Schools Sites

In the 1920s and 30s, SDSU transitioned from a a small women's teachers school to a co-ed teachers college with a progressive curriculum. The old location in University Heights could no longer support the enlarging student body. The current site in Mission Palisades was a gift from LA oil tycoon Alphonzo E. Bell through his Bell-Lloyd Investment Company. Building began in the Mission Palisades location in 1930, but due to the depression, Bell-Lloyd pulled out of the project in 1936 (The Bell-Lloyd/Mission Palisades housing tract was experiencing slow sales). WPA money was essential to continuing the development of the college....

San Fernando Elementary School, which opened in 1915, 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...

San Gabriel Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1932, 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...

This kindergarten is technically a part of the K-5 San Jacinto Elementary School which was founded in 1939. It is not clear whether the kindergarten is still in the New Deal building or not. However, it is likely as the old building is still standing directly next to the rest of the elementary school.

This WPA adobe school is now part of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. "Double adobe walls provided a bulky exterior when the 10-room modern schoolhouse was built in 1936. The $63,000 school was built by 70 workers over a 10-month period, according to the Biebel book. Now, the old school is part of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Beautifully renovated, it houses the center's library/genealogy center, archives, media room and offices. “It's the nicest and quietest place on campus,” says Carlos Vasquez, the center's history director, “but also the hardest to receive a cell phone call.” The old school, also known as Riverside Elementary,...

San Juan High School was constructed in 1915 and work by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works done in 1939.

In early 1937, San Juan High School burned to the ground. With the insurance payment and a federal grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA), the county school district was able to erect a new school building. The large brick Moderne style school was completed in late 1938. Today, it is largely unchanged, both inside and out (a small porch roof hides the old High School name carved over the front door). The former high school now serves as the San Juan County School District administration building. (San Juan Record: 3/14/1937, 5/13/37, 1/20/1938, 7/21/38, 12/1/38)

San Pedro High School, which opened in 1909, was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. Designed by architect Gordon B. Kaufmann, the new Streamline Moderne buildings were constructed of poured-in-place concrete. The Administration and Language Arts Buildings are both now protected landmarks. 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...

The Sandersville high/elementary school was constructed by the PWA in 1939. The red brick building with a Georgian-Colonial facade was built on one level in the shape of an E. The high school was on the east side and the elementary school on the west, with the Administrative office, library, commercial and home economics rooms in the middle front. The 600 seat auditorium, music and expression rooms were in the center arm of the E. A small lunch room was built behind the auditorium. A newspaper article indicates the school district filed an application with the government for a grant...

The no-longer-extant Sands Point Elementary School in Port Washington, New York was improved by the federal Work Projects Administration during the 1930s.  One modest project undertaken in 1938 involved repairs to the building's walls, ceilings, and plastering. Other schools in Port Washington were similarly improved. The exact location of the former school is unknown. WPA Official Project No. 665-21-2-219.

Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the auditorium / gymnasium addition to the Sandstone School constructed in 1936 was accomplished as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA provided a grant of $24,966 for the project, whose total cost was $129,701. NRHP, re the addition: "It is a two story wing with a flat roof and constructed of a similar Kettle River Sandstone. The front entrance to this section is in the form of a semi-circular arch, complementary to the two entries to the original building. This addition houses an auditorium." "Throughout its history, the school served as both...

Douglass Parshall was both an artist and a Works Progress Administration (WPA) supervisor. In 1934, he painted a mural for Santa Barbara Junior High School that depicts Olympic sports – no doubt based on his experience at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games.  The mural is located in the school library. It is uncertain who funded the mural, but it was likely the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the predecessor of the WPA. Restoration work was done on the mural in 2011, paid for by the Pearl Chase Society of Santa Barbara.

"A number of other APS buildings were built, remodeled, or had additions built as the result of this source of this source of funding. Likewise adjacent school playgrounds, ball fields, etc. were also created. The schools include Armijo, Coronado, Duranes, Five Points School, La Mesa, Lincoln, Los Candelarias, Pajarito, San Jose, Santa Barbara, and Stronghurst. For specific information on each of these refer to the Albuquerque Museum Monograph written by Charles Biebel." -Treasures on New Mexico Trails

New Deal funds supplied Santa Cruz High School with a backstop for the baseball field. It is not known whether the original backstop still stands.

In 1935, the Santa Fe County Board of Education prepared a WPA project proposal for a gym at Santa Cruz High School, a school located in a rural community just east of Española. Opened in 1925, with 89 students, it was the only high school in the greater Española Valley until 1930. The gym, to be constructed of traditional adobe, would be thoroughly “modern” and include a “standard size ball court” and meet “all the requirements of the State Board of Education” (WPA OP 65-85-498: 7238). The Board estimated that it would cost $8,664.40 to construct, with the WPA contributing $5,919.75. The WPA played...

The Works Progress Administration's (WPA) modernization of Santa Monica High School between 1935 and 1938 represented the largest reconstruction project undertaken by the Santa Monica City School District following the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The WPA remodeled and retrofitted the school's two-story Academic & Administration Building (later the History Building), Manual Arts & Commerce Building, Fine Arts & Household Science Building, Library/Student Center, and Girls’ Gymnasium. Their "'earthquake-resistive construction' designed to withstand shocks greater than those felt in Long Beach. Bearing walls were reinforced with steel and coated on the exterior with stucco. Gabled roofs were replaced with shock-proof,...

Barnum Hall Theater was one of three new buildings constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at Santa Monica High School between 1935 and 1938 as part of the largest reconstruction project undertaken by the Santa Monica City School District following the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. "The high quality of design of the new auditorium building suggested not only the importance of this facility to the growing high school, but also the degree of civic pride associated with this new community amenity. Designed by noted Los Angeles architectural firm Marsh, Smith & Powell, it displays the smooth surfaces, curved...

The school was originally founded in 1888, but was heavily damaged in the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. Beginning in 1933 most of the facilities were rebuilt by the WPA. "The school has tiled roofs, arched hallways and red brick hallways. Its 350 seat auditorium with balcony is decorated with murals." -https://santapaulahighschoolhistory.blogspot.com/2011/03/santa-paula-high-school-gets-new-look.html

This 1936 WPA mosaic is on the outside front of the auditorium.

Lyla Harcoff painted these three oil on canvas lunettes for the school's library and study hall in 1936. The murals depict a Native American theme, a Spanish American theme, and a white American agricultural theme respectively.

"The Santaquin Junior High School, located at 75 W. 100 South in Santaquin, Utah, United States, was built in 1935 as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.  It is a two story brick school. Additions during c. 1950–60, while not compatible with PWA Moderne original section, are on the side and rear and do not detract greatly from the architectural appearance." (Wikipedia)

Hill Classical Middle School (now Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science) was built in 1935, likely with New Deal funding. It is unclear if the 1935 structure(s) survived a 1957 addition/remodel. 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,...

The Works Progress Administration built a rural school, called the Satterwhite School, for the area south of Elmore City. Contributor note: "Satterwhite is an area about four miles south of Elmore City. There is no actual town, and only a few local residents. The Satterwhite School is located on Highway 74 at the intersection of CR 1690. This is a four classroom school currently occupied as a residence. The school is constructed of rusticated and coursed native sandstone and has a hipped roof. Entrances on the front and sides are recessed under arched openings. The main entrance has a single wood door with sidelights...

Saturn Street Elementary School, which opened as Burnside Avenue Elementary School in 1924, 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...

The original component of what is now Saugatuck Elementary School was originally constructed as an second building for what was then Staples High School. The project was undertaken with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) sponsorship. The P.W.A. supplied a $51,750 grant for the project, whose total cost was $113,925. Construction occurred between Dec. 1935 and Apr. 1937. The facility has since been expanded. P.W.A. Docket No. CT 1038

The WPA allocated funds for the construction of a new school building in Savage, Montana in 1938. The structure continues to serve as part of an expanded educational campus. The allocation for the structure appears on Montana WPA Roll 24 under project number 665-91-2-1.

"The Savannah Arts Academy building is located on a site that was originally planned as a luxury tourist hotel called the Hotel Georgia. The Works Progress Administration, in the midst of the Great Depression, expressed interest in the site for use as the new Savannah High School, which was dedicated on June 15, 1937. After 61 years on Washington Avenue, Savannah High School classes were moved to a new building on Pennsylvania Avenue, leaving the structure available for the newly formed Savannah Arts Academy for the school year beginning August 1998."

All 17 schoolhouses in Framingham, Massachusetts were painted, remodeled, and/or repaired with federally funded labor during the Great Depression. The structures of the then-Saxonville Primary/Junior High School appear to have been replaced with modern facilities; Mary E. Stapleton Elementary School operates at the same location. In 1936-7 the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) constructed a concrete retaining wall and chain link fence at the school; the W.P.A. conducted other repairs at the building in 1937, including the installation of new floors. The W.P.A. also conducted electrical work in 1941 and worked on a new heating system for the building in 1941-2.

The Bay Springs school was Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works project W1052 for a $16,364 grant toward a total estimated cost of $40,743, approved 9/25/1935. Contracts were awarded 12/06/1935 and construction begun 5/5/1936. Construction was completed 12/29/1936. The one-story Colonial Revival style building was designed by architects Hull & Drummond.

The WPA provided labor for the construction of the Knox County Courthouse and the school in Benjamin, Texas. The source below says the school was built in 1942, but the WPA plaque on the building says 1935-1937.

The original component of what is now Blain Elementary School was built in 1936 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $18,090 grant for the project, whose total cost was $43,376. Perry County Times: "he most prominent building in Blain is the red brick school. It also stands out in the minds of many who attended Blain High School, Blain Junior High and Blain Elementary. The original brick building was built in 1936 and housed 12 grades for children in Blain Borough." PWA Docket No. PA 1293

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $23,392 grant for construction of a new school building in Bloomsbury, New Jersey. Constructed in 1936, the total cost of the project, which still operates as the Bloomsbury Public School, was $52,312. PWA Docket No. NJ 1156

National Youth Administration employed 40 boys to construct the 8-room frame building with sheet metal roof in the Broome community. The project was W. P. 5208, Application # 923.

A school in Brownville, Nebraska was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA supplied a $16,531 grant for the project, whose total cost was $33,264. Construction occurred between Nov. 1938 and Dec. 1939. The location and status of this project is currently unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. 1345

A one-story brick veneer school was completed as Public Works Administration project 3900, July 31, 1935. An $11,500 loan and a $5,371 grant were awarded on March 21, 1935. Construction began April 16, 1935. The total of the project came to $18,711 at completion. The school contained 6 classrooms, a music hall, an office, and a 46 x 90 feet auditorium. The project employed an average of 25 men per day with an average weekly payroll of $600. Contract was awarded to M. T. Reed Construction of Belzoni. W. G. Eckles, State Director of School Building Service was the architect.

A school construction project in Cimarron, Kansas was undertaken in 1934 with Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. provided a $33,404 grant for the project, whose total cost was $117,563. The exact location and status of the facility is presently unknown to Living New Deal. P.W.A. Docket No. Kansas 1388

The Corinth High School was constructed 1938-1939 by Wessell Construction Company as Public Works Administration project W1250. Architects were Stevens and Johnston. The Art Moderne two story brick building was approved 6/22/1938 for a grant of $65,454 toward estimated cost of $145,454. Construction began 11/28/1938 and was completed 11/14/1939. It was expanded in 1954 to add an additional classroom, cafeteria, and band room. It remains in use as the Corinth Middle School.

The Civil Works Administration approved and funded a number of projects in Mississippi in late 1933, primarily school buildings. Approval for construction of a new school building in Cross Roads was authorized and construction was underway in September. By December 12, 3 men were employed for $230, and an additional 14 men employed for $982 by the 24th.

A school construction project in Earth, Texas was undertaken in 1939 with Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. provided a $25,775 grant for the project, whose total cost was $56,539. The exact location and status of the facility is presently unknown to Living New Deal. P.W.A. Docket No. TX 2416

Ellenburg's historic Northern Adirondack School District building was developed during the Great Depression. Its construction was enabled by a $176,850 federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant, which covered nearly half of the eventual $396,150 total project cost. Construction occurred between Apr. 1938 and Oct. 1939. PWA Docket No. NY 1502