Federal Facilities Sites

The Post Office in Ford City houses a New Deal artwork titled "Glass Making" by Josephine Mather. The ivory colored bas relief was made using Carrara structural glass.

Begun early in 1933, Potwisha is the former location of an old Yokut Indian winter camping ground three miles above Sequoia National Park headquarters at the junction of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River and the main branch. The 915th Company, SNP - 1 was formed in May 1933 at Fort Winfield Scott California and moved into Potwisha by the 13th. The camp was constructed by the 23rd. Notable achievement is the carving of the indian head sign that greets visitors entering the Ash Mountain entrance, carved by CCC enrollee George Muno during September 1935. "The work conducted by the CCC...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp in October 1933 at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, north of Orick, California. CCC company 1903 operated out of what was known as Prairie Creek Camp while working on improvements to all the state parks along the coast of Northern California. The state had just created a state park system in 1928, which took over management of a handful of older beach parks and newly-acquired redwood parks purchased by the Save the Redwoods League in the 1920s. There were few, if any, public facilities in any of the parks when the CCC came in. The...

From the Priest Lake vacation website: "The Priest Lake Museum is a great place to begin any visit to the lake and a fitting showplace to remind us of the numerous influences that created the special character of Priest Lake. The museum building was constructed in 191935 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). It is a prime example of handcrafted oil-treated tamarack (larch) log construction. The building initially served as a residence and office for the first Ranger on what was then Kaniksu National Forest. The museum houses numerous articles and displays that depict the colorful history of the lake and...

Prince William Forest Park was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), with help from skilled workers of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), from 1935 to 1942.  It was then known as Chopawamsic Recreation Demonstration Area (the name was changed in 1948).  RDAs were meant for getting inner city children out into the country to enjoy the benefits of nature and outdoor recreation. The New Deal programs built permanent structures, including the park headquarters and five cabin camps, extensive roads and trails, and five recreational lakes.  Almost all these improvements are still in use today.  The National Park Service, which operates...

Haleyville, Alabama's historic public library building was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds during the 1930s. The city has utilized the building as the community's library since the post office moved out in 1970. The building also houses a New Deal mural, presently in questionable condition.

The public library building in Upper Marlboro used to be the town Post Office, built in 1936 – one of  1,100 post offices built by the U.S. Treasury Department as part of the New Deal.  Today, it serves as the Upper Marlboro branch of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System.  The building is a good example of  the Colonial Revival style of architecture used often in the eastern states under Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect for the Treasury Department.  A large mural painted for the post office by local artist Mitchell Jamieson still hangs on its interior west wall. 

The historic former post office building in Magnolia, Arkansas was constructed in 1937. Soon after the New Deal mural "Threshing," by Joe Jones, was completed and installed. The Magnolia post office was similar in design to that in Van Buren, which was constructed in 1936. The exterior structure retains the cast-concrete detailing of airplane propellers (which are also on the post office in Van Buren, Arkansas (Silva, 2011)). The building underwent renovations to convert it to the public library in 1968 (History of the Columbia County Library), and further changed when it was acquired by the Farmer's Bank and Trust...

The historic Purcell Station post office in Plymouth, Michigan was constructed with Treasury Department funds in 1936. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

What is now Sand Island consists of mostly reclaimed land. During the early 20th century it was known as Quarantine Island. Substantially enlarged during the F.D.R. era prior to World Was II, on it was the federally managed U.S. Quarantine Station, which was likewise expanded with an array of new buildings during the 1930s using Treasury Department funds. (The island has been significantly expanded since that time as well.) A large block of new construction was undertaken in 1938-9: "Five new buildings were completed and equipped at the quarantine station---a hospital detention building with 23 bedrooms, 2 dining rooms, and a kitchen; a 10-room attendants' quarters; a large...

As part of war efforts, "on 26 February 1941, the FCC received funding to launch the 'Foreign Broadcast Monitoring Service,' the first name for FBIA. The service began its monitoring duties at 316 F Street, NE. On 1 October, FBIS opened its first bureau outside Washington---in a farmhouse at 13005 NE Street in Portland, Oregon---to monitor Japanese broadcasts." (Inside CIA) The federal facility was constructed with Treasury Department funds. "On 17 September 1941 Graves announced that 20 persons were being transferred to Portland to set up a new monitoring station. Included in the 2 were the three Japanese and one...

The Rand National Historic Site is located on the west side of the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, 25 miles northwest of Grants Pass and 3 miles downstream from Galice. Rand's history covers the Gold Rush, establishment of the Siskiyou National Forest and the 20th century logging era, plus the postwar recreation era that followed designation of the Rogue as a National Wild and Scenic River. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played a central role in that history, with some of the CCC's work still very much visible.  CCC Company #1650 built and occupied Camp Rand (F-75) starting in late 1933. The...

The Rand National Historic Site is located on the west side of the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, 25 miles northwest of Grants Pass and 3 miles downstream from Galice. Rand's history covers the Gold Rush, establishment of the Siskiyou National Forest and the 2oth century logging era, plus the postwar recreation era that followed designation of the Rogue as a National Wild and Scenic River. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played a central role in that history, with some of the CCC's work still very much visible.  The CCC built and occupied Camp Rand from 1933 to 1941. After building their camp,...

The Rand National Historic Site is located on the west side of the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, 25 miles northwest of Grants Pass and 3 miles downstream from Galice. Rand's history covers the Gold Rush, establishment of the Siskiyou National Forest and the 2oth century logging era, plus the postwar recreation era that followed designation of the Rogue as a National Wild and Scenic River. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played a central role in that history, with some of the CCC's work still very much visible.  The CCC built and occupied Camp Rand from 1933 to 1941. After establishing their camp,...

The Rand National Historic Site is located on the west side of the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, 25 miles northwest of Grants Pass and 3 miles downstream from Galice. Rand's history covers the Gold Rush, establishment of the Siskiyou National Forest and the 2oth century logging era, plus the postwar recreation era that followed designation of the Rogue as a National Wild and Scenic River. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played a central role in that history, with some of the CCC's work still very much visible.  The CCC built and occupied Camp Rand from 1933 to 1941. After establishing their camp,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated Camp NP-1-N from 1938 to 1942 at Rattlesnake Springs—now the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District—in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The group conducted substantial work at the site. Bob Hoff's Carlsbad Caverns History Blog: At Rattlesnake Springs, the CCC enrollees built a ranger residence still in use today. They also constructed a service road and a water diversion ditch and constructed masonry work to line the Rattlesnake Springs pond. While National Park Service Landscape Architect Harvey Cornell provided the plans for the CCC camp layout in 1938 it is not clear to what extent CCC enrollees constructed the...

The Treasury Department funded the construction of the U. S. Post Office and Federal Building. The Art Deco structure was built in 1935 at the cost of more than $225,000. The architect of record was Louis A. Simon of the Public Works Branch, Procurement Division of the United States Treasury. The contractor of record was Farnell A. Blaire. Inaugurated in 1937, the building houses an example of New Deal artwork. The structure's linear ornamentation is typical of the Art Deco style of that era. According to the Richmond County Historical Society, "The three-story orange brick building (which also has a basement) is ornamented by unglazed terra-cotta...

This former San Francisco post office, originally known as the Rincon Annex, was built in 1939-40 and served as the major package transfer center through the city's port – then the largest on the West Coast.  The building was paid for by the Treasury Department and designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood in the Streamline Moderne style. The detail work, inside and out, is exceptional.  The exterior scrim features repeated dolphin bas-reliefs and carved eagles across the facade.  The exterior windows and doors are beautiful  examples of the Art Deco love of cast aluminum.  The interior lobby is done in green...

Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as underway in an El Paso Times article from June 7, 1936 was "the County Farm building program, which will provide 13 permanent structures." NPS.gov: "The facility, established as the El Paso County Poor Farm in 1916, continued in that function until 1964. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Texas Transient Bureau began construction of a multi-building labor camp on part of the poor farm grounds in 1935. The Transient Bureau soon ceased operations. Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed the previously planned construction in 1936, intending the new buildings for expanded poor...

The monumental Moderne-style Robert N. C. Nix Federal Building, sometimes known as the William Penn Annex, was constructed under the auspices of the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1937 and 1941. Its exterior features multiple examples of New Deal artwork. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. However, according to Mary Manfredi, the building is not listed on the Philadelphia Register and "it is not legally protected from alterations or demolition."    

The CCC developed this state park.    

The New Deal contributed substantially to the betterment of Rock Creek Park in the 1930s.  This involved a number of federal agencies. Rock Creek Park is a key greenway in the District of Columbia and, at 1750 acres, is almost twice the size of Central Park in New York.  It was established by Congress in 1890, making it officially a National Park at the time.  It featured prominently in the far-reaching plans for the District of Columbia by the McMillan Commission in 1901-02 and the Olmsted Brothers report of 1918, which envisioned a major park with a scenic parkway running through it. In...

The historic Rockdale County Courthouse building in Conyers, Georgia was constructed with federal funds as the community's post office ca. 1939. The building housed an example of New Deal artwork, which has since been relocated.

The federal government built a large new health research complex in Hamilton, Montana, during the New Deal, with construction completed in 1940.  It would have been done by the Public Buildings Division of the Federal Works Administration for the use of the Public Health Service (now the National Institutes of Health, NIH).  The laboratory had previously been housed in an empty school building. The laboratory works on insect-borne diseases.   "After its successful work with spotted fever, the Rocky Mountain Laboratory expanded its facilities and programs ... to work on other insect-borne diseases, such as yellow fever and the spirochetal relapsing...

Rome, New York's Historical Society & Museum occupies what was originally constructed as the city of Rome's post office in 1936-7. The building was funded with federal Treasury Department funds. A New Deal mural painted for the building now resides at Rome's City Hall.

The former Rosebank Quarantine Station in Staten Island, New York was expanded during the F.D.R. era. "Building 1," and "Building 3," each completed in 1935, were constructed by Caye Construction Co. In 1939 additional work was completed: an addition to the "Junior Medical Quarters" / "Building B," and "M. O. C. Residence" / "Building C". The facility occupied a sizable section of shorefront property east of Bay Street. Most of the New Deal-era / Quarantine facilities are no longer extant. "For about a century, beginning in 1873, Rosebank was once home to a Quarantine Hospital.  The facility was located on Bay Street and Nautilus Street...

"This is one of the more interesting post-office buildings in which the design avoids tradition. It is fireproof except for the roof, which is slow-burning construction. The exterior walls are a blue-gray brick trimmed with Indiana limestone and the spandrels are aluminum. The lobby has a terrazzo floor and base and a wainscot of American butternut. The workroom has an area of 8,600 square feet. The building was completed in August 1936 at a construction cost of $90,047. The P.W.A. allotment was $121,804.67 and the cost of the site $12,250."

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Co. 589 came to this newly acquired property from McCormick's Creek State Park. All that remains of the CCC Camp are scattered concrete foundations.

The San Gabriel post office boasts a nice New Deal cornerstone.

From the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation: Before 1935 York Lake did not exist. It is man-made. It was created out of a swampy wetland, built as part of the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a U.S. Federal Government conservation program. The CCC improved the nation’s natural and human resources and created opportunities for the public to recreate and appreciate a healthy outdoor experience. From 1933-37 the 196 Company CCC, whose nearby camp site off Route 183 just south of here, once supplied 200 men a season to work in the state forest. Formerly unemployed men then earned a dollar-a-day,...

The U.S. Treasury Department built the Santa Clara post office in 1935.  The building style is Mission Revival, which was popular for houses and civic buildings during the interwar period. It is also the site of Michael von Meyer's 1937 wood carving, "Early Pioneers," available for view in the library.

Phone: (831)423-0109 Access Hours: M-F 5am-7 pm; Sat 5am-6 pm Constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1936, this building is home to Henrietta Shore's murals depicting Santa Cruz industry: "Cabbage Farming," "Limestone Quarries," "Artichoke," and "Fishing."  

The historic Saunders Station post office at 1635 W Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia was constructed in 1937-8 with Treasury Department funds. The building was sold in 2015 to private interests, while the post office relocated a few properties away.

The CCC worked to develop Savoy Mountain State Forest during the 1930s. From the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: "Savoy Mountain State Forest was created in 1918 with the purchase of 1,000 acres of this abandoned farmland. During the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) reforested much of this area with Norway and Blue Spruce, and built new concrete dams at Bog, Burnett and Tannery Pond to replace older dams."

Multiple New Deal organizations, particularly the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), worked to develop Scotts Bluff National Monument during the 1930s. From the National Park Service: For a short time, construction efforts came under the guidance of an agency known as the Civil Work Administration, which continued until April 28, 1934, when all construction came to a stop. At this time a complete survey was conducted to identify the bluff's historic and natural resources and to determine its future needs. During this survey, Dr. Harold J. Cook was named the monument's first ranger and on December 20, 1934, another federal agency, the Public...

The Seaford Museum and Seaford Historical Society in Seaford, Delaware are located in what was formerly the community's 1935 New Deal post office. "The Seaford Museum includes a changing exhibit gallery, a presentation room, a general information area, and a gift shop. It is located in downtown Seaford on High Street in the restored 1930’s post office building."

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a major presence in Yosemite National Park from 1933 to 1942, helping to improve the park for public use.  CCC enrollees carried out a wide range of projects throughout the park, from forestry to construction. More than seven thousand young men and 24 companies cycled through the park during the life of the program (a 25th company arrived just before the program ended, according to Broesamle 2022). The two hubs of CCC activity were Camp Wawona at the south end of the park and Camp Cascades at the foot of Yosemite Valley (see separate pages...

Originally a fruit farm, the camp Sp-10 project began in November of 1933. The CCC built many of the buildings. Company # 236 arrived in 1939 and sawed timber, constructed a sea wall, designed and built campsites and built furniture on site along with planting trees. CCC camp # 1204 Port Ontario, NY.

The Treasury Department funded the construction of the New Deal-era Sevierville post office in Sevierville, TN. The post office has since relocated, and the early-'40s building currently serves as the Sevier County Heritage Museum.

During the summer of 1935, the Oregonian newspaper announced that among Oregon's 67 Civilian Conservation Camps that summer one would be located at Shelton State Park in Wheeler County. The 200 member work crew made improvements in the state park along with other tasks associated with CCC workers, such as reforestation work and fire fighting, and road construction. Shelton Wayside Park is the park's current name. It is located approximately ten miles southeast of Fossil on Highway 19.