then-new grade school was "one of the most modern in this territory," and its construction was aided by PWA funding assistance. "The building contains class rooms, auditorium, study hall and offices," and still serves as Crosbyton's elementary school today.

Dryden Elementary School was originally constructed as the Dryden Central Grade & High School during the 1930s. The building was financed in part with federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. NY 1257 ). The building has since been expanded.

Farmersville received $47,000 of New Deal funds for an elementary school for migrant workers, according to newspaper reports of the times.  It is unknown where this school was built or if it was at the site of one of the three current elementary schools.   

Freeville Elementary School in Freeville, New York, was the Central Grade School. Construction of the school was enabled by federal Public Works Administration funding (PWA Docket No. NY 1257), which gave a grant of $137,025 to the school district for the project. The project's total cost was $344,769. Construction began February 1936 and was completed June 1937.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an elementary school near Marshall College (today Marshall University) in Huntington, Cabell County. The exact location and condition of this facility are unknown to the Living New Deal.

The one-story Colonial Revival brick building was constructed by a $14,318 grant from Public Works Administration approved 9/26/1938. Construction began 12/19/1938 and was completed 7/29/1939 for a total cost of $31,585. Edgar Lucian Malvaney designed the building and it was constructed by Flint-Jordan Construction Company. It remains in use as a school. Replacement doors and windows have been installed, but the interior retains its floor plan.

Prospect Community Elementary School in Prospect, Connecticut was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during the 1930s. The building is "a red brick Colonial Revival design" and has since been added to structurally. The PWA gave the community a grant of $19,675; the school project cost a total of $43,951. PWA completion documents declare that construction on the building began December 1935; the building was completed the following year. PWA Docket No. CT 1032.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) project No. 41,290 for construction of a school building at Redwood community was approved for $26,406. The Redwood History page reported the "final school" was constructed on a 10-acre plot. While it was being finished, it was hit by a tornado in 1941 and more than half of the classrooms were damaged. The opening of the school was delayed until 1942 when it could be completed. The building is still extant, though renovations and additions over the years have changed the appearance. It now serves elementary children.

Public Works Administration (PWA) project 1280 provided a grant of $16,411 for construction of a grammar school. Architect E. L. Malvaney designed the 1-story brick school. The Daily Clarion-Ledger reported both the high school and the elementary school were constructed with this grant. The project was approved 8/10/1938, construction started 11/21/1938, and the project was completed 10/28/1939 for a total of $35,074. WPA provided an additional $3,640 for the grammar school to add landscaping, playground equipment, and sidewalks in February 1940.

Federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds enabled the construction of the elementary school in Sinclair, Wyoming during the 1930s. The school continues to function in that role today. PWA photos at the National Archives actually deem this project the Parco school, Parco being the old name for Sinclair. The original owner of this project was listed as being Sweetwater County School District #3, though Sinclair is actually in Carbon County. C.W. Short and R. Stanley-Brown write about the PWA school: "The new building replaced a leased 4-room dilapidated wooden structure and two apartments rented for classrooms in an apartment building. It provides...

The historic 1936 elementary school building in Wyandotte, Oklahoma is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of 1st and School streets. The original eight-room structure measured 60' x 120'. The building, still recognizable, has since been expanded, and is still in use.

The PWA funded the construction of Morgan Elementary School in 1936. It was demolished in 1994 and a new elementary school was built.

The 1936 elementary school was Pubic Works Administration project 1002. Total cost of the school with the auditorium and gymnasium was $61,631. Architects Overstreet and Town designed the facility in an Art Deco style and Joe Barras provided a bas relief sculpture for the building. M. T. Reed Construction Company won the general construction bid, and plumbing was done by Davis Plumbing with Joe Williams Electric providing the electrical wiring. The elementary school was destroyed by fire in 1954. The one-story concrete building containing six classrooms, auditorium, and gymnasium were all destroyed.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a "two-room elementary building for Negro children in Boone," North Carolina. It was one of many educational facilities constructed by the WPA in Watauga County. A USGS map seems to show a school location in Boone in 1957 at 184 Church Street. A real estate listing shows that the building was constructed in 1937, which is consistent with the above information.

Public Works Administration project 4726 for an elementary school building was approved 3/21/1934 for a $20,000 loan and $8,232 grant. Construction began 6/18/1934 and was completed 5/29/1935. The Colonial Revival style building was designed by Edgar Lucian Malvaney and constructed by Currie and Corley. The former school was listed as a Mississippi Landmark and the Lawrence County Historical Society began work toward restoration and renewed use of the building.

Text from the state historical marker reads: This location has been home to a school building for the students of the Terrell area since 1901. The site was selected to serve the children living north of the Texas and Pacific Railway tracks nearby. A two-story building named the North Primary School was completed here in September 1901 at a cost of $9,000, and contained six classrooms with facilities for 300 pupils. Over the years increased enrollment placed greater demand on the primary school and other schools. In 1931 the Terrell School Board decided to erect new school buildings with financial assistance...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to Santa Marguerita Elementary School – then part of the Park Hill School District and now in the Atascadero Unified School District.  Only traces of the WPA work remain at the site. The work included repairing brick chimneys, moving a garage, and repairing school desks. The main improvements were to the site:  build a concrete retaining wall & backfill, level the ground around 'the teacherage' (school building?), and grade and level the playground, as well as build and repair play equipment. WPA project cards in the National Archives show that this work was originally approved...

"One of the highlights of the School Department this year has been the transformation of the Grammar School. With the assistance of an E. R. A. project and a special allotment from the State School Fund we have been able to move the Town Hall building a satisfactory distance from the road and change its position as to secure the maximum amount of light and heat. The schoolrooms have been moved downstairs and refinished with an ample corridor between, a large furnace, flush toilets, and drinking fountains have been installed and the playground has been graded. Under such changed conditions...

The West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind is located in Romney, West Virginia.  It has been providing an education for children since 1870. The vision/mission of the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind is stated as follows: “The West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind will be the center of excellence in the education of deaf, hard of hearing, blind and low vision students so they will achieve success as productive independent members of society…To that end…we provide students a specialized education environment where their unique skills are recognized and valued, they are given opportunities...

The WPA allocated $895 for reconstruction work on what was then the gym for the high school in Richey, Montana. The structure is now the gym for Richey's elementary school.

"Construct school gymnasium, including installing plumbing, heating, and electrical facilities; excavating; backfilling; and performing appurtenant and incidental work. Publicly owned property. Sponsor: Oil Trough School District #100." WPA Project No. 265-1-63-5, $11,244, application date 7-12-41, Average Employed 38. As best I can gather from talking with a few locals that were reachable, is that the current food bank is the former gym. The school district was dissolved in 1990, and the school was closed in 2005 with students going to either Newark or Cedar Ridge.