Schools Sites

This stone building was a WPA project completed in 1937 as a schoolhouse. It was originally known as District #121, later known as the "Gunderson School" and rezoned as District #6. It is now used as the Moland Township Hall. The architects were two recent NDSU grads, Allen Carter and George Meineke.

The Works Progress Administration completed improvements for the Monongalia County School, in Morgantown. The work included “Constructing ditch, laying water lines and grading school grounds, for county schools.” The exact location and condition of this project is unknown to the Living New Deal.

Monongalia High School was a school for black students in Westover, WV. It was built by the WPA in 1938. See the Clio entry: Admin, Clio and Zachery Cowsert. "Monongalia High School (1938-1954)." 

This elementary school was a segregated elementary school for white students when it was constructed in response to a fire which destroyed the previous school.  The submission to the federal government by Monroe City officials included a new building for black students in the city.  It was also designed by Bonsack & Pearce.

This building was constructed by the WPA in 1936 as the Matecumbe School and Storm Shelter: "After the 1935 hurricane, to build a new school Hugh Matheson exchanged land he owned on the highway for the beach site of the destroyed school. W.P.A constructed the new school and was to be a combination hurricane shelter and school. A second almost identical structure was also constructed in Tavernier. The Matecumbe school is now the Islamorada Library and in Tavernier it is the health department."   (www.keyshistory.org)

The PWA provided funds for the construction of Monroe Elementary School in 1940. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. 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.  

Monroe, Connecticut received a school building, which Living New Deal believes to be Monroe Elementary School, as a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.)-sponsored project. The P.W.A. supplied a $26,860 grant for the project, whose total cost was $98,402. Construction occurred between Sept. 1934 and Jun. 1935. The facility has since been expanded and also houses district offices. P.W.A. Docket No. CT 1485

The WPA improved the school grounds in the 1930s.

Monroeville School #2 was constructed in 1935-6 as a New Deal project, with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided an $87,500 loan and a $36,845 grant for the project, whose total cost was $136,499. The facility, which has since been expanded multiple times, is still in service. PWA Docket No. OH 8908

The predecessor to the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind was founded in Boulder, MT the late 1800s. The school served deaf, blind, and "feeble-minded" children. As the school -- and particularly its "feeble-minded" student population -- continued to expand during the early 1900s, the Montana's state legislature "voted to segregate the departments of the deaf and the blind from the department of the feeble-minded" (MSDB—A Short History). In doing so, the legislature approved a new campus, moving the school from the town of Boulder to the city of Great Falls, which donated ten acres of land on...

Big Timber Pioneer reported that the PWA allotted $250,000 toward the construction of multiple "structures Eastern Montana Normal School" campus. Further money was allotted to the construction of a high school in Billings. Eastern Montana Normal was renamed Montana State University Billings.

"With a $214,000 loan from the Public Works Administration, MSC constructed a dormitory complex in 1934 on a newly-acquired block at the northeast corner of campus."   (NRHP)

1 of 4 schools that included Emerson, Willard, and Marshal schools within the Garvey School District of Los Angeles that were rebuilt following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake under the supervision and sponsorship of the school district. L.A.C.R.A. (Los Angeles County Relief Agency) labor was employed in the reconstruction. 3 photographs show the rebuilding of the front entrance, and a front lawn stone sign and bench constructed from the remains of the original school entrance. PWA Project #1 B4 515 A Project dates: Oct. 16, 1934 to Apr. 1, 1935.

Hudson, New York's Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School was constructed as the Chancellor Livingston High School during the Great Depression. It was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. PWA Docket No. 3993-R. "The new building contains special rooms for a shop, library, music, art, homemaking, science, and a cafeteria, as well as an adequate number of classrooms. It has a gymnasium and an auditorium. The construction is fire resistive, with brick exterior bearing walls and interior steel columns and steel joists. The exterior trim is limestone and the roof is covered with slate. The cornices, railings, and the cupola are...

The Moorefield School was built by the NYA in 1936-1937. A one story, Plain Traditional, stone school, it "features some Craftsman influences (Story, 1992). It currently houses the Rehobeth Baptist Church. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The old Moorefield (Independence County), AR, school building, which now houses the Rehobeth Baptist Church; the original Rehobeth Baptist Church of Moorefield, established in the 1820s, is believed to have been the first church in Independence County.

The Works Progress Administration built the Moorevile School in Mooreville, Falls County. The project was funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. The federal government allotted $5000 and the city matched the school district with $7000 in bonds. This wood structure is located at the intersection of FM2643 and FM499A. It housed approximately eight classrooms. The Mooreville school district had ninety-seven students in 1933; the district was consolidated with the Chilton Independent School District in 1950. The school building was converted to a community center.

The PWA provided funds for the construction of a 2-story gymnasium/auditorium for the Morehouse School, featuring a brick facade with banks of classrooms flanking the gymnasium.  The total cost for the project was $62,000 (docket #1488). The school closed in 2013, relocating to nearby Sikeston, and the building is now home to a for-profit youth rehabilitation center called Proverb Academy, Inc.

The 1935-1937 Morgan County High School was constructed of native stone and timber in West Liberty, KY. The construction was begun as a KERA project, but completed by the Works Progress Administration. It served as the high school until the 1940s when it became the middle school. The school was closed in 1989. The building was renovated with a $1 million grant in 1993-1994 and is two-story with basement. It is used for Morgan County offices currently. Mrs. Roosevelt, wife of the President, spoke at the building dedication.

The Works Progress Administration built a seven-room school and gymnasium with field stone masonry walls on a concrete foundation in Morgan Mill, Texas in 1940. The official project number was 65-1-66-218. The building is still in use as an elementary school.

The Morgan Township school building in Okeana, Ohio received an addition/improvements in 1936 as a New Deal project, with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The building is no longer extant. PWA Docket No. OH 1218

Morningside Elementary School was constructed during Fort Worth's $4.5 million school building program that was supported with PWA funds. The school was constructed in 1935-36 and has received later additions. It was designed by Earl T. Glasgow and constructed by J. M. Gurley. It is still used as an elementary school. The building program included extensive landscaping that was designed by Hare and Hare and constructed under the supervision of the Fort Worth Park Department. Morningside retains its WPA-built terrace and a drinking fountain that likely dates from the same era.

Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary School (formerly Riggin Avenue Elementary School), which opened in 1926, 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...

Moscow Senior High School was a PWA project (docket #1078-D5), completed in 1939. It is still in use as a school today.

The two-story Art Deco design high school was approved for $195,000 in Works Progress Administration funds, and the city provided the remaining $130,000 to construct the school (Watson, nd). The building still serves the community as the Moss Point High School.

A Public Works Administration grant helped fund the construction of Mount Greenwood Elementary School at 108th Street and South Homan Avenue in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood. The new school was designed by Board of Education architect John Charles Christensen. The two-story, brick structure included fifteen classrooms, a gymnasium, and an assembly hall. The architectural style of the building, characterized by a low horizontal profile, wide window openings, and geometric brickwork patterns, is similar to that of many other neighborhood schools designed by Christensen during the 1930s. Construction work on the new school began in March 1936 and was completed in...

The PWA built this school in Mount Pleasant. From the city archives: "In the fall of 1931, at the recommendation of Dunne and Reidy, the city borrowed $300,000 in anticipation of taxes for a system of work relief. This procedure was followed by Providence for the duration of the Depression, supplemented first by loans from the state and then by federal New Deal programs. Five new junior high schools, Mount Pleasant High School ... were among the many public works projects undertaken in Providence during the era in an attempt to combat unemployment."

Mount Rose Elementary School is one of two remaining Mission Revival style schools the other being McKinley Park School. The school was built in 1912 and designed by local architect G Ferris. Work was done under the new deal projects to improve the playgrounds.

The Works Progress Administration built the Mountain View Grade School in Mountain View, OK. Contributor note: "This elementary school is part of the Mountain View-Gotebo School District. This is a stone, flat roofed school which has a large newer section added on the south. The entrance is located at the northeast corner, Above this entrance, a stone bell tower has been added which has a dedication panel. The school was a WPA project, and a bronze shield can be seen on Google Maps, attached to the east wall near the entrance (see gallery), however, that shield has been removed and the holes can...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Mountain View elementary school near Martinez.  At the time, the school was located just outside the city of Martinez in an unincorporated area southeast of the city limits at the corner of Palm Avenue and Almond Street, a couple blocks south of Pacheco Boulevard.  The PWA funds appear to have passed through the city's hands.  Receipt of a $21,406 grant from the PWA for the school was announced at a city council meeting on August 3, 1938 (Council Minutes). Perhaps, this anticipated the subsequent incorporation of the Mountain View neighborhood. The New Deal...

This one room schoolhouse in the mining town of Mount Bullion got help from the WPA on "Repair school building & excavate & level playground." WPA Proj. No. 65-3-4639, January 30, 1936, $1,287. The school was built in 1900 and operated until 1950. The building is currently used for storage.

Mt. Vernon Township high school was expanded during the 1930s with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The school's original building B was supplemented by three new structures Buildings A, D, and E (a classroom building, an auditorium, and a gymnasium). Credit for the structures is sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) (e.g., on Wikipedia, below). In the 2010s, a new school was built 5 miles away on the SW edge of town and the old school was torn down in 2017-18, according to the Jefferson County Historical Society. Apparently, the loss of the venerable Changnon Gymnasium...

The PWA funded an addition to the Mumford School circa 1935. After the school closed in the late 2000s, the building was renovated and converted into affordable housing. It is now known as Mumford Manor.

With WPA support, a school lunchroom was added to the Munday school for African Americans. Two women were certified to prepare and serve 40 meals a day, at a cost of five cents each. The school's PTA raised the money for the equipment.

Bethel, Connecticut's town hall (also known as the Clifford J. Hurgen Municipal Center) was originally constructed as the town's high school; its construction was enabled by the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during the 1930s. According to Wikipedia, "A new building was built in 1939 on what later became School Street, and additions to its main building were made over the next few years. The School Street building is now the Bethel Municipal Center (Town Hall)." The PWA gave the community a grant of $99,477, and the school project cost a total of $197,451. PWA completion documents declare...

The annual municipal report from 1935 reported on extensive E.R.A. activity in Ashland: "Since May 1, 1934 the Town of Ashland has received approximately $10,000.00 in the form of Federal Emergency Relief Funds. This money has enabled the town to work between fifteen and twenty-five men on a part time basis. Efforts have consistently been made to get approval for worth while projects. A few of the things accomplished with these funds are listed below: 1. Construction of approximately one mile of rock drain. 2. Cleaning up town dumps at Ashland and Sheridan. 3. Assisting park commission in cleaning up Community park. 4. Provide labor...

The Lewiston Evening Journal reported that by 1935, a combination of the CWA, FERA, and ERA had completed numerous work projects in Auburn Maine: A two mile hiking trail along the Little Androscoggin River called the Baker Mill Trail was started. An athletic field was built at the Walton Elementary School along with shrubs and landscaping. The interiors of the Webster Grammar school, Webster Jr. High, Lake Street school, & Washburn school were painted. The roof was repainted at the Chamberlain school. At Edward Little High School, the windows were replaced. The roof of the city building was repaired, floors refinished, & both the interior and...

Annual municipal reports for the fiscal year ending in 1941 detailed New Deal involvement in several local projects: "The highway department reported that W.P.A. APPROPRIATIONS equaled $682.22 and 13 men were employed." "The FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE BEDFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT July 1, 1939 x— June 30, 1940 reported about a WPA project employing 20 men costing $1,047.51" "WHITE PINE BLISTER RUST CONTROL FINANCIAL STATEMENT 1940 TOWN OF BEDFORD W.P.A. Funds expended $1,301.45 Area covered 4,757 acres Currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed . . . .10,551 Number of local men employed 5"

In 1938 and 1939, the Works Progress Administration contributed a number of municipal improvements to the town of Brookline, NH. Annual town reports of 1938 and 1939 note the following projects and expenses: "1938 W. P. A. Hurricane and Fire Hazard Project $182.24 Road Project 723.21 Total $905.45 The joint committee appointed at the last district meeting for the purpose of overseeing the alterations at the Primary school building report the following completed work. The appropriation of $650 for the installation of flush toilets and a water system appeared to be entirely inadequate. The school board succeeded in securing a W.P.A. project to further help...

Various relief and infrastructure efforts were provided by the New Deal for this small New Hampshire mountain village, population 514 (1930 Census). From 1933 to 1935, the Public Works Administration conducted a survey for a proposed water project, at a total cost of $488. A federal list of PWA projects constructed mentions that the water works were built and then sold to the town, as town reports mention bond money raised to purchase it. In 1933, the school superintendent noted, "We expect sometime this year to have the use of a school nurse for a week or more, and with the assistance...