Education and Health Sites

The former high school building on School St. in New Woodstock, New York was constructed in 1938 as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The building, which has been added to since its construction, is now privately owned and. As of 2017, it appears to be used primarily as storage, although the U.S. Postal Service is also a tenant in the south wing (an extension) of the building. P.W.A. Docket No. NY 1489-D.S.

A high school construction project in Nortonville, Kansas was undertaken as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The project was mutually sponsored by Jefferson and Atchison counties (Nortonville lies right on the county line, in Jefferson). The PWA provided an $30,272 grant for the project, whose total cost was $59,407. Construction started in Jan. 1937 and was completed in Jul. 1937. As of 2023 the building is privately owned, and appear to be a residence. PWA Docket No. Kan. 1068.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided funds to construct a new school building in Old Glory after the older school burned. Demolition of the burned school was included in the project. Salvaged bricks from the old structure were used, as well as new materials. The school district provided $25,784.75 and WPA provided $5,960. Project supervisor was W. R. Scott and employed 55 men for five months to construct the new building and adjacent grounds beautification. The new building was dedicated January 1938 and contained 11 rooms and a combination gymnasium-auditorium. The auditorium seated 500.An $8,000 bond issue was voted in...

A high school in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania was constructed between March 1936 and April 1937, enabled by the provision of a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant. The New Deal grant amounted to $144,855 toward the $322,230 eventual total cost of the project. The location of the building is unknown to Living New Deal, though we suspect it has since been demolished. PWA Docket No. Penn. 1171

The old high school in Beacon, New York served as the city's high school from 1913 to 2002. An extension was built to the school during the 1930s with federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. NY 1217-DS).

The former high school in Buffalo, Wyoming received an addition as part of a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project during the Great Depression. Construction was completed in 1936. The location and present status of the building is unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. WY 1008-R

During the Great Depression, the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a grant enabling the construction of a new addition to the then-high school in Craig, Colorado. Construction occurred between 1935 and 1936. The exact location and status of the building are presently unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. CO 1056

A high school addition project was undertaken in Danbury as a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. Living New Deal believes this to be Danbury's former high school, now known as White Hall or Ives Concert Hall. Located at the northeast corner of White Street and 5th Avenue, the building was originally constructed in 1925. The P.W.A. supplied a $52,600 grant for the project, whose total cost was $583,095. Construction occurred between Aug. 1938 and Apr. 1939. P.W.A. Docket No. CT 1258

An addition to the former high school in Green River, Wyoming was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project during the Great Depression. Construction was completed in 1937. The exact location and status of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. WY 1030-D

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a two-story addition to the old high school in Plattsburgh, New York. The addition was completed in 1938. However, the exact location and present status of the building is unknown to Living New Deal.

The former high school in Riverton, Wyoming received a two-wing addition as part of a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project during the Great Depression. Construction was completed in 1936. The location and present status of the building is unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. WY 1015-R

The former high school in Waltham, Massachusetts, now John W. McDevitt Middle School, received an addition as part of a New Deal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. Construction occurred in 1935. PWA Docket No. MA 5042

"In 1938, 15 new classrooms and an auditorium/gymnasium were approved by the Board of Education. The proposed total cost was $194,402 with $85,612 (45%) coming from a Federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) grant listed under 'P.W.A. - Docket-No. OH-1673 F' and the remaining amount collected from a bond issue, which voters passed during a special election on August 6, 1938. The project formally started on July 22, 1938 and was completed September 5, 1939." (Wikipedia) The building is now called McCormick Middle School.

An addition to a former high school building in Lovell, Wyoming was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project during the Great Depression. PWA Docket No. WY 1067 Furthermore, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted improvement work at a former high school building in Lovell, Wyoming in 1933/4: " The flooring and stairways in the Lovell high school were torn out and replaced with concrete structures." The location and status of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.

Public Works Project Mississippi 110 enlarged the Canton High School. The addition added a gymnasium with stadium seating, 11 classrooms, library, study hall, dark room, music room and recital hall, club room, clinic, principal's office, restrooms, athletic director's office, janitorial and storage rooms (Mansell, 1998). The building has not been used for education purposes since 1969.

Easton, Kansas's 1920 Rural High School building received an addition of an auditorium / gymnasium as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA provided an $11,045 grant for the project, whose total cost was $24,612. Construction started in Oct. 1938 and was completed in Feb. 1939. As of 2023 the property is privately owned. PWA Docket No. Kan. 1372.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) approved & appropriated $20,947 toward the construction of this auditorium/gymnasium at what had been the high school in Plevna, Kansas in Aug. 1937. The school board raised another $20,000 in bonds. The building was completed in July 1938. It sat 500 for basketball and 1000 auditorium style. Features included dressing and shower rooms for both boys and girls; two additional rooms designed for manual arts and domestic science; and even a projection booth for motion pictures. Engineers on the project were Hefling-Hughes of Hutchinson. The structure is located at the southeast corner of S Main St....

"Work is expected to start November 29th for the improvement of the grounds and the construction of tennis courts, grandstnnd and other recreational appurtenances for the Arlington High School, Arlington, Snohomish County ... t was stated that this would be the only tennis court in the town and that over 600 enthusiastic citizens would be benefited. The WPA allotment for labor on the project amounts to $6,598 to which the School Board contributed $3,351.20 for equipment and material. Fifteen men will be employed some eight months to complete the work in time for the tennis season next year."

All 17 schoolhouses in Framingham, Massachusetts were painted, remodeled, and/or repaired with federally funded labor during the Great Depression. At the former High School (now Danforth Art Museum) the Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) conducted maintenance work in 1933. Heating facilities in the school's gymnasium were improved the following year, and further maintenance continued with New Deal labor. Most significantly, under a project begun by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.), the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) constructed a six-room addition to the school. Further improvements included the installation of a Public Address system. "Through a W.P.A. project, the necessary wires were installed from...

The federal Works Progress Administration conducted landscaping and road work at the old Little Silver Boro High School. According to local resident Barry Berdahl, the "Little Silver School/Boro Hall was knocked down in the late 50s and replaced with a new brick Boro Hall."

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) improved Mattoon, Illinois's old high school ca. 1933-4. A CWA document photo is captioned: "A crew of painters refinishing exposed exterior wood work on a high school in Mattoon." The exact location and present status of the facility in question is unknown to Living New Deal.

The federal Works Progress Administration improved Neptune Township High School, New Jersey ca. 1936. Work involved the repair of the school interior and reapplying stucco to its exterior. The exact location and status of the old high school is unknown to Living New Deal. WPA N.J. Project No. 5-194.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) undertook a project conducting "painting and repairs to the old High School building" in New Castle, Delaware. The facility in question is unclear to Living New Deal.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) undertook a project to paint and install new steps at what was then the high school in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. The location and status of this facility is unknown to Living New Deal, though we believe it to be no longer extant.

Oxford, Massachusetts's old high school received assistance from multiple New Deal programs during the 1930s. In 1933 the Civil Works Administration (CWA) painted  and decorated the school building, a project continued under the federal Emergency Relief Administration. The building, now known as the Norman J. LeBlanc, Sr., Memorial Building, now houses private offices.

The Civil Works Administration "refinished" the Reading High School building in a project completed in early 1934. There is no more high school in Reading; its location and present status are presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The historic 1941 high school and gymnasium facility in Fairland, Oklahoma was constructed by the Work Projects Administration (WPA). With walls built half out of native stone and half of recycled bricks, the building was most unusual. The structure has been integrated into a larger educational complex that has been built around it.

Constructed by the WPA in 1935 out of native rock. The building was demolished years ago.

The Works Progress Administration built an addition for the Binger High School. Contributor note: "The current Binger-Oney High School is a recent building located at 323 S. Apache. On the eastern part of the school grounds at the corner of W. Cedar Street and S. Broadway, this WPA construction is a two-story brick auditorium to the original one-story school which is no longer visible from the street. This addition was constructed in 1936 and is listed as an "addition, porch and entry". The brick building is painted a cream color and has a beautiful mural painted on the north side. The east entrance...

Then the Gallatin County High School, architect Fred Willson -- who'd just designed the county's new courthouse -- was tapped by the WPA to design an addition to the 1902 high school building at 404 West Main Street. The building now houses the Bridger Alternative School.

"This school addition, built by the WPA, is adjacent to the Guthrie Jr. High School... The Guthrie Junior High School was constructed in 1924, originally as the Guthrie High School. It is a beautiful brick and stone building, immediately adjacent to the east of this addition. This WPA-constructed building has no shield or identifier, but is shown on a list of WPA properties in Logan County. The contractor is shown as Chas. M. Moureau Company. The property is shown as being at Oklahoma and Maple, but is most likely addressed as 705 E. Oklahoma, the school address... The building is not attached to...

The old high school in Hartsville, South Carolina featured a large New Deal-funded addition courtesy the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The exact location and current status of the site is presently unknown to Living New Deal. "The city of Hartsville, 70 miles northeast of Columbia in Darlington County, had inadequate school facilities with no means of giving courses in manual training or domestic science and no auditorium. The school authorities secured a grant from the P. W. A. and together with local funds carried out this project which included the addition of two 3-story wings to the existing high school,...

This building was designed by architectural firm Bonsack and Pearce and constructed by the Public Works Administration for the Jackson Grade School in 1939. Although it is not apparent from the outside, the addition that was initially built for the grade school has been seamlessly absorbed by the adjacent and expanding Jackson High School. While the building has been updated with lighting and projection capabilities, it retains many original elements. The original exterior is visible on the north side of the addition. The original features of the auditorium and the wall tile in the adjacent surrounding halls have been retained. The...

New Deal high school addition in Corona, CA.

The Works Progress Administration built a new high school and athletic field in Griswold CT. The school was built in Moderne style with brick veneer walls. Pictured is a football game in progress, circa 1937. The exact location and condition of this structure are unknown to the Living New Deal.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Decatur High School and Gymnasium/Auditorium between 1938 and 1940. Three WPA plaques were found on this complex of buildings. One plaque found on entrance near the flag pole where it now says Decatur ISD Administration. One plaque found near tower entrance on the north side of the building. One plaque on the separate gymnasium/auditorium.

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer reported in September 1934 that one of the first PWA-sponsored projects to be completed in the state was a new $55,000 high school building in the town of St. Regis. The building, located at 90 Tiger St., continues to serve as part of an expanded K-12 school complex.

The WPA photo pictured here shows an athletic field constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for West Rutland High School. The photo is dated to 1937. The Living New Deal does not know the current status of the athletic field.  

The Works Progress Administration built a high school athletic field and grandstand in Worland, Washakie County. The exact location and condition of this facility are unknown to the Living New Deal.

More than 100 National Youth Administration (NYA) workers operated over three shifts to renovate the athletic fields (including football and baseball fields) at Camden High School in 1936.