Education and Health Sites

The PWA constructed one building of the former James E. Guinn School in 1936-37. That building is now occupied by the Business Assistance Center. "The James E. Guinn School had its origins as the Southside Colored School, organized in 1894. Construction of a 3-story brick building began in 1917. The prominent architectural firm of Sanguinet and Staats designed this building. It was demolished in 1986. A second permanent building was constructed in 1927 and was designed by Wiley G. Clarkson. By 1930, the Guinn School was the largest black school in the city for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. An...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a community building and gymnasium, now known as the James E. Roberts Memorial Building, in Connersville, Indiana. "At Roberts Park in Connersville, a brick community house 120x50 feet is practically completed. The structure is part of a general program of park improvement being carried on in that city."

This Art Moderne-style building, designed by the architectural firm of McGuire & Shook, was constructed through a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant of $98,000 in 1936. The school has been repurposed as a living complex: Roberts School Flats. Per their website: "Roberts School Flats boasts an impressive and relatively unknown past. Built in 1936, it was funded with grant money from the post-Depression era Public Works Administration’s New Deal and generous donations from its namesake, local philanthropist, James E. Roberts and his wife, Henrietta. Roberts School Flats is truly a surviving piece of Indianapolis history. Once on Indiana Landmark’s 10 Most Endangered...

Original name was the Fifth Street Junior High School "The two new junior high schools in Bangor were built and equipped at the cost of $740,000. Every cent of this was paid by the W.P.A. (Works Projects Administration) City Manager Wallace designed the two school grounds. The new Fifth Street Junior High School is surrounded by walks, a cyclone fence, shrubs, vines, and trees. Approximately 2,000 feet of concrete walks were constructed in front of the both new Junior High Schools in Bangor. There is a tarred driveway encircling the building with a parking area at each end. Over 1 1/3 miles...

Public Works Administration-funded contractors built the Cooper School in Greenfield, WI.

The Works Progress Administration built the James M. Shields Memorial Gymnasium in Seymour IN. Former high school gymnasium, now (February 2023) all but abandoned by a private owner. Perennial presence on Indiana Landmarks' Ten Most Endangered list.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Civil Works Administration carried out “repairs and renewals” work at the James Madison School (renamed Edith Williams School) on St. Thomas.

James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia received several new buildings during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds: Cleveland Hall, Converse Hall, and what is now known as Carrier Library.

"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.

In 1938, a massive hurricane destroyed or damaged many public and private buildings in Rhode Island. Among these buildings was the James T. Lockwood High School of Warwick. Edward O. Ekman of Providence was hired to draw plans for the reconstruction of this 1925 building. It is currently occupied by condominiums.

"The murals in the Paul Bunyan Room in the Wisconsin Student Union in Madison, WI were done by James Watrous funded by the PWAP."

The original Jamesport school was constructed in 1914. An addition was made to the gymnasium in 1938 with funds provided by the New Deal. The federal funding most likely came from the Public Works Administration (PWA), but school improvement were sometimes made by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

"The Lutheran church sponsored Jamestown Hospital (not surveyed). Ground breaking for the facility took place in 1928 and cornerstone ceremonies on October 28, 1929, one day before the Stock Market Crash. Consequently, donations and bond financing for the project were stalled for several years. The brick structure was completed in 1935, late enough that it may have been assisted by PWA financing. Stylistically, it is very unusual in its simplified Art Deco detailing, particularly in the striated spandrels and stylized arches. Discussion of the style and associated historic theme is found under the Great Depression heading, above."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) demolished and reconstructed Jane Addams Elementary School (Long Beach, CA), likely in response to damage incurred during the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The school also features a fresco by Suzanne Miller completed under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP).

Jane Addams High School, located in the southern Bronx, was constructed during the 1930s with federal Public Works Administration funds. It opened in 1937. The project was PWA Docket No. NY 1178. The school closed in 2012, and the building now houses two smaller charter schools. In 1935, the Department of Parks had also opened a new playground on the site with federal funds, most likely FERA and possibly CWA funds. It is unclear whether that playground became part of the school's recreational facilities, or whether it was demolished in order to build the school.  

Here's the summary I wrote for the Docomomo US MN listing on our registry, heavily borrowing from the application linked below: Original section built in 1911 (designed by W.E.E. Greene of Luverne; Builder: Boyd Construction Co.; cost: $30,000), four additions in 1939, 1956, 1960, and 1965; the richness and beauty of the rose-colored Sioux quartzite stone itself (also called Jasper stone) provides the visual character of the building, laid in broken ashlar; the substantial, Moderne-style 1939 addition (designed by Perkins & McWayne of Sioux Falls; Cost: $125,000, with $45,135 in New Deal funds via the Public Works Administration) on the south...

Built as a K-12 public school, the Troupsburg Central School is still extant and in use as Jasper-Troupsburg Elementary School. According to A History of Troupsburg, NY (1808-2004), "It seems likely that the new school in Troupsburg was constructed with New Deal assistance. This fact seems to be confirmed with evidence found in the dedication program. On the list of events in the dedication ceremony, there is an address given by Captain Thomas W. Poindexter. Captain Poindexter is listed as a representative of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works.... It seems highly unlikely that a representative from such an agency...

A WPA municipal building on Main St. in Java, South Dakota. It is now used as the Java Public Library.

The historic Jay Town Office building in Au Sable Forks was originally one of several similarly designed school buildings built in the area as part of a New Deal project. Their construction was enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA), which provided a $178,140 loan and $56,289 grant, effectively covering the entire $230,491 total project cost. PWA Docket No. NY 2624

The rock veneer building was constructed in 1938 by the NYA. The building, in a state of deterioration, appears to be used as storage and privately owned, with restricted access.

Houston, Texas's old Jefferson Davis Hospital was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the Great Depression. The PWA supplied a $1,003,500 grant toward the eventual $2,388,686 total cost of the project. Work occurred between March 1936 and December 1937. The facility was demolished in 1999. (PWA Docket No. TX 1014)

In 1937, the PWA provided funds for the construction of Jefferson Elementary School on Davenport's west side. From the Des Moines Register: "Some schools combined local tax dollars to enhance traditional building plans. Davenport, for example, built six elementary schools in 1939. Some rooms included fireplaces. Jefferson Elementary has a wood-paneled auditorium. All six elementaries are still in use."

The WPA improved the grounds of Thomas Jefferson School in the Glendale Unified School District. Location confirmation is needed, but the address here is the only Jefferson school located in that school district today.

Constructed by the PWA in 1933. Confirmation needed on whether or not this is the original building.

In 1934 additions to Jefferson Elementary in Shawnee, Oklahoma were built with the support of the Federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The building's cornerstone that is located to the left of the entrance says that this construction project was the first Federal Public Works project in Oklahoma. The additions included an auditorium and more classrooms. These were much needed add-ons to the one-story building that had been hastily constructed on the site of the original Jefferson Elementary in order to replace the one that had been built in 1904 but had been destroyed by a tornado in 1924. A catalogue of Pottawatomie news...

In October 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $19,627 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and improvements at the Jefferson Recreation Center adjacent to Jefferson Middle School in the city's southwest quadrant.  In a previous article in July 1942, the paper reported the allocation of five acres for a Southwest Sports Area at the same site, which must have become the Jefferson Recreation Center.  The site is now called simply "Jefferson Field".  Jefferson Field includes a baseball diamond, soccer field and tennis courts, plus what appears to be the original field house (with a modern ramp).  The Jefferson...

Collaborating with the Portland Public Schools, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a 1000 seat stadium for Jefferson High School in the summer of 1941.  The $14,000 project (1941 dollars) consists of an uncovered structure with restroom and concession facilities built in the rear.  The Oregonian, Portland’s morning newspaper, noted when the stadium structure was dedicated in October 1941 that the adjacent athletic field was also a WPA project, completed over the previous two years. Jefferson High School is notable as the high school of the historic African American community of north Portland.  Also worth noting is the 'mascot' of the...

The 16-story Jefferson Hospital was completed in 1940 and opened in February 1941. Financed with a PWA grant and Reconstruction Finance Loans, the 575-bed hospital had 11 operating rooms, maternity section and all-electric kitchens. It was renamed Jefferson Tower in 1979 and is part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center.

Notes: The Jefferson Junior High Auditorium was Federal Public Works Project N. 3701, erected in 1934. It is a multi-use Auditorium for stage productions and sporting events, particularly basketball. The seating was replaced within the last 10 years, but there have been very few other changes to the physical structure of the building which is currently in active use by the Columbia Public Schools.

The PWA constructed this school in 1938. It was a well-maintained large school project ($358,000 total for both this and the Garfield School) that is currently in use as Jefferson Elementary School. The school it is located on the north side of St. Louis, just south of Interstate 70 in a tree-lined residential area.

Jefferson Elementary school is one of three built by the WPA. Contributor note: "Jefferson Elementary School is located at 500 E. Garvin at the corner of S. Cherry Street. This is a one-story L-shaped school with a flat roof, capped with Spanish tile. Red metal siding has been added to the upper walls, with a shallow gable roof. The windows are three-pane set in singles, doubles and triples. On the west side of the school, there are two brick bay window units with tile roofs. A 1-1/2 story brick tower is located at the northwest corner, which has a tile pyramid roof...

Jenkintown, Pennsylvania's historic Jenkintown Elementary School was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $101,899 grant for the project, whose total cost was $226,893. Construction occurred between December 1935 and November 1936. PWA Docket No. PA 1007

Jennings High School is a single story school constructed in 1941, possibly by the WPA. It is still in use, but has been significantly added onto since its construction.

The New Deal Public Works Administration (PWA) constructed this school building for the community of Jermyn in 1936 at a cost of $50,000.  The project was supervised by W. J. Walker, PWA engineer, and completed by Gurley Construction Company. The school is no longer extant, though the exact date of demolition is unknown.  The entrance doorway and slab foundation remain.

The old Jersey City Medical Center complex along Montgomery Avenue was constructed in stages beginning in 1928. Several buildings at the facility were constructed as part of federal Public Works Administration projects during the Great Depression. NJCU.edu: "After its completion in 1941, the Medical Center was the third largest health care facility in the world." Medical institutions including the B.S. Pollak Hospital and Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital contributed to the larger Jersey City Medical Center complex. The buildings that contributed to the Medical Center have all since been re-purposed; most are now privately owned and used for housing, with the...

The massive Building 'C' of the old Jersey City Medical Center complex was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during the Great Depression. The building, which mirrored the center's primary Medical Building (and to which it was connected with a four-story wing), housed administrative offices, a general hospital and kitchen facilities. It abuts Beacon Way within the larger medical Center complex and possesses some Deco ornamentation. Building 'C' was constructed ca. 1938-1941. It now serves as part of the privately-owned Beacon residential complex.

The massive Health Services Building of the old Jersey City Medical Center complex was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during the Great Depression. The building, whose former main entrance faces Baldwin Avenue along the west end of the old Medical Center, is 18 stories tall, possesses Deco motifs, and was connected to other buildings on the campus with wings. The Health Services Building possesses a 1936 cornerstone and was completed in 1938. The building now serves as part of the privately-owned Beacon residential complex.

The massive Medical Building of the old Jersey City Medical Center complex was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during the Great Depression. The building, which faces Baldwin Avenue in the northwest corner of the Medical Center grounds, served as the primary entrance and lobby for the complex. The building possesses a 1936 cornerstone and was completed in 1938. The building possesses many Deco motifs and is connected to two other buildings on the complex with wings (one five stories tall). A cascading retaining pool lies in front of the building's old main entrance, which finishes with...

Murdoch Hall, part of the old Jersey City Medical Center complex, was constructed with the provision of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Constructed between 1940 and 1941, the Art Moderne-style building originally served as a nurses' residence, became a county-run healthcare facility, and is now privately owned. Further architectural description can be found in the National Register of Historic Places nomination form cited below.

The Works Progress Administration built a new school in Jessieville for the Jessieville School District No. 45, Garland County. The new school was called Rock School and was built on land donated by the US Forest Service. Construction was completed on July 19, 1936, in time for the beginning of the school year. Enrollment was 180 students. The project cost the District $6,092.18. The WPA provided the labor and 20% of materials.