Schools Sites

"The University of Iowa Theatre Building was completed in 1936 during the depths of the Great Depression. How did a public university in Iowa, a state hard-hit by economic collapse and unemployment, ever see fit to build a theatre at such a time? The answers are unique to the time: “New Deal” politics, a surge of pride in regional art and arts, and E.C. Mabie, “the Boss,” who had big plans and the drive to see the plans through... The Federal Theatre Project (FTP), also part of Federal One, was formally announced in Iowa City at the National Theatre Conference in...

Pioneer Hall is a co-ed residential hall for first-year students at the University of Minnesota. Originally the Men’s Dormitory, the building features colonial architecture and was built in two shifts, the latter with funding from the Public Works Administration. The south side was completed in 1930 and the north side 1934.

"The laboratory...was designed and built under the direction of a dedicated individual, Lorenz G. Straub. Straub had been a Freeman Fellow and observed several laboratories in Germany during the year of his fellowship. He came to the University in 1930 and promptly set to work to establish his own laboratory. His vision came to fruition through a WPA grant to the University of Minnesota and construction started in 1936. Straub came to be known as the "River Doctor" for his many studies at SAFL on several aspects of river engineering. The Laboratory building lies on the Falls of St. Anthony...

The Big Timber Pioneer reported in late 1934 that the Public Works Administration (PWA) approved $181,000 for "improvements and equipment" for what was then known as the Montana Normal College at Dillon. Of that, $100,000 came as a loan and $81,000 as an outright grant. We do not know more about what was done with the federal funding, but we suspect that the Main auditorium was constructed at the time. Mathews Hall and the Business & Technology Building also possibly date to the 1930s. And the project might have included landscaping and paths. More information is needed. Montana...

"Albuquerque is home to scores of WPA buildings and works. Among the most prolific are the following- ... John Gaw Meem designed both Scoles Hall and Zimmerman Library on the campus of the University of New Mexico (the corner of University and Central). Both have undergone redesign and restoration, but still carry many of the architects innovative design features. Also on the campus of UNM, the Anthropology building is from that era, and contains three large murals by Joseph Imhof. The Old Albuquerque Municipal Airport (2920 Yale SE) is a Pueblo revival style two-story building that stands in the shadow of the Albuquerque...

"Albuquerque is home to scores of WPA buildings and works. Among the most prolific are the following- ... John Gaw Meem designed both Scoles Hall and Zimmerman Library on the campus of the University of New Mexico (the corner of University and Central). Both have undergone redesign and restoration, but still carry many of the architects innovative design features. Also on the campus of UNM, the Anthropology building is from that era, and contains three large murals by Joseph Imhof. The Old Albuquerque Municipal Airport (2920 Yale SE) is a Pueblo revival style two-story building that stands in the shadow of the Albuquerque...

A series of stone barns arranged around a central Colonial Revival building. Designed by Edwin E. Cull, of Providence. Demolished in the early 2000s. The site is now a large parking lot.

A large building, built as a women's dormitory. This was the first major building on campus built of a material that wasn't Westerly Granite, in this case brick. This Federal Revival dormitory was designed by Providence architect Albert Harkness, who would go on to be one of Rhode Island's first modernist architect. The building was named for and dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt. It is one of the three buildings constructed by the PWA on campus.

A large, Colonial Revival building, built to house the Home Economics department of what was then known as Rhode Island State College. It is built of Westerly Granite, then the dominant building material on campus. The building, designed by Monahan & Meikle of Pawtucket, was built between 1936 and 1937. It is one of three buildings built by the PWA on campus.

"The student body of the University of Texas increased from 6,000 in 1920 to 10,000 in 1930, necessitating an extensive building program for the university. Carothers Dormitory for girls was one of the first buildings constructed. It is three stories and a basement in height and provides 61 double bedrooms, living room, dining room, matron's suite, staff bedrooms, and the necessary kitchens and service rooms. The building is semi-fireproof, the exterior walls being brick trimmed with stone and stucco. It was completed in March 1937 at a construction cost of $250,572 and a project cost of $264,923."

"The Mabel Louise Southwick Building is the women's recreation building at the university. It is T-shaped in plan and is two stories and a basement in height. The basement contains a combination recreation hall and auditorium with a large stage, locker and utility rooms. Lounges and sitting rooms occupy the first floor. On the second floor are meeting rooms and a recreation hall with a small stage. The structure is fireproof throughout, the exterior walls being red brick trimmed with marble. It has a volume of 458,000 cubic feet and was completed in November 1936 at a construction cost of $263,237...

The Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts, located on West 129th Street in Manhattan, was originally built as the Manhattanville Junior High School during the 1930s. Construction benefited from federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds as part of PWA Docket No. NY 8000. PWA documents state that the four-story school measures 300 ft. by 200 ft. and is 60 feet tall. Ground was broken May 10, 1935; work was completed September 1, 1937; and the school was occupied that month. The 56-room school featured the following classrooms: art weaving; woodworking; novelty; sheet metal shops; office practice; science; drawing; sewing; cooking; geography;...

A large Art Deco design constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1936. It was designed by S. Wesley Haynes & Associates of Fitchburg. In 2012 it became McCloskey Middle School when a new high school opened.

The Art Moderne school was completed in 1943 as W. P. A. Project No. 7233. Work began in 1941 but was stopped due to lack of money resulting from the war. WPA workers mixed concrete on site, and carried it in wheelbarrows to construct the poured monolithic concrete two and a half story U-plan school. The auditorium was restored in 2008-2009 for use as a community center.

The State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built many buildings for Valencia High School during the New Deal era.  The school was initially founded in 1933. Then in 1935, SERA built an administration building. This was followed by a gym and pool funded by the WPA in 1937. “Today the school serves a student body of approximately 2,500 students. It is one of four high schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District." (Wikipedia)

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a six-room elementary school building in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. A plaque on the building dates the construction to 1935 to 1937. It was one of many educational facilities constructed by the WPA in Watauga County. The school has since been enlarged.

The PWA built this school in Orderville in 1935-36. It is not entirely clear from satellite and street views how much of the original structure remains, as the site has been expanded over the years. From the National Register of Historic Places: "This is a one-story, rectangular building with a full basement. It has been built into a hillside above the town and reflects the stylistic thinking of the PWA Moderne movement in Utah. The building has a flat roof and is constructed of yellow brick. A square entrance portico has been placed centrally on the facade. The design is formal...

"In the 1870's, Valley Springs had a reputation as an educational center of northwest Arkansas, known as “The Athens of the Hills” because of the fine Valley Springs and Rally Hill private academies nearby.  The New Deal brought a return to the educational luster of the now-public Valley Springs School District; 1940 saw the construction of not only a new high school building for the community, but also a new Smith-Hughes agricultural building.  The Harrison Daily Times reported that these additions to the campus "will make Valley Springs again the possessor of one of the finest school plants in north...

"The sculptural enhancement of the entry of Van Ness Elementary School is reminiscent of the Gothic style. ArchitectsNoerenbergand Johnson were responsible for the design of the 1923 building."

Van Nuys 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...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed bleachers at Van Nuys High School.

Van Nuys High School, which opened in 1915, was renovated 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...

Venice High School, which opened in 1911, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) after the original neoclassical campus suffered extensive damage in the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. The architectural firm of Austin and Ashley designed the new Moderne-style buildings, which were erected between 1935 and 1937. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the 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...

"Located in the foothills at the north end of the San Fernando Valley, Verdugo Hills High School opened its doors in September 1939. The Administration and Classroom Building pictured here was constructed in 1948, and continue the Spanish Colonial Revival theme of the buildings erected a decade earlier." - https://www.laschools.org/employee/design/fs-studies-and-reports/download/LAUSD_Presentation_March_2002.pdf?version_id=1895945 "Much of the construction on campus was done by men working for the Works Progress Administration, a federal effort to train and employ men during the Great Depression. By 1939, there were 78 WPA workers building things on campus, including the football field, and going to adult school at Verdugo at night....

As with most small towns, the Vestal NY area schools were mostly small one or two room schools. "With centralization came the goal of building a high school…a goal that was realized on January 3, 1939 when the Vestal Central High School opened its doors. This was the fifth school along Main Street. A Public Works Administration (PWA) project, the new high school and new Vestal Center Elementary school designed by architect Truman Lacey of T.I. Lacey and Sons, cost $773,000 of which the state contributed $446,000. Vestal’s first graduating class of 26 students received their diplomas on June 25, 1940....

Vine Street Elementary School, which opened in 1909, 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...

The WPA built a brick gymnasium for what was then the Will Rogers High School in 1940. 1985 Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory surveyed the site and gave the following description: " gymnasium is a two level, rectangular shaped (104' x 79') building constructed from buff colored brick. It has a high arched roof with stepped parapets... Brick quoins on the corners, and raised brickwork friezes add decorative relief to the structure... Along with two NYA constructed buildings on the campus of Will Rogers High School, a project of this size constituted a tremendous resource for the community of Vinita." The gymnasium is still standing...

This public elementary school was built in 1935 with funds in part from the Works Progress Administration. Its facade is in the popular Art Deco style of that time. The architect of record was J. Robert Pierson & Son. 

The Public Works Administration (PWA) gave grants to the Hyde Park Central School District to build three school buildings: Hyde Park Elementary School, Haviland Middle School (originally dedicated as the Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School but later renamed when a new high school building was constructed) and Violet Avenue Elementary School. The latter is in Poughkeepsie NY, not the town of Hyde Park.  The cost of the three historic buildings was $1,300,000, with $585,000 coming from the PWA. Construction began December  1938 and was finished in December 1939.

Virgil Middle School (formerly Junior High School), which opened in 1914, 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...

Virginia Road Elementary School, which opened 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 of the board agrees...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed San Francisco's old Visitacion Nursery School during the Great Depression. The agency: Built a new community center with facilities for a nursery school.--Healy, p.72.

"In later audits 'school' and 'auditorium' listed separately. Could be separate buildings?" Contributor note: The auditorium is attached to the school. The structure was renovated a few years prior to 2018.

"18 classrooms. Includes auditorium; in later audits 'school' and 'auditorium' listed separately. Same year as Glen Park. Could be separate buildings?"

Concrete,1 story addition, 2 rooms

One of more than 40 new vocational units added to Mississippi schools following an increase in federal funds in 1937, the white wood frame Vocational Agriculture and Home Economics building was constructed by the National Youth Administration.

"The Ecru High School FFA/FHA Building was built in 1938 by the National Youth Administration (NYA), a New Deal agency. The NYA was created by executive order in 1935 to provide vocational training to young people while also furnishing a stipend allowing participants to remain in school. One NYA project involved building and renovating school buildings. There were a number of NYA built school buildings in Mississippi, primarily used for vocational education. However, that number is declining. The Ecru building, clad in 'native stone,' retains its exterior features, including pent awnings over the doors and 9/9 double hung sash windows....

This rock building was constructed by federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) and remains in use as part of the Ethel school complex.

The National Youth Administration constructed a vocational building for the Heidelberg vicinity school complex in 1941.

The Lauderdale Consolidated School Vocational Building was constructed in 1937 by the National Youth Administration. The rock veneer building is a Mississippi Landmark and still extant, although not in use.