Education and Health Sites

"The Anna Miller Museum, a place where you can walk back in time and relive the old west. Built in the 1930's, the museum was originally a WPA project for Company A, 115th Cavalry, Wyoming National Guard. Many long, hard hours were spent constructing the building out of 18 inch hand-hewn sandstone blocks, quarried from nearby Salt Creek. The museum was named for Anna C. ( McMoran) Miller, the daughter of a pioneer family, and widow of Sheriff Billy Miller who was killed in what is known as the last Indian battle in this area. In cooperation with School District #1 and...

The WPA reconstructed and earthquake-proofed the school in 1935.

Originally built as Ansonia High School, what is now the Ansonia Middle School was constructed in 1937 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The building has since been modified. "The plan of this building is a departure from the customary school plan. The auditorium is separated from the classroom wing by an open porch, above which are classrooms. The building contains 24 classrooms, administrative offices, a small clinic, a gymnasium, and an auditorium seating 752 students and having a well-equipped stage. The shape of the structure allows extensive playing fields on the property.   The construction consists of...

This high school gymnasium was constructed in Antelope, Texas during the Great Depression with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration. In addition to the native stone structure, the construction project included a septic tank, disposal field, and improved school facilities and employed approximately 20 laborers. $13, 622 of the total cost of $21,393 was provided by WPA while the local school district provided the remainder.

The Anthony Township Building in Anthony Township, Pennsylvania was originally constructed as a consolidated school by the Work Projects Administration (WPA). The semi-fireproof brick and tile building featured "four large class rooms, health room, boys and girls inside flush sanitary toilets, drinking fountains," among other things.

Appalachian State University, then known as Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C), was substantially improved and developed as part of infrastructure and building construction projects on the institution's campus. Numerous New Deal organizations, including the Civil Works Administration (CWA), Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Public Works Administration (PWA), provided labor or funding for the numerous projects undertaken at A.S.T.C. during the Great Depression. At A.S.T.C the CWA: conducted landscaping work; provided office help and laborers; repaired buildings; and installed a chlorinator (presumably for a pool). The FERA: constructed a gymnasium and a library; repaired a basement at...

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a boys' dormitory at what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C.). Work was completed in 1939. Per The News and Observer, "On a hill immediately back of the stadium is the nearly completed 65-room boys' dormitory. Well designed rooms, latest type heating, plumbing will place the brick building at par with the best student housing." The facility, which was located toward the southwest part of the campus, by the coordinates provided below, has been demolished.

A high school facility for Boone, NC was constructed in 1935-7* on the campus of what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College (ASTC)—now Appalachian State University—by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The building, known as Appalachian High School or Demonstration High School, is located on Locust Street south of Howard Street. * Note: Some sources date the project to 1938, though a WPA plaque on the building identifies the years as 1935 to 1937. AppState.edu: "Chapell Wilson was first known as Appalachian High School until 1965, when the school was merged into Watauga High School and the building was renovated...

The Dauphin Disco Dougherty Memorial Library, now known as D.D. Dougherty Hall, was constructed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) at what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina. The building was completed in 1935. Historic maps and modern imagery suggest that the building has since been expanded.

In 1939-1940 the Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed faculty homes at what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C.). The homes were constructed of brick or native stone. Per the university's website, the buildings were "converted later for departmental use and gradually demolished during 1990s." Also known as Faculty Row, the "series of small stone and brick houses built as faculty residences" once lined "Faculty and River Streets."

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) constructed a men's gymnasium at what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C.). Work was completed in 1934. The facility, which was located by the site of the current Varsity Gym, has been demolished.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided financial support for the revamping of the "power plant and heating systems" of what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina. The PWA provided a grant of $14,178 for the project, whose total cost was $33,860. Work occurred between Dec. 1937 and Jun. 1938. Per The Charlotte Observer, the contract for the work was awarded to Bagwell Plumbing and Heating of Durham. Living New Deal believes the (most likely-demolished) facility to be located at the south end of campus, on University Drive, by what is now the site of the...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed sidewalks on the campus of what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant for the construction of a new science building: Smith-Wright Hall at what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College in Boone, North Carolina. The cornerstone identifies 1939 as the year construction started, as well as the PWA project number and notable figures. The building was completed in 1940. PWA Project No. N.C. 1473-F

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a stadium and athletic field at what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C.). Work was completed in 1939. Per The News and Observer, the college has "a class one field on which to display their prowess. Naturally, the main item is a 2500-seat steel and concrete stadium. No, the college is not an adjunct to its football team. The sport is just a normal college activity here." The facility, which was located north / east of Rivers Street at what is now the site of Rankin Hall and Edwin Duncan Hall, has...

During the Great Depression the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and Work Projects Administration (WPA) helped to develop and complete the old Watauga County Hospital, whose construction had begun at the beginning of the 1930s. The building was later known at Appalachian State University's Founders Hall, and was dedicated as Watson-Brumit Hall on Sept. 18, 2021.

Appleton (West) High School has served as a high school in Appleton, WI since September, 1938. It was built by the Works Progress Administration.

Still unsure what exactly was built by a New Deal agency. More documentation needed.

Constructed with PWA funds.

The federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) contributed to the development of Rock Hill's Arcade-Victoria School. "School buildings and classroom additions went up at Central School, Northside School, Arcade-Victoria School, and Ebenezer Avenue School, with A. D. Gilchrist the architect for all these PWA projects." The former Arcade-Victoria School has since been demolished.

Funded by the Public Works Administration, the school cost $42,000. This work was supervised by W. J. Walker of the Olney PWA office, who supervised the Jermyn School construction.

The Archer School Gymnasium was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) with funding from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, as part of the New Deal Project 1189. The building was restored (with ADA updates) beginning with fundraising efforts in 2003. Construction commenced in 2007 and completed in 2011, and the building dedicated. It now serves as a multi-purpose center for the City of Archer. The condition of the Gymnasium Building is excellent; however the school was demolished in 1972. (New Deal Project 1189 also remodeled the auditorium of the school into classrooms.)

Built with funding from the Public Works Administration in 1939, Arcola School represented an upgrade in school facilities standards by providing a separate room for every grade. The four-room school replaced the one-room rural school school typical of rural areas. This was part of a larger school modernization effort across the United States. Arcola School was built during an era of segregated public schools and was the county's first elementary school for white students. From a 2009 nomination form of the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places": "This building was a school within the Loudoun County Public School System until 1977 and was then...

The Arizona Museum of Natural History is housed in a building that was originally the Mesa City Hall. The structure was built in 1937 with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds and labor, and was designed by Lescher & Mahoney. The new civic building complex  housed the new City Hall, the fire department, the police department, municipal offices, municipal courts, a jail, the city library, the Chamber of Commerce, new public restrooms, and other functions. At the time the complex was built, Mesa was a small farming community of circa 5,000 residents. The structure is designed in Mission Revival style with typical features such as...

The Works Progress Administration built additions for the Arizona State Hospital (also known as the Arizona State Hospital for the Insane) in Phoenix. The present condition of the structures in unknown to the Living New Deal.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of several new facilities at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe – today's Arizona State University. The New Deal improved many college campuses, including the University of Arizona in Tucson and Phoenix College.  Teachers' Colleges were often targetted. The building shown here is probably the back of West Hall, now covered by other buildings and the reception is surely in the lounge of West Hall. Known buildings have their own project pages.  Matthews Hall appears to be New Deal, but it is not certain.  More information regarding the location and status of all New Deal...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction a cafeteria building at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe (today the Arizona State University). The exact location of the cafeteria and its fate are unknown to the Living New Deal. It has probably been demolished.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the central heating plant at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe (today the Arizona State University).  The site was cleared in 2019 for a large hotel-retail complex.

There is a record in the National Archives of the Public Works Administration (PWA) funding the construction of a golf course at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe (now the Arizona State University).  It is unclear what kind of golf course is meant and where it was located, and the picture shows students putting behind a campus building – not a golf course at all.  There was a true golf course built northeast of the ASU campus, but apparently much later.  Further information is needed to verify the history of this golf course.

In 1940, the Works Program Administration (WPA) constructed the dormitory complex called Irish Hall on the south side of the campus of what was then the Arizona State Normal School, now Arizona State University. Irish Hall consists of three separate wings (A, B & C buildings) around a courtyard. The buildings are plain, two-story Moderne style structures with horizontal streamlining and metal frame windows.  They still function as dormitories (which means that today access is closed to the public). There is a WPA plaque in the entrance way.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the old Matthews library building at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe.  It presently serves as the Matthews Center on the campus of today's Arizona State University. The building is a low (two-story) brick building in neo-classical style. It has a large footprint, no doubt to accommodate book stacks in the past.  It is unclear how much modification has been made for its new life as The Matthews Center.   

The Moeur Building was built in 1939 by the Works Projects Administration (WPA). It is the only adobe building on campus and the design is Southwest (Pueblo) Revival. The exterior is intact and well maintained, and there is a WPA stamp on the front steps (though no plaque or cornerstone).  The interior beyond the lobby appears to have been modernized (but this need corroboration). The building is named after Benjamin Baker Moeur, M.D., who served as the official physician for the Arizona Territorial Normal School (now Arizona State University) and served two terms as governor of Arizona.   Today, the Moeur Building houses...

The Public Works Administration (PWA)  funded the construction of the West Hall, a girls’ dormitory at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe (today the Arizona State University). "Built as the last of four dormitories that created the quadrangle, a place that hosted many early student traditions, West Hall is the only of the four buildings still remaining. The School of Social Transformation, and the School of Politics and Global Studies now occupy West Hall." West Hall is a handsome, two-story brick building in neo-classical style. The columned portico has Paladian windows and the original light fixtures.  There are inset bas-reliefs set around...

"In 1937, the Museum of Fine Arts opened in MacArthur Park. Franklin Delano Roosevelt approved $25,000 from the WPA for construction of the 10,140 square foot building. FDR wrote a letter of congratulations to the citizens of Little Rock to be read at the opening." The original Museum of Fine Arts Museum entrance is now an interior wall of the expanded and since-renamed Arkansas Arts Center. "Located in historic MacArthur Park; contains an international collection of art and special exhibitions; live theatre performances for family audiences; lectures, films, poetry slams and family festivals; Museum Shop features works by notable artisans; lunch at Best Impressions...

This large school was built by the WPA in 1939 and is still in us. "Arkansas's WPA program began in July 1935 under state administrator William R. Dyess and provided money for numerous social services and infrastructure improvement projects.  Social programs in the state included the School Lunch Program, the Commodity Distribution Program, and the Adult Education Program.  While these programs fed, clothed, and educated many Arkansans, the WPA is perhaps better remembered for the roads, bridges, and buildings it constructed.  Pulaski County used the $13.4 million it received from the federal government--more than any other Arkansas county--for projects like the...

This Arkansas State University building was constructed by the PWA in 1936. It started as a Teacher Training School, before it became the current Sciences and Math building where many science classes are taught. It is still in great shape today.

Constructed in 1939, the Science Building of Arkansas State College (now the Business Building of Arkansas State University), was one of multiple New Deal projects on the college campus. In 1936, Arkansas State College added a Reserve Officers Training Corps. With this new addition, the program needed a building to have classes. Talk for the new building began in the summer of 1937 when the Board of Trustees began planning how the funds should be budgeted for the project. The building was built as part of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works project as part of the New Deal...

The federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) furnished the labor for the restoration of the last territorial capitol grounds of Arkansas, during the latter years of the Great Depression. The site now houses the Historic Arkansas Museum. The institution states on its website: " Loughborough began a one-woman campaign to save the block, lobbying the Arkansas Legislature for funding to restore the buildings and have them preserved as the Arkansas Territorial Restoration. The museum formally opened in July 1941." In 1940 the WPA wrote: "This project, located in the downtown business district, has restored the grounds and buildings of the last territorial capitol...

The Arkport Central School in Arkport NY is a K-12 public school that is still in use. The Public Works Administration made two grants, of $63,000 and $9,654, against a planned cost of approximately $192,000.

Arlington Heights Senior High School was one of five monumental high schools built in Fort Worth, Texas through the Public Works Administration (PWA). It was designed by local architect Preston M. Geren and built by Butcher and Sweeney in 1936-37 in the Georgian Revival style. The three-story central block is flanked by one-story arcaded wings. The landscape improvements were designed by Hare & Hare of Kansas City, MO and implemented by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The large campus was given a park-like treatment with a formal reflecting pool in front of the school and a long vista extending south from the rear. Also...