Schools Sites

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) constructed the former high school building and attendant perimeter wall in 1938-9. A W.P.A. plaque remains on site. It is located in front of the new high school, on the remains of the step entrance to the old building.

The Brookland Education Campus at Bunker Hill, NE, encompasses the former Bunker Hill Elementary School, which was built during the New Deal era.  The new facility includes middle school. Initial plans were made in 1938 for a full, two-story building for the Bunker Hill Elementary School to replace an earlier school building, but it ended up being built in stages. A grant of $111,200 from the Public Works Administration (PWA) allowed the construction of the basement and six rooms on a single floor, which became the west wing of the school. All but some finish work was completed in 1939 and the...

Formerly known as Public School 142, what is now the Brooklyn New School building received a five-story addition in 1938-9 as a New Deal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $191,250 grant for the school, whose total construction cost was $339,052. PWA Docket No. NY 1450

A WPA photo of students of the Brooklyn Technical High School says that the school itself was constructed by the PWA. The school's website says that ground was broken on the site in 1930 and the school was ready for partial occupancy in 1933, so most likely construction began before the New Deal but was completed by the PWA.

In 1888, a church and school building was erected in a central location at newly-divided Brown's Prairie, with the Reverend David Buchmueller as pastor and teacher. By 1911, a new wooden six-room school building was used each Sunday, with one teacher for six grades. In 1939, the wooden school was replaced using WPA funds, constructed by architect Travis Broesche and stone mason Carl Whitmarsh. In the 1940s, the Brown's Prairie School was referred to as Washington School, and after the 1950-51 school year, all students were transferred to Brenham after its annexation into the district.

A small rural schoolhouse was built in 1939 by the WPA for students in the rural community of Brown's Prairie, replacing a 1911 wooden one-room schoolhouse. Brown's Prairie School as described on a Texas Historical Marker located on the site of the former school: "In 1888, a church and school building was erected in a central location at newly-divided Brown's Prairie, with the Reverend David Buchmueller as pastor and teacher. By 1911, a new wooden six-room school building was used each Sunday, with one teacher for six grades. In 1939, the wooden school was replaced using WPA funds, constructed by architect Travis...

Constructed in 1935. A new High School was built in 1995 due to overcrowding. Demolished in 2009. The Harriet Beecher Stowe elementary school was built on the same location in 2011 and incorporates an art deco bas relief and a light from the front entrance of the old high school.

The WPA made extensive improvements to Brush School, Santa Rosa, California, under Official Project Number 65-3-364. The work to the one-room school house included building stone retaining walls, a playground and a presumed tennis court (Goddard, 1976: 72-74). Though now under private ownership, the stone walls and tennis court are visible from the public right-of-way. (Goddard does not identify the specific year of construction but it can be inferred from the WPA project number).

Designed by Raymond A. Sites, Bryant Elementary School (Building A) was built in 1934 with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. The style is PWA Moderne. 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, some schools were rehabilitated, and new...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded construction of the Buena Vista Elementary School (now Bryant Elementary) in the 1930s.  We believe that the New Deal building is still in place. A record card for the project in the National Archives states that it included, "18 classrooms. A 'health' school. 'Various ailments' 'Special type of design suitable for the status of children's houses.' Near Sunshine School and General Hospital." (NARA) More information is needed on this site. The exact cost is unknown because this was one of a group of school projects in San Francisco for which the PWA laid out almost $3 million.

Buchanan Street Elementary School, which opened in 1913, 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 with...

Budlong Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1916, 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 with...

The WPA was established in Baxter County in fall 1935, and the school was one of the first major projects undertaken by the agency in North Arkansas (Story, 1992). The "irregular-plan, single-story building" featured Craftsman influence of "exposed rafters and the ornamental brackets" (Story). The grey limestone block school was constructed in the Plain Traditional style. A community member described it as "...interior consisted for two large classrooms, separated by a moveable partition and several smaller rooms...utilized for a library and cloak rooms. One of the classrooms contained a stage complete with small dressing rooms and passageways. A canvass...

Burbank Elementary School was built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The original school appears to consist of three buildings, all long and low in the style of Spanish mission residential buildings.  All have covered, pillared breezeways along the entire front, with door to each classroom opening onto those outdoor corridors. The school has had additions and underwent a major renovation in recent years, according to a staffer who spoke to us in 2023.  The original design had tile roofs, as shown in 2010 photo, which have been changed to metal roofs.    

The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. Originally built in 1922, Burbank Elementary School in Long Beach, CA, was rehabilitated by Kenneth S. Wing in 1935/36 with New Deal funding. “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, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) partially demolished and rebuilt Burbank High School in Burbank, CA, which had suffered damage in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.

The English Revival Style, red-brick, one-story school building was constructed in the  town's existing school complex by the WPA in 1939. The large front wing and the smaller rear wing are connected by a large auditorium that intersects both wings in the center. The building contained two arched entries, and the interior was almost entirely original, with wood floors, trim and doors that remain, and in some classrooms, the original desks remained when the school closed in 2001. The library retained the original built-in shelves. It had served as an elementary school at the time of closure.

"The construction of the Burgwin School, in a residential district adjacent to a mill and commercial district, made possible the elimination of the old Hazelwood School built in 1875, and of the Glenwood School built in 1882, both of which were obsolete. The building is 3 stories in height and H-shaped in plan with over-all dimensions 96 by 279 feet. It accommodates 920 pupils in 22 classrooms and a kindergarten. In addition, it has 2 nature-study rooms, rooms for the study of art and music, a library, 2 playrooms separated by folding doors which can be folded back...

In August 1935, the Burleson Independent School District (BISD) applied for a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA) for the construction of a one-story, semi-fireproof combination auditorium, gymnasium and classroom school building. In October of the same year, the PWA offered a grant of $8,181 and loan of $10,000 for Project Docket Texas 1481-H, which the BISD accepted. Construction on the building began on April 1, 1936. BISD held a dedication ceremony on October 9, 1936. The auditorium is 122 x 68 feet with a 37 x 16 feet stage on one end. On each side of the stage are...

The state historical marker at the site reads: "Burton Public Schools opened in 1874, and by 1926 nine grades were offered. In 1938, construction on Burton’s first high school began. Funded through the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), the building was completed in 1940. Designed by architect Travis Broesche and built by local contractor Will Weeren, the school exhibits international and rustic architectural style. Features include abutting two-story rectangular blocks, a curved wall near the entrance, and a native field stone veneer."

A brick garage built by the WPA for Marysville High School: "Gives the school district space to store and repair school buses, which heretofore sat out in the weather, and repairs to buses had to be done by private shops." (from the Verso below)

This school was originally built in 1910 as the American Way School, and rebuilt in the 1920's. Along with many schools in the area, the school was damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. It was rebuilt by New Deal workers (likely the PWA) and looks today as it was built then.  

Bushnell Way Elementary School (formerly Hermon Elementary School), which opened in 1912, 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 Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted substantial improvement work to what was known as Butler School in Riverton Township, Michigan. The school was located on the "east side of Morton Road, between Chauvez and Kinney roads." The project was detailed in the attached article. The location and status of the school are presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant of $360,000 in 1935 for the construction of Butte high school. The total cost of the high school was $930,000 and the project was completed in late 1937. The should be a PWA plaque inside the school but we were unable to locate it. The current Assistant Principal, whose father was Principal after the World War, confirmed that the school was a New Deal project. The design of the 3-4 story building is brick Moderne with bas-relief columns between the windows. New additions have been made and the current entrance on...

The Butterfield School was constructed in 1935 as a red brick building, with no kitchen or indoor toilets. In fall of 1938, improvements were begun through a National Youth Administration Project. The project included construction of rock walls for landscaping, a rock retainer wall for the front of school grounds, two tennis courts, two underground cisterns for water storage, and graveling of sidewalks. The total cost was $1,525 and the NYA provide $1,000 in labor. The building is still extant and is currently in use as the Daybreak Community following the closing of the school in 2006.

South Boston, Virginia received a new school in 1939 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a grant of $43,200 toward the project, whose total cost was $109,128. Construction occurred between June 1938 and March 1939. After the South Boston high school on Peach Avenue was destroyed by fire on December 1936 the community immediately thought to seek the assistance of the Public Works Administration to replace the school. Charles Henderson (C.H.) Friend High School was constructed at 601 Marshall Avenue. It operated as a High School from the late 1930s until the 1952-1953 school...

With funding from the New Deal's Federal Art Project, C. S. Price painted a 21 x 4 foot mural for the newly constructed Pendleton Junior High School in 1937. Titled "Agriculture," the five panel composition draws upon images of farming and ranching life that characterized many of his paintings. The theme also suited Pendleton's cultural and economic base. Although originally located in Pendleton's junior high school, the mural hangs in the foyer of the Pendleton High School auditorium today. Clayton Sumner Price, known as C.S. Price, grew up in a large farming family in Iowa, Wyoming, and Alberta and worked on...

The Public Works Administration and the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works funded the construction of the school building and athletic facilities for the Village School in Cabot, Cabot School District. "The school is in the residential section of the town and replaces an inadequate two-story condemned wooden building. There are five classrooms, a library, domestic science room, principal's office, and teachers' rooms. The walls are insulated. It was completed in October 1938. The construction cost was $36,434 and the total project cost was $39,903." The school was designed by Freeman, French and Freeman of Burlington. Docket No. Vt. 1059-DS. The building currently houses...

Cabrillo Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1927, 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 with...

The WPA improved the recreation area at the Cabrillo School.

The National Youth Administration constructed the rock cafeteria for the Hickory Flat school in 1939. The original building featured a double-door entrance in the center and single door entrance/exits on either side of the center doors. The doors were wooden, with 9-pane lights in the upper half of the door. Windows and doors have been altered. The building remains in use by the Hickory Flat school system.

The Calhoun school was constructed 1939 as project x1289. A PWA grant of $13,622 was approved 9/13/1938. Construction began 12/16/1938 and was completed 7/13/1939 at a cost of $28,909. Architects were Landry & Matthes. The school was demolished in 2007.

"The Future Homemakers of America Home Economics building at the Calico Rock School had been on the drawing boards for over two years before the National Youth Administration notified the local school district that construction could actually begin in December, 1940.  The Home Economics Building was built of native stone to the east of the school's main building and the gymnasium."   (https://www.arkansaspreservation.com) The Plain Traditional stone building was begun in 1940. Stone was quarried by "hand, hammer and chisel" approximately 1/4 of a mile from the building site. The NYA youth who quarried stone and built the building were between 15-18...

The WPA built this addition to Calumet High School in 1938. The site is now Calumet Junior High School. From Waymarking.com: The Calumet High School building was constructed in 1920. It is a one-story red brick building with high stepped parapets. There is stone coping and stone blocks for embellishment. The addition to the school extends to the north and consists of one-story flat roofed classrooms. The first section is brick, with ribbon windows set in two units of four, and one unit of five. The section to the north of this is also one-story flat roof, but has a single unit...

The WPA contributed $101 in order to "Improve Comanche School." WPA Project 65-3-2463, Application date 10-24-35. The town was founded in 1849 during the gold rush. Rich mining at nearby Cat Camp, Poverty Bar, and Sand Hill brought its population to a peak of 1,500. The town was inundated by the construction of the Camanche Dam by the East Bay Municipal Utility District EBMUD in 1963.

Cambria Union Grammar School was funded by the Public Works Administration and built between 1936 and 1937. The structure presently houses a public art gallery space, but is owned by the local district. There are no plaques regarding this construction project. The style is Mission Revival.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provide funding for the construction of Cameron Middle School in South Nashville, an historically African American school in what was then a fully segregated city.  It was one of many PWA grants for Black schools and colleges around the country, including Pearl High School and Tennessee A & I College in Nashville.  Cameron later became a high school. "Located at 1034 First Avenue South, the school was constructed with PWA funding support in 1939-40 and is important for its local significance in African-American social history. Cameron played a central community role for South Nashville’s African-American population....

The WPA was involved in constructing facilities and improving the grounds at Camp McQuaide after it moved south from its former Capitola location. "In 1926, the 63rd coastal artillery regiment moved from Santa Cruz, California, to an area just east of the town of Capitola. Its camp was named for Major Joseph P. McQuaide, who was born in 1867 and graduated from Santa Clara University. He served as Chaplain of the California National Guard in the Spanish American War and World War I, and died March 29, 1924. By 1938, noise from target practice annoyed Capitola residents, so a more remote...

Canadian Middle School was built in 1939 with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA).The P.W.A. provided a $79,546 grant for the project, whose total cost was $153,323. It was designed by Voelcker and Dixon in a Spanish Gothic style and first served as the junior and senior high school from 1940 - 1976. PWA Docket No. TX 1153.