Education and Health Sites

"The Stadium at Cary Field was constructed in 1935 at a cost of $138,395 under a grant from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration. The namesakes of the stadium are Walter (W&M class of 1937) and Betty Zable (class of 1940), who made a $10 million contribution to William & Mary in 1990, adding the Zable moniker to the existing Cary Field. The construction of the stadium is distinct in that the primary entrance to the stadium is at the 50 yard line on one side, eliminating prime midfield seating locations. In order to secure the stadium, college officials...

In 1943, the Washington Post reported that the Federal Works Agency (FWA) had constructed the former Patterson Elementary School near Bolling Field in the district's southeast quadrant: "Completed and in use during the past term is the Patterson School, an eight-room elementary, Second and Chesapeake Streets Southeast, to serve the children of workers at the Bellevue Naval establishment in Anacostia." The Patterson School was a temporary building in use from 1943 to 1946 at Chesapeake and Nichols Avenue SW. A  larger replacement building was constructed at South Capitol and Elmira Streets SW and opened in 1946. Thereafter, the original Patterson school...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and its successor, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), both engaged in improvement projects at the old Walter Reed General Hospital (as it was then known).  The entire army medical complex, covering around 80 acres, was closed down in 2011 and Walter Reed Army Medical Center  (as it came to be known) moved out to Bethesda MD.    The former site has been repurposed as the Children's National Hospital and a huge mixed commercial and residential development, The Parks at Walter Reed. CWA crews painted buildings, planted trees, and helped build an elevator shaft at the center...

"Well-known Los Angeles architect John C. Austin designed the Renaissance-inspired buildings of North Hollywood Junior High School (which was renamed in 1957). In addition to providing the plans for numerous schools throughout the Los Angeles region, Austin, either alone or in association with other architects, is credited for the architecture of the Griffith Park Observatory, Shrine Auditorium, and Los Angeles City Hall." - https://www.laschools.org/employee/design/fs-studies-and-reports/download/LAUSD_Presentation_March_2002.pdf?version_id=1895945 An image of the school was also used, apparently accidentally, as a backdrop to one of John McCain's campaign speeches in 2008! - https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/09/mccain-and-that.html

The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center began life as the National Naval Medical Center under the New Deal. Congress appropriated the funds in 1937 and President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected the site in Bethesda, Maryland.   Architect Paul Cret designed a magnificent Moderne building with a tower that still delights (though much obscured by subsequent additions to the complex).  Construction began in 1939.  FDR laid the cornerstone of the famous tower on Armistice Day 1940, and the center opened soon thereafter (probably some time in 1941, not 1940 as most sources say). According to the official Center website, "The President’s vision was to...

The Walter Stokes School in Nashville, Tennessee was undertaken with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. The Colonial Revival building was constructed with ten classrooms and a cafeteria. It temporarily housed Julia Green Elementary School and continues to operate as Walter Stokes Middle School following rejected plans to sell the property in 2010. As of 2014: The school has been sold to the nearby Lipscomb University, a private Christian institution. For now, the building stands vacant and the grounds serve as a parking area for the college. It would not be surprising were the college...

Walter Williams Hall is on the northeast side of the University of Missouri and the arch is the main entry to the historical quad of buildings that are the oldest on the campus.The structures were constructed from 1935-37 with PWA funding and designed by architectural consultants Jamieson & Spearl. It is named after Walter Williams who was the creator of the first school of Journalism in 1908 and was the head of the Journalism School until 1930 when he became the president of the University of Missouri. The building was recently redone and still houses the school of Journalism.

Built in 1934 by the Public Works Administration, the Spring Hill high school building was constructed with $8,000 of PWA funding. It was destroyed by fire in 1940.

The former Walton Township Union School in Olivet, Michigan received an addition, constructed as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The P.W.A. supplied a $49,090 grant for the project, whose total cost was $117,409. The building, now presently owned, presently serves as an apartment complex. PWA Docket No. MI 1067

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $81,000 grant for construction of a new school building in Wantage, New Jersey. Completed in 1937, the total cost of the project, which still operates as the Wantage Elementary School, was $181,206. PWA Docket No. NJ 1158

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor constructed repairs at the educational facility at the food of S. Ward St. in Worcester formerly known as the Ward Street School. WPA Bulletin: WPA has employed 70 men during extensive repairs to the Ward Street School, Worcester. Work included installation of blackboards with frames and mouldings, washing of wall surf- aces and the painting of all walls, ceilings, corridors, partitions and other sections of the building which needed attention.

The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) supplied funds to enable additions to what was then the Warren County Almshouse. The exact location and building status is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works granted Warren school district $27,000 to build a new school and other facilities. The district built the Warren School in 1935. The firm of Steinman, Steinman & Golemon, better known for their Art Deco or Modern designs, chose a variation of the Italian Renaissance Revival style for the school. The school district used the building for classrooms until 1988, when it was converted to storage space. A plaque placed within the entry on the right lists building construction information, including the architects, contractor, and “Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works Project No. 2056.” Although...

"Warwick is a town of about 148 people, on historic Route 66. A post office was established here in 1892 and the agricultural town thrived through the years. In the early 1940s, the railroads abandoned their passenger service through Warwick, which struck the town a hard blow and began its decline. In 1964, the Warwick School closed, after consolidating with the nearby town of Wellston. The post office officially closed in 1972. Warwick school is a two-room schoolhouse constructed of native sandstone by the WPA in 1940 with an appropriation of $7910. A WPA shield is located to the right of...

Clearfield hosted the Clearfield Naval Supply Depot during WWII. Thus, their schools were full to bursting, and not only was Wasatch Elementary built for the Davis County School District, but several other "Emergency Schools" were built in local war housing projects. Wasatch Elementary cost about $120,000 (FWA Project Utah 42-189N). Only 10 years later - as the result of the Hill Air Force Base constuction - Wasatch was again over capacity (500 students in a building built for 300). Additions were needed, and finally in 2012, the building was demolished and replaced with a new Wasatch Elementary at the same location.

The WPA made improvements to the school in the 1930s, constructing a new cafeteria and a one story frame, stucco building. They also made extensive ground improvements including: grading, landscaping, seeding, walkways, drives, walls, fences, etc. The Pasadena Museum of History explains the school's construction history: 1 of 27 schools in Pasadena Ca that were repaired, demolished, or reinforced by either the WPA or PWA following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. 1884 Built somewhere on Washington St. 1909 Moved to a new facility at the current location on Raymond Ave. 1925 Rebuilt. 1933 Damaged by the Long Beach earthquake. 1935 Rebuilt by the WPA

The PWA provided funds for the construction of Washington Elementary School in 1939-1940. From Wikipedia: In addition to Lincoln, the new elementary schools included Monroe, Madison, Washington, Jefferson, and McKinley. Lincoln was the only new facility to be built on the location of one of the older buildings. The floor plans for all six school buildings was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Smith & Childs, and they are all similar in layout. Local architects were employed to design the stylistic features for each building.  

The WPA repaired the roof of the Washington School in the 1930s.

Washington Union High School in the small Fresno County town of Easton received $45,000 for the building of a new gymnasium in 1940.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for the reconstruction of Washington Middle School in Long Beach, CA, after the school was heavily damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The school reopened in 1935. According to the school's website, Washington Middle School was originally constructed in 1921 (with the addition of a shop building in 1926). The architects were W. Horace Austin of Long Beach and John C. Austin of Los Angeles.  Curiously, the school history fails to mention the 1933 earthquake and the reconstruction paid for by the New Deal!  Yet documents in the National Archives clearly state that the school...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for the reconstruction of Washington Middle School in Long Beach, CA, after the school was heavily damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The school reopened in 1935. The school's website gives a description of the building's exterior artworks: "Washington's design details combine characteristics from all three phases of the Art Deco and Art Moderne architecture. The exterior has Streamline Moderne details. There is a low-relief profile of George Washington (1732-99) above the main entryway on Cedar Avenue. Recessed double vertical lines create the illusion of a two-story lobby area. The two Cedar Avenue entrances...

This historically black school housed a small high school room in the front and two school rooms at the back that could be separated by an accordion divider.  It was part of the submission to the Federal Government for funds for the Monroe City Elementary school.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) rebuilt the Washington School in Sapulpa OK. Contributor note: "Washington School was closed in 2012 and now serves as the district's Administrative Center. It is listed by the Oklahoma Historical Society as a WPA project. The two-sided cornerstone on the building shows it was originally built in 1903. A second side to the cornerstone shows it was re-built in 1937 by the WPA. We have been unable to determine the extent of the "re-build" and what features are fully WPA construction. Washington School is a three-story brick building with a flat roof. The ground floor is rusticated native...

A plaque on the corner of the vacant Washington school in Shawnee, Oklahoma says that the building was a project of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, which was the New Deal program that became known as the Public Works Administration (PWA). The Oklahoma Historic Preservation Survey, however, lists the school as a WPA property. The construction project was completed in 1937. During the 1980s, the school housed all Shawnee fifth graders. In the late 1990s, the building was shut down and boarded up. The description for Washington School on Waymarking.com reads as follows: "This is a two-story brick building with a one-story wing on the...

Pittsburgh's historic Washington Trade School / Washington Education Center building was built in 1936-7 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $211,689 grant for the project, whose total cost was $484,114. "The Charles W. Bier-designed structure opened on September 1, 1937." It is no longer in service as a school. PWA Docket No. PA 1303

ThePublic Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction 0f the Washington-Liberty High School. According to the school's history page, "In 1938 with PWA funds, another addition" to Washington Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia "was completed. A PWA plaque is located in W-L's present library."  

The Watauga County Courthouse complex in Boone, North Carolina "includes a Works Projects Administration funded building as part of its annex." The striking stone building "was completed in 1939 and housed the Watauga County Library from 1946 through 1997." The building is located at the southwest corner of Queen Street and North Water Street. The News and Observer explained: With county functions becoming greater, Watauga found itself with insufficient space in which to house the public health officer, the county agent, the home demonstration agent, the public welfare department, school superintendent and other governmental agencies. The new county native stone structure now provides...

The historic Liberty Grove school was constructed 1934 by architect James Manly Spain in a one-story Colonial Revival style. CWA funds provided $22,000 toward the $32,000 school building. The award for the construction contract was to be submitted by the CWA board. In 1939, the Liberty Grove school was part of PWA project W1183 to fund construction and improvements for five Hinds County schools. Liberty Grove school received funding to construct a gymnasium and four additional classrooms. A bond issue for $21,000 was set for October 18, 1938 and approved. PWA funds for all five schools was $151,986 loan toward...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $11,382 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and/or improvements to the Buchanan Recreation Center, adjacent to the Buchanan School in the city's southeast quadrant. The Buchanan school is Watkins Elementary School and extensive play fields, a playground, skating rink and old tennis courts adjoin the school. It is uncertain what remains of the New Deal work today.  

Watonga Middle School was originally the Watonga High School, built by the WPA in 1936-1937. From Marjorie Barton's Leaning on a Legacy (2008): "The building was constructed of light sandstone blocks, which are uniform in size, but not squared on the facing, and is beautifully maintained. The high school in Wewoka is of another type of stone and had a large addition as a WPA project. The addition has a WPA marker, but is such a perfect match, it blends with the older portion of the building." From Wayfinding.com: The High School was built in 1936-1937 as a WPA project. This can...

"In 1933, during the Great Depression, a student committee was formed to raise part of the $126,455 needed for the gym. In September of 1936, the rest of the funds were found when voters passed a $70,000 Public Works Administration bond measure." Though the school has recently received a new, modern sports facility, they are maintaining the old, beloved gym as well.

WPA workers rebuilt the Waugh School in Petaluma in the 1930s. " was used as a school until 17 years ago, when it was sold to a private individual who is restoring it, said Scott Mahoney, the Waugh district superintendent. 'It's cool to see the plaque on the front...it still says Waugh School as you drive up to it,' Mahoney said."

The PWA built an addition to Wauwatosa High School.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a school house at Wawona in 1937. The enrollee work teams came from the nearby Wawona CCC Camp YNP #7. The building is a shingled, rustic wood structure set on a stone foundation, with large windows for good interior lighting. Its appearance is unchanged over the years. A new, large school has replaced the New Deal building sometime around 1970, built in a modern style at odds with the old idea of park rusticity.  The old CCC school was used for many years as a community center, until that, too, was replaced by a new, larger,...

"This is a one-story tan brick building, constructed by the WPA in 1937. The original building is rectangular, but has additions built later, on the northeast and south. "Above the main entrance which faces west, is a large concrete frieze with the word WEBSTER in tall, Art Deco styled letters. On the north side over the entrance, the date '1937' is also engraved in tall modern numbering. The brick is curved as it goes from the front wall to the recessed entrance door. "The roof is flat, and the windows are grouped in openings with nine panes. The top three in...

"The Webster Rock School is an historic rock Works Progress Administration school located on NC 116 in Webster, North Carolina, USA. In 1990, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It once served as Webster High School and Webster Elementary School. ... The old Webster Rock School is being used as the Southwestern Child Development Center, and by the Family Resources Center for Jackson County. The old Gym/Auditorium is sometimes used for community events."

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor conducted improvements at the former Webster School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. WPA Bulletin: In Webster Grammar School, Cambridge, WPA workmen have weather-stripped 194 windows. This work will result in a saving of fuel costs, elimination of drafts from loose windows and will help maintain an even temperature throughout the building.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) announced a number of projects in May 1937 which were designed to improve or eliminate conditions in schools that might be regarded as hazardous to students’ lives. Weeping Water was given a grant of $49,594.00 toward a total project cost of $107,000.00 to try to alleviate safety hazards by building a new school. The project began in August 1938 and was completed in September of 1939. PWA Docket No. Neb. 1062. The building is located on W O St and has since been expanded on its east side into a much larger educational complex.

Syracuse's old College of Medicine building, now Weiskotten Hall of State University of New York Upstate Medical University, was built during the Great Depression. Its construction was enabled by funds provided by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA supplied a $825,000 loan for the project. The building's cornerstone was laid by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 29, 1936. The building was dedicated November 22, 1937. SYR.edu: "A loan of $825,000 was given to SU for construction of a Basic Sciences building for the College of Medicine by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). In 1949, Syracuse was selected by...