Schools Sites

"Originally built in 1935 as Capitol School at 802 E. Vilas, this building is currently home to the Board of Education and other Guthrie Public Schools administrative offices. This WPA project is documented on the cornerstone where is indicates that this is WPA project 6-49. This is a one-story tan brick building which faces south. The entrance is slightly recessed with a single glass door, sidelights and transom. The entrance is within a stone surround with the words CAPITOL SCHOOL embossed in stone. Four concrete steps lead to the entrance door."   (waymarking.com)

The School was founded in 1939 as part of the New Deal program for Education. Original structure was built with labor provided through the Works Progress Administration. When new school was built in 2002, old building was razed. Original front entrance is all that remains.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Carver High School in Carbon Hill. The workers built several structures, such as the main school buildings, the Home Economics Building, and the vocational agriculture for the boys. The new facilities allowed the school to enroll hundreds of additional students. The school burned down in 2002.

The WPA improved the school building and grounds.

In early 1935, PWA crews conducted renovations and improvements to the Henry R. A. Carey School, which dated to 1896. The school closed in 2010, and in 2014 was renovated again as luxury condominiums and renamed the Carey School Residences.

An addition was built by the WPA.

The Atlas of Historic New Mexico Maps, produced with assistance from the New Mexico Humanities Council and the New Mexico Chapter of the National New Deal Preservation Association, lists a number of New Deal schools in Santa Fe. Agua Fria, Carlos Gilbert, Cerrillos, Chimayo, Galisteo, Harvey Junior High, and part of Wood Gormley were all New Deal projects or constructed with the help of New Deal funds. Capshaw and Golden contain New Deal art only.

The Carlsbad Intermediate School building, also known as the P.R. Leyva School Campus—originally a high school—is identified as a project that received New Deal assistance in the form of Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in an article in the Carlsbad Current-Argus. The school also features a plaque inside the front main entrance.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant of $49,090 for a new high school for the town of Idaho Springs, Colorado. Total cost of the school, which was constructed in 1937,  was $109,885. The school is a 2-story brick Moderne building, with two wings and distinctive horizontal window lines on the central portion of the building.  Near the entrance are glass bricks of the kind popular in the late 1930s and 1940s. The cornerstone gives no information on who built the school, just the name and date.  A cornerstone from a previous high school is laid against the wall below the...

This one-story frame school in the Kosciusko vicinity was built in 1938. Constructed with funds from the National Youth Administration, the building has a distinctive T-shape.

The New Deal helped build Carmel High School in 1940. In 1939, the city of Carmel purchased the lot and secured a bond issue for $165,000 for the school.  Groundbreaking came in early 1940 and school opened in September.   The city put in applications for funding to both the Public Works Administration (PWA) and the Works Projects Administration (WPA), so it is not entirely clear from the newspaper sources whether the project was done with the aid of both agencies or just the WPA. The five-building school complex was designed by Ernest Kump, Jr. of Fresno, who created a long, single-story modern...

This elementary school was constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1939. The school is still in use, although recent renovations have altered the school's original appearance. The dedication plaque at the entrance is still visible.

Public Works Administration project 1251 was for Itawamba County school construction. The project for the Carolina Consolidated School near Fulton was approved January 1, 1934 in the amount of a $4,370 loan and a $1,860 grant. Construction began June 20, 1934 and was completed September 12, 1934 for a total cost of $8,003. The former Carolina community school was destroyed in 1932. The building remains in use as the Carolina Community Center and regular activities are held in the building.

Completed in 1939, the Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary School (formerly known as J.J. Finley Elementary School) is the oldest operating elementary school in Alachua County. It was named for Jesse Johnson Finley (1812-1904 ), a brigadier general in the Army of the Confederacy, and later a US congressman from Florida. The school was designed by the architectural firm of Sanford W. Goin and Forrest M. Kelley. It is constructed of brick, and mixes Georgian and art deco styles. The school auditorium, part of the original construction, has seating for 300 people, a full theatrical stage, and a projection room. On August...

Carquinez Middle School was constructed as a New Deal project with Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds.

Frank F. Carr School in Newton, MA was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds in 1934-5.

The Georgian Revival style elementary school completed September 9, 1939 was described that year as a "school of tomorrow" by the Democrat-Times. The interior was primarily Art Deco and Streamlined Moderne (MDAH) to reflect modern ideas of teaching. Funded by the city and PWA funds, estimated cost was $151,000.

The first public school for African Americans in Abilene was established in 1890. Located in the 200 block of Plum Street, the one-room school was named the Abilene Colored School. Its first class consisted of 22 students and one teacher. In 1902 the school moved to a one-room structure built at N. 7th and Magnolia, and had two teachers serving 84 students. The Colored School held its first graduation in 1923 at the Macedonia Baptist Church for one student. A five-room school was constructed at 541 N. 8th Street in 1929. That year the student body consisted of 217 pupils. The building...

The Colonial Revival elementary school was designed by James Manly Spain as Proj. No. Miss. 1233-DS, funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. Construction began 12/30/1937 and was completed 9/23/1938. The Public Works provided a grant of $42,924 toward the total estimated cost of $95,454 . The "I" shaped brick featured a 1-story front and a 2-story rear portion, which contains the auditorium. Tuscan columns support the recessed front entrance, which features an arched fanlight above the wood double-leaf wood doors. It was converted to a community center in 2012 and is part of the Carthage Historic District.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Carver High School for African American students in Gadsden.

The Works Progress Administration completed George Washington Carver High School in 1941. The building was used by the African-American students in the Karnack school district. When schools were integrated, the building became George Washington Carver Elementary School. Karnack High School closed in 2016 due to low enrollment, and the elementary school students moved to the high school building. In 2019, the old Carver school building appeared to be unused.

Originally constructed as Cary High School in 1938-39 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building, which replaced a 1913 school, was built at a cost of $132,000. The building now houses the Cary Arts Center.

"Due to the efforts of the members of your Superintending School Committee a number of worthwhile improvements were made on the physical plant. The Castner building was renovated throughout. The development of the school grounds adds much to the beauty and utility of these areas. A very large pro-portion of the expense of this undertaking was met by E. R. A. allotment—making a total of $1200.00 of Federal Funds received by the town as reported by your School Committee. While the labor was furnished by the government, it is necessary to provide the required material from the repairs account. The...

The Works Progress Administration remodeled the Castroville School in 1939 under project number 665-66-2-541. The workmen added a two classroom wing on the northwest side of the building and a two classroom wing on the southeast side of the building. The wings were constructed using rock masonry with wood floors. The State of Texas formed Medina County in 1848. The county erected the first permanent courthouse in Castroville in 1854. When the county seat moved to Hondo in 1892, the courthouse in Castroville was converted to a school. The building is currently the Castroville City Hall.

A new auditorium/gymnasium was added to the existing Catchings school as PWA project 1288. Architects Hull & Drummond designed the alterations and additions. A $9,000 loan and a $9,163 grant were provided. Approval was received 9/13/1938, and construction began 12/8/1938. The additions were completed 11/2/1939 for a total of $20,386. The name of the town was changed to Delta City sometime during the late 1940s.

This classic one room schoolhouse received repairs courtesy of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). WPA Proj. No. 65-3-3714, December 24, 1935, $1,344 "Repair & paint Grammar school building excavate court & playground." The land was donated to the school by Andrew Cathay in 1879. Thanks to a community effort, when the school was threatened with demolition because of the expansion of the current elementary school, it was moved a mile to the town park. The building still exists and is kept in original shape. Occasionally, it is used to demonstrate older teaching methods to local students. There is an E. Clampus Vitus memorial in front...

The historic Cato-Meridian Central School building was constructed ca. 1939-40 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds.

A 2012  Nation Register of Historic Places Registration Form describes the restroom structures built by the Works Progress Administration circa 1935: "Behind the school, near the southwest and northwest corners of the property are two stone privies. Thought to have been constructed in the 1930s, possibly with funding from the Works Progress Administration, the two small buildings are identical in design. The small rectangular buildings are of rubble stone construction with a plain wood door centered in one long wall. The roof is side gable with wood shingles and exposed rafter tails." After a health department inspection, "The school’s trustees also...

The Cave Springs Public School is a K-12 school in rural Oklahoma. The main building was constructed in 1926. The WPA added this gymnasium in 1939: "This 'Y' shaped building measures 112' by 135' and is constructed from cut and rusticated, randomly laid native stone. The roof is gabled with cross gables and arched over the gym... The walls of the gym were constructed of double rock of about 18 inches in width. Concrete inlays create false arches on the front facade of the structure... The WPA's construction of the building has provided the community with an exceptional community resource... Massive double...

Elementary school built in 1935 with funding from the Public Works Administration and Proximity Manufacturing Company for the White Oak New Town mill village community founded by the Cone Mills Corporation, then among the largest denim manufacturers in the world. Still in use as an elementary school today.

Contracts for the construction of two high schools in Cecil County (Cecilton and Chesapeake City) were awarded to the Lang Brothers of Baltimore by the PWA in December 1938.  The $136,190 contract for the Cecilton high school called for "a two-story and part basement semi-fire proof, consolidated school building to accommodate 450 pupils." According to The Cecil Democrat, the contract called for "modern heating, plumbing, and electrical work." The facilities were as follows: Basement: A cafeteria, kitchen, boiler room, fuel storage room, and storage room. First floor: Six classrooms, a teacher room, an auditorium with stage and dressing rooms, and bathrooms. Second floor:...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Cedar City High School in Cedar City, Iron County School District. Docket # 1033-R (Utah).

This large, adobe-built gymnasium is attached to the rear of a 1920s, four-room brick school house in the nearly non-existent community of Cedarvale, New Mexico. The gym was erected by the WPA between 1935-36, under WPA Official Project #s 65-85-402 and 165-85-2081. Both buildings are on private property.

Originally constructed as Thomaston's high school, what is now the Center School was constructed between 1938 and 1939 with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. contributed a $129,375 grant for the project, whose total cost was $286,068. P.W.A. Docket No. CT 1019

In 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) furnished the cost of labor for the construction of a playground behind Center School in Hatfield, Massachusetts. The 35-man project cost the Town of Hatfield only the price of materials for the project ($982), while the federal government paid for the labor (3,028). The Center School itself was constructed as Hatfield's middle school in 1914. The building much later became the Western Massachusetts Regional Library and, as of 2016, has been vacant for about 10 years. It appears that the playground was demolished at some point as the aerial view of the site shows...

Built in 1939 as a public school in Holmdel NJ. Excerpt from the July 27th 1939 Red Bank Register: "Nearing completion at Centerville in Holmdel township is a new public school, the construction of which is being done entirely by WPA mechanics The Holmdel township board of education is supplying most of the materials and the WPA is supplying the labor, sand, gravel and concrete." Today the building is used for professional offices.

Central Elementary School in Union City, Tennessee was undertaken by the Public Works Administration (PWA) during the Great Depression. The PWA Moderne building, with a distinctive blend of classicism and Art Deco style, was designed to stand out from the more conservative architecture of Union City. Local reformers celebrated its "fireproof construction, circulation flow, ample light and air, structural insulation, sound proofing, sanitary floors, attractive furniture, drinking fountains, modern plumbing, and its auditorium," (Van West, pg. 114). The total federal cost for school construction reached $105,000, while student workers trained in wood- and metalworking by the National Youth Administration (NYA) furnished...

This two story brick high school building was constructed with funding from the PWA in 1936. It was designed by architects Knecht, McCarty, and Thebaud, Inc. of Grand Rapids, and Ralph L. Bauer, Architect of Traverse City. It now houses Central Grade School.

"During the depression years (1938-39) the Central Grade School in Anchorage was built in Art Deco design, as a PWA (Public Works Administration) project of the Roosevelt Administration." (ed.gov) The building was located on Fifth Avenue between F St. and G St. It is no longer extant. PWA Docket No. AK W1023.

A WPA press release from Nov. 1937 reported: "More than 150 schools have been repaired and the grounds improved and landscaped , and five brand new schools in the state were erected entirely by WPA with a small percentage of sponsored funds," among which was a new school in Kirkland, Washington. The precise location and the present status of the school building are unknown to Living New Deal. One story published in 2011 states that the WPA school constructed in Kirkland no longer exists.