Education and Health Sites

New Deal school in Daly City, CA.

The Works Progress Administration completed improvements and repairs for the Woodrow Wilson School in Charleston. The work consisted of “painting and repairing.”

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work on all school buildings in the city of Bayonne ca. 1939. Work on the Woodrow Wilson School building included "painting, repairing, and general improvement work."

The National Youth Administration built the Woodstock School of Art in Woodstock NY in 1939. According to the Woodstock School of Art, "The structures had their beginnings in 1939, when they were commissioned as a school for arts and crafts under the National Youth Administration (NYA), one of the programs in FDR’s New Deal. There were several NYA training camps across the United States, but the one located in Woodstock, New York, provided instruction to rural youth in applied arts such as woodworking, masonry, blacksmithing, and pottery."

Oxford, Massachusetts's old Woodward School received assistance from multiple New Deal programs during the 1930s. In 1933 the Civil Works Administration (CWA) graded a playground at the school and painted and decorated the building, a project which, town reports state, is "a work that does great credit to those having it in charge." The school grounds were further improved and graded during 1934 utilizing funds provided by the federal Emergency Relief Administration. The building still houses educational facilities, though it is no longer known as the Woodward School.

One of two buildings constructed by the WPA in the African American community of Oak Grove, the gymnasium is "...an example of a simple but handsomely balanced design which reveals the skill of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers" (Story, 1990). The school principal from 1932-1935, Mr. Vines, received a grant to use WPA labor to construct a home economics cottage. Shortly after approval, the 1925 Rosenwald funded school in the community burned, and Mr. Vines sought a new administration/classroom building as well. L. W. Johnson, principal in 1935, worked with county superintendent Basil Munn to obtain a new gymnasium...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a school, a wall, and other annex facilities in Cache OK. Contributor note: "Originally, this 1938 WPA Project included not only the remaining wall, but a Home Ec building, Tennis courts, a School, and a Gymnasium. The buildings are no longer extant, and have been replaced by newer construction. Portions of the concrete tennis courts are still visible. Photos and write-ups of the buildings can be found on the Oklahoma Inventory Database at the website shown below (Items 68184, 68185 and 69183). These are located at 3rd Street and H Avenue (NW Cache Road). The approximately 30...

"An old school building in the northern Idaho town of Worley is slated for demolition, but a newly formed historical society is scrambling to have the structure saved. Catherine Morris told the Coeur d'Alene Press the Worley Historical Society formed this summer after residents spotted an article reporting the school district's plan to demolish the run-down Worley School building. Morris, the president of the group, said the school — built in the late 1930s by the Works Project Administration, a New Deal agency that carried out public works projects using unskilled workers — is an important part of local history. The...

Multiple New Deal agencies carried out improvement, development, and/or construction work at what was then Wrentham State School (now Wrentham Developmental Center). Annual Report: "Much valuable work has been done at the institution during the year through the use of funds provided by the C.W.A., F.E.R.A. and P.W.A. Nine out of many projects presented were approved at the beginning of the C.W.A. activities, and few were completed ..." "The projects sponsored by the government on the P.W.A. program, namely the addition to the laundry, which has been built but is not yet equipped, and the fourth nursery building which will be completed this summer, are progressing satisfactorily."

Constructed with federal funding in 1935-36.  The  Wright school was initially in St. Louis County and was not affiliated with a school district, but then joined the Ladue School District.  The Wright School was an elementary school for many years, but became the Ladue District early childhood center in 1982.  The property is currently for sale.

Wyandanch School was constructed as a New Deal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. "In September 1937, the modern one-story, red-brick $120,000 Wyandanch Elementary School opened for classes on Straight Path on 7 and 1/3 acres across the street from the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Roman Catholic Church and alongside the Town of Babylon Highway Department sand pit and debris dump. $54,000 of the school's $120,000 construction cost was provided by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Public Works Authority (PWA). The school had seven classrooms and 280 pupils as well as an auditorium which sat 400 people. The principal was...

Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Kansas City's imposing Wyandotte High School was constructed as a New Deal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The architects of the building were Hamilton, Fellows and Nedved and Joseph W. Radotinsky. The PWA provided a $557,000 grant for the project, whose total cost was $2,211,067. PWA Docket No. 9044. Quiverian: "Wyandotte originally existed as a school in several forms and locations. First it was as the old Riverview Grade School and 7th and Pacific from 1886-1887. Then it was the Palmer Academy building between 6th & 7th and Minnesota from 1888-1898. Next it...

To meet the needs of an expansive population on the city's south side, the Corpus Christi Independent School District approved construction of a second junior high school in 1934. Built between 1934 and 1936 with a grant from the Public Works Administration, Wynn Seale Junior High School benefited more than just the students of Corpus Christi by creating employment opportunities, boosting morale and serving as a cultural center for the entire community. The school's formal opening on 7 March 1936 attracted much attention in Corpus Christi. The school included modern amenities of the latest design, including audiovisual capacities, cafeteria, homemaking...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted extensive improvement work at the Wyoming Industrial Institute—now the Wyoming Boys' School—southwest of Worland.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted extensive improvement work at the Wyoming Girls’ Industrial Institute—now the Wyoming Girls' School—in Sheridan. Cassity: Similarly, the Wyoming Girls’ Industrial Institute in Sheridan was transformed with paint, plumbing, and additions. Again, the plumbing proved critical: “This project will very greatly improve the sanitary conditions at the institute, as the old sewer system was not of sufficient capacity or of design to handle the sewerage from this institution. The old septic tank was modernized so as to afford a sewage system from a portion of the buildings that were served by the former system.” The CWA...

The federal Public Works Administration helped to finance the construction of three buildings at the Wyoming State Training School in Lander, Wyoming during the 1930s. A new addition was constructed for the girls' dormitory; a new boys' dormitory was built; and a new kitchen building was constructed as well. Prior to that, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) "substantially modernized" the facility, "from driveway to electrical system and plumbing, and the plumbing was particularly in dire need of upgrading." The facility now serves as the Life Resource Center, "a residential facility for physically and mentally disabled people" (Wikipedia). The Public Works funds, PWA...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted extensive improvement work at the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston.

"The oldest section of the high school was begun in 1938 and opened to students in September 1939. ... The federal Public Works Administration under President Franklin D. Roosevelt funded 45 percent of the school's $600,000 cost. Designed by architect and Wyomissing resident Charles H. Muhlenberg, it featured the classic architectural elements popular at the time. ... he library's murals depicting the industrial history of the county, painted by Berks County artist Ralph D. Dunkelberger. The murals were funded by Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen, founders of Wyomissing Industries, which included Textile Machine Works, Narrow Fabric and Berkshire Knitting Mills. The partners...

The Public Works Administration awarded $27,415 to Yamhill County in 1935 for construction of Yamhill High School, later renamed Yamhill Carlton High School with consolidation of the Yamhill and Carlton school districts. County voters approved a $51,335 bond for the remaining cost of the project. The Oregonian, a Portland daily newspaper, announced that the "start order" would provide work for ninety workers "taken from relief rolls in Yamhill County." The Portland architectural firm of Barrett & Logan designed the school and Portland contractors Lonner, DeBruin and DeBruin oversaw its construction.

Originally constructed as a high school, what is now the Yancey County Schools District Office was completed in 1939 with assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA); it was one of five schools built by the WPA in Yancey County, North Carolina.

YES Academy (formerly Hyde Park Elementary School), which opened in 1923, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. The school appears to have been rebuilt yet again in the 1960s or 70s, although the PWA auditorium may remain—confirmation is needed. 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 federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds provided funding for the construction of a high school gymnasium in Walla Walla, Washington. The facility, located at the southwest corner of S. Park St. and E. Birch St., is presently used by the YMCA. The PWA provided a grant of $51,750; the total cost of the project was $141,750.

The high school in Yoakum, Texas was constructed in 1937 with partial funding from the Public Works Administration under project number 1663-D. Will N. Noonan was the architect and Walsh & Burney Co was the contractor.

"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 ... York County Hospital ..." (sc.gov) "The hospital which accommodates both white and colored patients opened May 20, 1940. It is modernly equipped, including X-Ray units, air conditioned operating and delivery rooms. A school of nursing is maintained." (cofc.edu) "The York County Hospital (2268), financed with county bond money, was another prominent Modernist building. When erected in the late 1930s, the hospital stood just outside Rock Hill’s city limits in the Town of...

Fountain Inn, South Carolina's Younts Center for the Performing Arts was originally constructed as a high school. According to the building's National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: "Fountain Inn High School is located on North Main Street, near the intersection of North Main and Quillen Avenue, within the city limits of Fountain Inn, in Greenville County, South Carolina. ... The high school is a 19,000-square foot rectangular brick building, constructed in 1939 by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in the Moderne architectural style during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first presidential term. The asymmetrical L-shaped building consists of an original auditorium as well...

Like many nearby New Deal projects, this Works Progress Administration community school features high quality stone craftsmanship. The building presently serves as a combined junior and senior high school for the rural Zalma R-5 School District.  

The Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 caused many Mexicans to migrate to the United States to escape the war and poverty in their country. They were also attracted by jobs associated with agricultural expansion in the southwest. Austin's Latino population expanded rapidly during this time. By the 1930s, segregationists in the city sought to have a new school built to separate children of Mexican descent from white school children. On October 31, 1935, the City of Austin accepted a grant from the Public Works Administration not to exceed $286,363 to cover 45% of the costs of building new schools, and making additions...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Zephyr High School in Zephyr TX. White rock building with ZHS in red above the door. The building has a metal WPA plaque. The rock wall is unmarked.

Originally constructed as a gymnasium, what is now Zimbar-Liljenstein Hall at East Stroudsburg University was one of four buildings constructed as a New Deal project. Work was sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).