Military and Public Safety Sites

Fort Winfield Scott served as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) training and supply facility. Between 1933 and 1939, Fort Mason, which was under Fort Scott’s command, was the supply center for the several hundred CCC camps on the Pacific Coast. Fort Winfield Scott was also the first stop for CCC rookies. Here, they received their enrollment certificates and standard-issue equipment, and did their first drills, before moving on to camps throughout California. Included in this entry are primary source materials from artist Leon Bibel, who was enrolled and discharged from the CCC at Fort Winfield Scott. The materials include Bibel’s CCC...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1811 arrived in Mineral Wells in June 1933 to begin work on project SP-8, a state park that never was completed and transferred to the state. The company divided its time between the park and improvements to facilities at nearby Camp Wolters. The CCC built several rock buildings at Camp Wolters, of which only one survives according to the interpretive sign near the building. The company left Mineral Wells in January 1934. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was active at the camp from 1938 to 1940. The most visible remnant of the WPA work is the...

The PWA helped construct this fire station, which evidently doubled as a town hall. Subsequent additions have been made but the original building stands.

The WPA provided resources to conduct repairs at the Franklin Avenue Armory in the Bronx during the 1930s. The armory was then home to the 105th Field Artillery (Second Battery). The National Guard utilized the building until 1988, at which point it was sold to the City of New York. WPA Official Project No. 65-97-378.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted improvement work: "repainting and papering" at what was the Franklin Fire Company on Park Street in Towanda, Pennsylvania.

The Works Progress Administration built the Fremont Armory in Fremont OH in 1936. Originally a National Guard Armory. Presently (January 2022) Armory Vintage Market.

This firehouse was constructed by the PWA in 1938: "Constructed in 1938 (the oldest fire station in the Fresno Metropolitan area) and located at 1406 Fresno Street near E Street, Station No. 3 houses an engine, a 121-foot aerial ladder truck, and a water tender (staffed as needed ). Station No. 3 is known affectionately as The Rock by those who work there, (referring to the unique cast in a single block of concrete construction of the building). Station No. 3 has been placed on the State Registry of Historical buildings. Originally built to house 32 firefighters, this cavernous block of...

The Old Fullerton City Hall (now the Fullerton Police Department) was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. It was completed over a 3 year span and cost over $130,000.  The building was built in a Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style. Key characteristics include its central 3-story tower and cupola. Decoratively, it has beautiful terra cotta and ceramic tile work throughout the building and extensive iron wrought elements. It’s a stunning example of New Deal architecture. Additionally, the former Fullerton City Hall houses a large 3-wall mural named the “History of Southern California” by Helen Lundeberg.  A new city hall was...

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) built the George J. Perry Memorial Armory in St. Marys KS between 1941 and 1943. In the early 1940s, plans for a new armory in St. Mary estimated costs at $55,000, most of which would be covered by the WPA. Ground was broken in April 1941, and that first summer construction employed 65 men. With the advent of World War II, however, work slowed and costs rose. By the time work was actually completed in 1943, the WPA had disbanded and there were only nine "silver-and gray-haired men" left on the project. Dedication ceremonies were held...

Georgia State Prison was constructed as a massive federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the mid-1930s. It is located southwest of Reidsville and has been extensively remodeled and expanded since its opening in 1938. The PWA supplied a loan of $1,142,000 and a grant of $358,000 for the project. Primary construction occurred between Jan. 1935 and Dec. 1936. PWA Docket No. GA 714 "The State purchased the 7,000-acre Tattnall County farm and an additional 900 acres to be used as a building site, and with a loan and grant from the P.W.A. this up-to-date prison was constructed. The project includes the administration...

"The first building built under the "Civil Works Administration" was the Naval Armory. Constructed on the site of the temporary gym that burned in 1931, the Armory Building was a "no-frills" building. The building was to serve the Atlanta Naval Reserve, the Georgia Tech Naval ROTC unit, and the Communication Reserve of the U. S. Navy. By February of 1934, the foundations were almost completed and all of the labor for this project was being supplied by the Civilian Works Administration." The building was demolished in 1980 to make way for the Edge Athletic Center building.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) companies 385 and 1355—both African American units—restored, improved, and maintained Gettysburg National Military Park between 1933 and 1942. CCC projects in and around the battlefield included: road, trail, and fence construction; tree planting and maintenance; tree and stump removal; firefighting; snow shoveling; and utility pipe installation (presumably for water, sewage, or drainage). “The CCC also reconstructed the XII Corps earthworks on Culp’s Hill and provided manpower for the 75th anniversary commemoration of the battle in 1938” (James J. Campi, Jr., Hallowed Ground, 2013).   The CCC worked with the National Park Service (NPS) to plan projects with...

The historic Brattleboro Memorial Armory in Brattleboro, Vermont, also known as the Gibson-Aiken Center, was improved by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). WPA Project No. 65‐12‐942

As part of extensive improvements around Golden Gate Park in San Francisco CA, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built modern stables for the city's mounted police force.  The date of construction was almost certainly 1939, the same as the nearby Public Stables. The stables were built of concrete in the popular Mission Revival style of the time, with a red tile roof. The interiors are made of wood. Both the police stables and public stables, located close to the park's Polo Field, are still in use.  

As part of extensive improvements throughout Golden Gate Park, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out modest improvement work at the Police Training Academy – now the Golden Gate Park Senior Center.   The work involved alterations to the main office and grading and paving a drill ground behind the building – now a parking lot.  (Healy, pp 70-71). It is likely that the work was done in 1938-39, when the WPA was most active in the park, but we have not been able to verify that.    

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) undertook a project conducting "painting and repairs to the Good Will Fire House on South street" in New Castle, Delaware.

From 1794 to 1966, Governors Island housed US army facilities. The whole island is now a National Monument and remains a "vibrant summer seasonal venue of art, culture and performance against the backdrop of two centuries of military heritage and the skyline of one of the great cities of the world" (https://www.nps.gov). According to a 1939 Federal Writers' Project publication, "the WPA ha constructed and repaired officers' dwellings, and beautified the grounds ."

The Prescott National Guard Armory was built from 1936 to 1939 by the relief workers of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Today, it is called the Grace Sparkes Activity Center and the Prescott Parks and Recreation offices are located on the lower floor. The former armory is a large building constructed of reinforced concrete that was meant to provide a large interior hall for drills.  The exterior is sheathed with cut native stone. Sandstone lintels are used over windows set deeply into the walls. The front entrance features a medieval style gate over the double doors and different color and pattern of stone...

The historic Grant Street Armory in Mount Holly, New Jersey was the recipient of WPA efforts: "Replace sewer connection at Armory building on Grant Street" work. The armory was located behind the historic prison. WPA Official Project Number: 65‐22‐1352

The Works Progress Administration built an armory in Greenville circa 1938. The structure is currently used as the Butler County Extension Office. The front has been altered to add a portico, but the structure of the original armory and fenestration remain visible. Newspaper items indicate the construction was completed "first of the year" in 1937 although it was still under construction April 1937. The supervisor of construction was Marion Riley.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted several projects at the "U.S. Naval Storage Area," now known as Naval Support Activity, Crane, outside Burns City, Indiana. Projects included work at the dam impounding Greenwood Lake: Improve conservation dam and surrounding banks. Cost: $56,190. Sponsor: Commandant, 9th Naval District, U.S. Navy. WPA Project No. 265‐2‐52‐21

The Guntersville Armory was constructed in 1936 under President Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration. The project was a collaboration between the WPA and the Public Works Administration. The armory was constructed to house Company E of the 167th Infantry of the Alabama National Guard. Our local congressman, Joe Starnes, a member of the Armed Services Committee, was very influential in a national armory construction program. His perseverance led to the construction of numerous armories across the country as well as our own. After its completion in 1936, the armory was used for drills, training, and classroom instruction. President Roosevelt called the Guard to...

Hale Pa‘ahao (stuck-in-irons house) was Lahaina’s “new” prison, built in the 1850s during  the whaling era. The prison has been restored three times, in the 1930s, 1950s and 1970s. The Lahaina Restoration Foundation reports that:  "During the 1930s, County of Maui sponsored reconstruction of the cells and stockade  by the Works Progress Administration (WPA)."  There is a stone marker acknowledging the WPA's work, as well. Another metal marker says that the gatehouse was restored in 1959.  Then, as the Lahaina Restoration Foundation report continues: "In 1967, Lahaina Restoration Foundation presented to Maui Historical Commission a plan for restoring the old prison. It detailed...

The rustic-style log structure constructed by the WPA was demolished in 2013 and replaced with a new Verteran's building.

Hamilton Field was built in 1931 as a bomber base, was used as a refugee center during the Vietnam War, and was closed in 1974. The WPA built additions such as several hangars, the headquarters building, an officers mess, and company officers quarters (Short 1939). Today Hamilton Field is in the process of being converted into a housing development by private developers. As of a 2003 document, the city of Novato writes that the hangars will be converted into office space, the officers club will be used as a conference center, and the airman's barracks (possibly the company officer's quarters)...

Constructed by PWA.

'The officers mess... has a setting of live-oak trees and California foliage. Like most of the buildings at Hamilton Field it has concrete foundations and hollow-tile walls above grade covered with stucco. Its roofs are covered wiht mission tile. The lounge has two huge fireplaces, rough-plaster walls, and a wood ceiling supported on wood trusses.' (PWA: $60,000) P.W.A. Federal Project No. 496

The old county jail was demolished in 1937 and a new jail constructed by the WPA. Steel equipment from the old jail was reused. The new jail was closer to the court building, built at the rear of the courthouse with a "closed bridgelike connection" (Daily Herald, 1937, p. 2) to give passage between jail and court. Architect was Vinson B. Smith, Jr. and the project employed 40 men. County furnished $6,000 of material in-kind and WPA provided $18,384. The facility was completed in 1938.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA), in conjunction with the War Department, developed what is now known as Hanscom Air Force Base / Field in Massachusetts. WPA project details: "Improvements to municipal airport" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐14‐490 Total project cost: $195,895.00 Sponsor: War Department

KY.gov: "The first armory in Harlan was constructed ... by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). ... The building is located in Sunshine, across a bridge and next to the railroad tracks outside downtown Harlan. The building is a two-story poured concrete building with attached drill hall. The front of the armory has been painted green, and a handicapped-accessible ramp was added to the front of the building in 1996. The walls are 12 inch thick and steel-reinforced, and the facade has elements of the Art Deco style around the entrance, with its linear lines and vertical, stepped ornamentation. The building still...

Sometimes misattributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Bethany, Missouri's Harrison County Courthouse and jail was enabled by the provision of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The stately Art Deco project was authorized in an election in 1938 as a bond issue in conjunction with PWA grant. The cornerstone for the building was laid on Aug. 14, 1939; it was placed on the south façade of the building, at the southeast corner. The building was completed and opened in 1940. A humorous story from the courthouse's construction comes from the St. Joseph News-Press: QUESTION OF SPELLING IS ISSUE AT BETHANY BETHANY, Mo., Jan...

Hensley Field is a military base and former Naval Air Station located in Grand Prairie, Texas that was established in 1928. Originally created as an Army Aviation Center, the base became home to all military service’s aviators. In 1936, Hensley Field received Works Progress Administration funding amounting to $700,000 to improve the military base’s airport and add a new runway. The new runway would be 1000 feet long and 400 feet wide according to superintendent of WPA projects and planning, W. A. Orth. These reconstruction efforts would encourage the military to push for more reserve pilot training and refueling missions that...

The Works Progress Administration built the historic former Inland Naval Armory, also known as the Heslar Naval Armory. According to historian Glory-June Greiff, " the stunning WPA-built Naval Armory, the work of architect Ben H. Bacon, has graced the bank of the non-navigable White River since before its dedication in October 1938.  At the time of that first publication, the glorious Art Moderne building still somewhat served its original function and was gloriously intact outside and in, including the over-the-top nautical decor of the Officers’ Mess.  The interior was originally fitted with a simulated navigation bridge and many other accoutrements of a naval...

Hickam Field is a U.S. Air Force installation that is now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. According to a National Park Service report, “Using WPA funds, military engineers and architects continued expanding Schofield Barracks and created a new Hickam Field on the edge of Pearl Harbor.”

"Hill Air Force Base (HAFB), originally known as Hill Field, was the site for the Ogden Air Depot, whose name underwent several changes until it became the Ogden Air Materiel Area. The depot's original mission was to repair and maintain aircraft and provide supply services for the Army Air Corps. Launched in 1938 as a WPA project on a hilltop section of Davis County dry-farm land, by 1943 Hill Field was the largest employer in Utah." "The site was selected in 1935 and the first facility built by the WPA four years later." (utah.gov)

The WPA worked during the late 1930s to improve "properties of the U.S. Maritime Commission on Hoffman and Swinburne Island in New York Bay" in New York City. Each island was previously artificially created and was, at the time, being used for the U.S. Merchant Marine as a training station. WPA work on the islands included "reconditioning buildings, grounds, utilities and facilities; excavating; back-filling; draining; painting; improving roads and walks; installing electrical and heating facilities; grading and landscaping grounds; doing carpentry and demolition work ..." Approximately $210,000 was dedicated to these projects as well as work to "the Maritime Ship 'Tusitala' at...

During 1934 the F.E.R.A "thoroughly renovated and repaired" Framingham's Hollis Street fire station, in addition to constructing "a new brick fireproof fire alarm signal building" in the rear of the station. Later the W.P.A. sponsored a six-room addition to the building: A brick addition, one story in height for a two-car garage, was constructed on the rear end of the Hollis St. Fire Station. Work was begun in December   on an addition to this building to provide an office for the chief and also three additional rooms for the firemen who are on duty at this station. Work on the additions...

The Art Moderne jail was constructed in 1936 as Public Works Administration (PWA) project #1019 (Baughn). The estimated cost was $24,528, $10,000 of which was funded by the PWA (New correctional facility). The building no longer serves as the county jail after a new facility was erected in 1999-2000.

"The Hominy Armory is a single story building measuring 257 feet x 141 feet. It was constructed between 1935 and 1937 by the Works Progress Administration. It originally housed the Hominy National Guard."   (wikipedia) As of 1994 it was still in use as a National Guard Armory, but it now houses the town's police and fire departments.