Military and Public Safety Sites

The fire station, designed in a mission-style building resembling a residence, was built by the PWA at a cost of $26,681.

Thermopolis, Wyoming's Hot Springs County Courthouse (and jail) was constructed in 1937 with federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. WY 1014 DS). The building received an addition in 1982 and it is still in use today.

Constructed under the Federal Emergency Relief Agency/Maine Emergency Relief Agency, with with an 1800 x 75 graded runway and an 1800 x 100 graded runway as part of a state wide airport construction program. The legislative session of the Maine State Legislature of July 22, 1940 issued a report from the state Defense Commission on the pressing need of 6 military airbases out of which Houlton was one. In 1940, the National Youth Administration built a cabin and a hangar at the Houlton Airport. The structures were built as part of  the Aviation Mechanics Project, a program founded “at the Houlton...

Oxford, Massachusetts's old Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station is located on Main Street in North Oxford. A second-story community meeting space was in the building was known as Huguenot Hall. Huguenot Hall received assistance from the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the 1930s. The building now houses a firefighting museum managed by the Oxford Firefighters Association.

The Works Progress Administration built a hurricane refuge in Tavernier FL.

The Hyattsville Armory is a historic National Guard armory built in 1918 and located in Hyattsville, Maryland. "The building is patterned after a medieval English castle and built of native stone, with rectangular turrets flanking the arched limestone entranceway." (wikipedia) A “Microfilmed Index to WPA Projects" in the National Archives describes the WPA as improving and repairing the Armory in 1935. (Note: It is not entirely clear whether the index refers to completed or only to planned projects, but all listed projects had received presidential approval, the last administrative step before a project proceeded.)

The old Wailuku Armory was constructed with New Deal funding, according to local sources. Further details and confirmation of this is needed. The Iao Intermediate School took over the building in 2003 after extensive renovations.  The three-story building now houses 11 classrooms, administrative offices, a library and dining center, all enclosed and air-conditioned. (Honolulu Advertiser)

"Though designed and partially constructed in 1931, the minimalistic Art Deco structure was substantially enlarged under the Works Progress Administration. This construction included the central, vaulted cavalry drill hall and the administrative offices housed in the two-story front section. It was built for nearly $60,000, and when completed, was the largest armory in the state. Later additions were built in 1956, and the National Guard occupied the structure until it was sold to the State of Idaho in the mid-1970s and later purchased by the City of Boise." https://www.preservationidaho.org

"The Rockford Armory is one unit of a program to house adequately the National Guard of the State of Illinois. Up to 1938, 15 armories had been constructed in the State and at a present three more are under construction in the Chicago area. The building at Rockford has over-all dimensions of 246 by 183 feet, and it has a total floor area of 69,840 square feet. The drill hall, 180 by 120 feet, has a balcony seating 1,000. It also is provided with a stage, 26 by 57 feet, and around the drill hall are clubrooms, general...

"This is a dual-purpose building which houses three companies of the Illinois National Guard and provides much-needed office space for the State government. The site is an entire square, approximately 350 by 350 feet, opposite the State Capitol group of buildings, and the armory and office building occupies half of the area. The central heating plant for the capitol group occupies part of the other half, and as future requirements necessitate expansion of the armory and office building, the heating plant will will be removed elsewhere. The new building is 5 stories and a basement in height and approximately 189 by...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at the historic former Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Located at the northeast corner of Washington St. and Wayne Ave., the building presently houses the Indiana County Historical Society and also serves as a Veterans' Memorial.

The Iron County Jail in Crystal Falls, Michigan, built adjacent to the county courthouse, was constructed as Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The P.W.A. supplied a $17,015 grant for the project, whose total cost was $59,798. Construction occurred in 1936. PWA Docket No. MI 1142

What was then the San Juan Naval Air Station, now Isla Grande Airport in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, was developed in substantial part with Work Projects Administration (WPA) labor. Nearly $2,000,000 were expended on such infrastructure development projects at the behest of the U.S. Navy and War Departments.

Jackson Barracks was established in the early 19th century. It was transferred from the US Army to the state National Guard in the 1920s. "From 1936 to 1940, Louisiana adjutant general Raymond H. Fleming utilized the federal Works Progress Administration to provide renovation and new construction to the post. Included in the WPA project was a new headquarters building, later dedicated to the Louisiana commander... Fleming Hall served as the Guard's state headquarters until Hurricane Katrina. Just prior to the storm, it suffered a fire. It has since been restored and is in use as a conference building."   (https://neworleanshistorical.org) "In August 2005,...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a jail in Dubois, Wyoming. The location and status of the project is unknown to Living New Deal.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) approved an allotment of $18,317 for a new jail and office building for Prentiss and Jefferson Davis County December 1938. The WPA project employed 25-30 men. The new jail adjoined the courthouse and was a two-story concrete and steel building 32 by 53 feet. The first floor included five offices, vault, juvenile cell, and rest rooms. The second floor was for the jury dormitory, cells, and a “death cell.” Bids for materials for construction of the new jail building were advertised in August 1939. By January, the jail was in process of rebuilding. The jail...

The Mississippi state legislature approved Sb231 authorizing Jefferson County to issue $20,000 bonds for the construction of a new jail. President Roosevelt signed approval for Works Progress Administration project No. 50,036 September 26, 1940 for $23,775 to construction the jail. It is extant but not in use.

"When passing through the Village of Quemado in southwestern New Mexico, don't miss the New Deal rock jail built in 1934 by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). These letters are chiseled over the entry area and the building is located at #5 First Street in the center of town."

The Works Progress Administration built a new jail in Carbon Hill, circa 1937. The exact location and condition of the structure is unknown to the Living New Deal.

The WPA provided assistance in repairing and otherwise improving the One Hundred and Fourth Field Artillery / 172nd Street-Jamaica Armory in Jamaica, Queens. The building is no longer extant.

The Jasper County Jail in Jasper, Texas was built by the Works Progress Administration under project number 65-66-3047. The building is currently the Jasper County Historical Commission Office and Library.

"The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded the 1940 changes to the" former Jefferson County "jail, including the Woman's and Children's building."

The Johnson County jail in Cleburne, Texas, was constructed in 1938 through the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works by the architectural firm W. G. Clarkson & Company.  

The present Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is the site of the former Anacostia US Naval Air Station and the former Bolling Air Field, both founded in 1918.  Bolling Field was absorbed into the Naval Air Station in the 1940s and a new Bolling Air Force Base constructed just to the south in 1948.  Those facilities were merged again in 2010, and the joint base is currently home to several functions, including a naval facility, a large heliport and a Secret Service base.   From 1933 to 1942, New Deal agencies were busy at the two older facilities, making improvements of various kinds....

The present Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is the site of the former Anacostia US Naval Air Station and the former Bolling Air Field, both founded in 1918.  Bolling Field was absorbed into the Naval Air Station in the 1940s and a new Bolling Air Force Base constructed just to the south in 1948.  Those facilities were merged again in 2010, and the joint base is currently home to several functions, including a naval facility, a large heliport and a Secret Service base.   New Deal agencies were busy at the two older facilities, making improvements of various kinds.  In 1933-34, the Public...

The present Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is the site of the former Anacostia US Naval Air Station and the former Bolling Air Field, both founded in 1918.  Bolling Field was absorbed into the Naval Air Station in the 1940s and a new Bolling Air Force Base constructed just to the south in 1948.  Those facilities were merged again in 2010, and the joint base is currently home to several functions, including a naval facility, a large heliport and a Secret Service base.   From 1933 to 1942, New Deal agencies were busy at the two older facilities, making improvements of various kinds....

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office was built in 1937 in Kalamazoo, MI with New Deal funds. 

From the summer of 1938 to early 1942, Civilian Conservation Corps Camp NP-4 provided improvements to the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. During its operation, the camp's enrollees cut trails and roads, implemented fire suppression measures, improved erosion control at the site, planted tress, and constructed the park's first headquarters building. The camp contained barracks, a recreation center and library, a mess hall, and several vocational education buildings. Though much of the physical campsite was disassembled and re-used for the war effort, the landscape constructed by the CCC is still extant.

Originally the Kensington Armory. The WPA made improvements and repairs to the then Kensington armory and rifle range in 1935.

Kern County received $600,000 in federal funds for a fire station in each of five cities: Delano, Fellows, Woody, Maricopa and East Bakersfield. Mojave and Taft also received WPA fire stations.

Kingfisher is the seat of Kingfisher County. This building, constructed in 1936 as a jail, is currently occupied by the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Department as their county jail. It stands south of the courthouse at 119 S. Main Street. It was built with a WPA appropriation of $5,802. The building is constructed of large, tan-colored brick. The west and south sides have a metal security facade, however, construction can be viewed on the east (rear) side. This is a two-story building with an exposed basement. The windows are single units. A photo from the 1980's shows the openings once held 42-pane...

The WPA provided resources to conduct repairs at the Kingsbridge Armory (Eighth Regiment Armory) in the Bronx during the 1930s. The armory was then home to the 258th Field Artillery. WPA Official Project No. 65-97-378.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Kiowa County Jail in Hobart, OK. Contributor note: "he Kiowa County Jail is still in operation as a jail, and also houses the Kiowa County Sheriff's Office. It was built in 1905 and is a two story brick building, with an exposed basement. The windows are multi-paned casement units, with the windows at the rear having arches. The building is a Contributing Building to the Hobart Historic Business District (Property No. 13). In 1936, a $15,506 appropriation was made for refurbishing of the jail. The building was renovated and enlarged. Originally the building was styled as...

The armory was named after James Rieger, a lawyer who was enlisted in the National Guard in about 1900 and who served with high distinction in WWI at the Meuse-Argonne offensive which was the decisive battle of WWI and for which Major Rieger was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross.  The entry has an art deco style with chevrons ascending on both columns flanking the entrance and a gold eagle at the top of the entrance.

"The Klamath Armory houses units of the National Guard and is used also as an auditorium for large gatherings. The over-all dimensions of the building are 134 by 173 feet, and ti contains the drill hall 70 by 110 feet, a stage, a battery club room 22 by 52 feet, a banquet hall 22 by 52 feet, kitchen, quartermaster's supply and ordnance rooms, officers' rooms, and locker rooms. The exterior walls are brick trimmed with cast stone. It was completed in September 1935 at a construction cost of $93,731 and a project cost of $126,238."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Konawa National Guard Armory in Konawa OK. What makes the Konawa National Guard Armory so intriguing is that a pair of swastikas on the front of the building. Most people associate this symbol with the Nazi people of World War 2, but prior to the war the symbol was a Native American emblem and was used by the 45th Infantry Division of Oklahoma as a tribute to the large Native American population. The Company F, 2nd Battalion, 179th, 45th Infantry Division was the first unit to occupy the building after it was built. But...

The WPA built San Diego Fire Station No. 13 in 1937 to replace an older station. The building is still standing but the fire station moved to a new location in 1976. The WPA site is now occupied by the YMCA and is known as the La Jolla YMCA Firehouse.

Now the Anderson-Murphy Community Center. It is a 17,964 square foot building constructed in 1927. This building served as the National Guard Armory before being purchased by the City for use by the Parks & Recreation Department. According to an index of WPA projects at the National Archives, the WPA improved and repaired the Laurel Armory in 1935.

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor worked to develop Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover, Mass., in conjunction with the City of Lawrence and the War Department. W.P.A. project details: "Andover: Improve municipal airport" Official Project Number: 65‐1‐14‐374 Total project cost: $43,610.00 Sponsor: War Department "Lawrence: Extend, widen, and improve runways at airport" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐14‐299 Total project cost: $278,438.00 Sponsor: Mayor, City of Lawrence

Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the former Leavenworth County Jail in Leavenworth, Kansas was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA provided an $59,400 grant for the project, whose total cost was $131,362. Construction started in Nov. 1938 and was completed in Dec. 1939. The building was located on S 3rd Street just north of the current Justice Center and jail, which replaced it in 2000. The New Deal-era jail was demolished in late 2013. PWA Docket No. Kan. 1422.