Education and Health Sites

Formerly known as Public School 142, what is now the Brooklyn New School building received a five-story addition in 1938-9 as a New Deal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $191,250 grant for the school, whose total construction cost was $339,052. PWA Docket No. NY 1450

A WPA photo of students of the Brooklyn Technical High School says that the school itself was constructed by the PWA. The school's website says that ground was broken on the site in 1930 and the school was ready for partial occupancy in 1933, so most likely construction began before the New Deal but was completed by the PWA.

In 1888, a church and school building was erected in a central location at newly-divided Brown's Prairie, with the Reverend David Buchmueller as pastor and teacher. By 1911, a new wooden six-room school building was used each Sunday, with one teacher for six grades. In 1939, the wooden school was replaced using WPA funds, constructed by architect Travis Broesche and stone mason Carl Whitmarsh. In the 1940s, the Brown's Prairie School was referred to as Washington School, and after the 1950-51 school year, all students were transferred to Brenham after its annexation into the district.

A small rural schoolhouse was built in 1939 by the WPA for students in the rural community of Brown's Prairie, replacing a 1911 wooden one-room schoolhouse. Brown's Prairie School as described on a Texas Historical Marker located on the site of the former school: "In 1888, a church and school building was erected in a central location at newly-divided Brown's Prairie, with the Reverend David Buchmueller as pastor and teacher. By 1911, a new wooden six-room school building was used each Sunday, with one teacher for six grades. In 1939, the wooden school was replaced using WPA funds, constructed by architect Travis...

Constructed in 1935. A new High School was built in 1995 due to overcrowding. Demolished in 2009. The Harriet Beecher Stowe elementary school was built on the same location in 2011 and incorporates an art deco bas relief and a light from the front entrance of the old high school.

The WPA made extensive improvements to Brush School, Santa Rosa, California, under Official Project Number 65-3-364. The work to the one-room school house included building stone retaining walls, a playground and a presumed tennis court (Goddard, 1976: 72-74). Though now under private ownership, the stone walls and tennis court are visible from the public right-of-way. (Goddard does not identify the specific year of construction but it can be inferred from the WPA project number).

The William Lowe Bryan Administration Building at Indiana University was originally completed in 1936 with PWA funding. At the time it was simply named the Administration Building. It was renamed in 1957 after William Lowe Bryan. It is located at 107 S. Indiana Avenue, and is largely used for administrative offices, including the President of the University. It was designed by the firm of Granger & Bollenbacher.

Designed by Raymond A. Sites, Bryant Elementary School (Building A) was built in 1934 with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. The style is PWA Moderne. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “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, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded construction of the Buena Vista Elementary School (now Bryant Elementary) in the 1930s.  We believe that the New Deal building is still in place. A record card for the project in the National Archives states that it included, "18 classrooms. A 'health' school. 'Various ailments' 'Special type of design suitable for the status of children's houses.' Near Sunshine School and General Hospital." (NARA) More information is needed on this site. The exact cost is unknown because this was one of a group of school projects in San Francisco for which the PWA laid out almost $3 million.

The Works Progress Administration set up an outdoor library in Bryant Park. The "Reading Room" began in 1935 and closed in 1944. Today the park still serves as the site of an outdoor library, opened in 2003.

Rainbow Point was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in 1939, and it has three different components.  First is the overlook area.  This has been refurbished in recent years, but the original stone and metal railings can be seen outside of the newer stone and log rails. Second is the "museum" at Rainbow Point.  The museum is not a building but an open structure with display cases featuring natural habitat, geology, etc.  The structure is relatively large (20 x 10 feet).  This is the most noted CCC project in Bryce Canyon National Park Third is the Bristlecone Trail at Rainbow Point.  This is a short, 1 mile...

Buchanan Street Elementary School, which opened in 1913, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with...

Budlong Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1916, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with...

The WPA was established in Baxter County in fall 1935, and the school was one of the first major projects undertaken by the agency in North Arkansas (Story, 1992). The "irregular-plan, single-story building" featured Craftsman influence of "exposed rafters and the ornamental brackets" (Story). The grey limestone block school was constructed in the Plain Traditional style. A community member described it as "...interior consisted for two large classrooms, separated by a moveable partition and several smaller rooms...utilized for a library and cloak rooms. One of the classrooms contained a stage complete with small dressing rooms and passageways. A canvass...

Burbank Elementary School was built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The original school appears to consist of three buildings, all long and low in the style of Spanish mission residential buildings.  All have covered, pillared breezeways along the entire front, with door to each classroom opening onto those outdoor corridors. The school has had additions and underwent a major renovation in recent years, according to a staffer who spoke to us in 2023.  The original design had tile roofs, as shown in 2010 photo, which have been changed to metal roofs.    

The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. Originally built in 1922, Burbank Elementary School in Long Beach, CA, was rehabilitated by Kenneth S. Wing in 1935/36 with New Deal funding. “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, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) partially demolished and rebuilt Burbank High School in Burbank, CA, which had suffered damage in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.

The English Revival Style, red-brick, one-story school building was constructed in the  town's existing school complex by the WPA in 1939. The large front wing and the smaller rear wing are connected by a large auditorium that intersects both wings in the center. The building contained two arched entries, and the interior was almost entirely original, with wood floors, trim and doors that remain, and in some classrooms, the original desks remained when the school closed in 2001. The library retained the original built-in shelves. It had served as an elementary school at the time of closure.

"The construction of the Burgwin School, in a residential district adjacent to a mill and commercial district, made possible the elimination of the old Hazelwood School built in 1875, and of the Glenwood School built in 1882, both of which were obsolete. The building is 3 stories in height and H-shaped in plan with over-all dimensions 96 by 279 feet. It accommodates 920 pupils in 22 classrooms and a kindergarten. In addition, it has 2 nature-study rooms, rooms for the study of art and music, a library, 2 playrooms separated by folding doors which can be folded back...

In August 1935, the Burleson Independent School District (BISD) applied for a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA) for the construction of a one-story, semi-fireproof combination auditorium, gymnasium and classroom school building. In October of the same year, the PWA offered a grant of $8,181 and loan of $10,000 for Project Docket Texas 1481-H, which the BISD accepted. Construction on the building began on April 1, 1936. BISD held a dedication ceremony on October 9, 1936. The auditorium is 122 x 68 feet with a 37 x 16 feet stage on one end. On each side of the stage are...

"Trailside Nature Museum: This fieldstone building was completed in 1939, a combined project between the PWA and the CCC and designed by Freund. It reflects the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright with its horizontal design and rustic stone work. All external corners are rounded, as is the central chimney." It is one of the approximately 67 structures (about half of the existing 135 in the Cincinnati Parks system) made by New Deal workers.

Construction of Rockford's Burpee Museum of Natural History was undertaken as a federal Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) project.

Pennsylvania State University's Burrowes Building 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, which has since been added to, is still in use today.

The state historical marker at the site reads: "Burton Public Schools opened in 1874, and by 1926 nine grades were offered. In 1938, construction on Burton’s first high school began. Funded through the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), the building was completed in 1940. Designed by architect Travis Broesche and built by local contractor Will Weeren, the school exhibits international and rustic architectural style. Features include abutting two-story rectangular blocks, a curved wall near the entrance, and a native field stone veneer."

A brick garage built by the WPA for Marysville High School: "Gives the school district space to store and repair school buses, which heretofore sat out in the weather, and repairs to buses had to be done by private shops." (from the Verso below)

This school was originally built in 1910 as the American Way School, and rebuilt in the 1920's. Along with many schools in the area, the school was damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. It was rebuilt by New Deal workers (likely the PWA) and looks today as it was built then.  

Bushnell Way Elementary School (formerly Hermon Elementary School), which opened in 1912, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted substantial improvement work to what was known as Butler School in Riverton Township, Michigan. The school was located on the "east side of Morton Road, between Chauvez and Kinney roads." The project was detailed in the attached article. The location and status of the school are presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant of $360,000 in 1935 for the construction of Butte high school. The total cost of the high school was $930,000 and the project was completed in late 1937. The should be a PWA plaque inside the school but we were unable to locate it. The current Assistant Principal, whose father was Principal after the World War, confirmed that the school was a New Deal project. The design of the 3-4 story building is brick Moderne with bas-relief columns between the windows. New additions have been made and the current entrance on...

The Butterfield School was constructed in 1935 as a red brick building, with no kitchen or indoor toilets. In fall of 1938, improvements were begun through a National Youth Administration Project. The project included construction of rock walls for landscaping, a rock retainer wall for the front of school grounds, two tennis courts, two underground cisterns for water storage, and graveling of sidewalks. The total cost was $1,525 and the NYA provide $1,000 in labor. The building is still extant and is currently in use as the Daybreak Community following the closing of the school in 2006.

"The federal government’s New Deal programs, specifically the Works Progress Administration and the Public Works Administration, also played a direct role in Rock Hill’s economic recovery. Building projects included ... Byrnes Auditorium on Winthrop’s campus." (sc.gov) "While a U.S. senator, Byrnes arranged for Works Project Administration funds to be used with matching state funds to construct three campus buildings – the auditorium, Thurmond Building, and Macfeat Nursery School, now the Macfeat House, a reception area created from the former Academic Computing Center. Byrnes exemplifies the monumental architectural style prevalent in Depression-era public buildings." (winthrop.edu)

South Boston, Virginia received a new school in 1939 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a grant of $43,200 toward the project, whose total cost was $109,128. Construction occurred between June 1938 and March 1939. After the South Boston high school on Peach Avenue was destroyed by fire on December 1936 the community immediately thought to seek the assistance of the Public Works Administration to replace the school. Charles Henderson (C.H.) Friend High School was constructed at 601 Marshall Avenue. It operated as a High School from the late 1930s until the 1952-1953 school...

With funding from the New Deal's Federal Art Project, C. S. Price painted a 21 x 4 foot mural for the newly constructed Pendleton Junior High School in 1937. Titled "Agriculture," the five panel composition draws upon images of farming and ranching life that characterized many of his paintings. The theme also suited Pendleton's cultural and economic base. Although originally located in Pendleton's junior high school, the mural hangs in the foyer of the Pendleton High School auditorium today. Clayton Sumner Price, known as C.S. Price, grew up in a large farming family in Iowa, Wyoming, and Alberta and worked on...

The facility served as Jasper (Indiana) High School Gym, 1939-1977 and Jasper Middle School gymnasium until 2009. It was named for the coach of the 1949 Jasper High School State Championship basketball team in 1984. It is still owned by the school corporation after the middle school moved, the building is now used for community activities. The facility hosted the high school teams in 2010 and 2011 after the roof of the 1977 gym collapsed.

 The Cabildo has a long and notorious history. It was constructed in 1795-99 as the seat of the Spanish municipal government in New Orleans. The name of the governing body who met there was the "Illustrious Cabildo" or city council. It was site of the Louisiana Purchase Transfer in 1803.  The building later served as the home of the Louisiana Supreme Court and was where  the nationally significant Slaughterhouse and Plessey vs. Ferguson cases were heard before they went up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Cabildo became the home of the Louisiana State Museum in 1911 and remains the flagship of that institution.

The Public Works Administration and the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works funded the construction of the school building and athletic facilities for the Village School in Cabot, Cabot School District. "The school is in the residential section of the town and replaces an inadequate two-story condemned wooden building. There are five classrooms, a library, domestic science room, principal's office, and teachers' rooms. The walls are insulated. It was completed in October 1938. The construction cost was $36,434 and the total project cost was $39,903." The school was designed by Freeman, French and Freeman of Burlington. Docket No. Vt. 1059-DS. The building currently houses...

Cabrillo Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1927, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with...

The WPA improved the recreation area at the Cabrillo School.

The National Youth Administration constructed the rock cafeteria for the Hickory Flat school in 1939. The original building featured a double-door entrance in the center and single door entrance/exits on either side of the center doors. The doors were wooden, with 9-pane lights in the upper half of the door. Windows and doors have been altered. The building remains in use by the Hickory Flat school system.

The Calhoun school was constructed 1939 as project x1289. A PWA grant of $13,622 was approved 9/13/1938. Construction began 12/16/1938 and was completed 7/13/1939 at a cost of $28,909. Architects were Landry & Matthes. The school was demolished in 2007.