Military and Public Safety Sites

The State Emergency Relief Agency (SERA) funded the construction of the Santa Paula City Fire Staion #1 in Santa Paula CA. Fire Station for Santa Paula will be demolished in 2024 under a CEQA Cat Ex. No historic review was done.  Historic report: Historic resources evaluation was prepared by San Buenaventura Research Associates of Santa Paula, California, October 1995: "Santa Paula City Fire Staion #1 -- This one-story brick and concrete block building is composed of two major connected elements, the engine bay to the north and office to the south. The engine bay is rectangular in plan, roughly twenty feet in height, with...

Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration work relief division efforts included "reconstruction of the ancient Santo Domingo barracks, one of the island's historic edifices dating from the early sixteenth century" in San Juan, in 1937. Also known as Convent of the Dominicans, located with the Galería Nacional / del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña.

This park commemorates the first major American victory of the Revolutionary War in 1777. "Establishment of a national park to commemorate the Saratoga battles, authorized by Congress in 1938,  came about largely due to the direction provided by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The National Park Service accepted 1,430 acres from New York  State, although the area remained under state  administration. A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was established at the park in 1939.  Although the program by then was past its peak and was terminated in 1942 due to U.S. participation in World War II, the CCC performed the first methodical...

Framingham's 1936 Town Report details work accomplished by the W.P.A. with respect to the Saxonville Fire Station (now also known as Framingham Fire Station 2): The work, started in 1936, of replacing existing wooden floor of the apparatus room with a reinforced concrete floor and installation of a new steam heating plant was completed. The entire interior of the station was painted and much of the electrical wiring was renewed. Also other work, such as repairs to roof, repointing outside brickwork, and reconditioning of the old police cell room, was carried out.

Schofield Barracks is a U.S. Army installation. According to a National Park Service report, circa 1940-1941, “Using WPA funds, military engineers and architects continued expanding Schofield Barracks and created a new Hickam Field on the edge of Pearl Harbor."

The Schoodic Peninsula is "located four miles (6 km) east of Bar Harbor, Maine, as the crow flies and contains 2,266 acres (9 km2), or approximately 5%, of Acadia National Park." Following a deal with John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and the National Park Service to move a Navy radio facility from Mount Desert Island to Schoodic Point in 1935, the CCC was involved in the construction of the United States Navy base NSGA Winter Harbor, the 4 mile Schoodic Park Loop Road, a new causeway bridge, demolishing older buildings in Lower Harbor to create a cleared area at Frazer Point,...

The federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) supplied funds to undertake this county project during the 1930s. The jail was added to the rear of the courthouse with PWA project Miss. 1287-F. The courthouse was remodeled, with an Art Moderne style. The courthouse and jail were demolished c. 1955. A PWA grant funded $24,545 and the work was completed June 21, 1939.

Sergeant City is a military-themed housing complex that provided living quarters for non-commissioned officers of the near-by Gowen Field airbase. The complex was built in 1940 with funding from the Federal Works Agency.

In 1938 and 1939 the Federal Works Progress Administration built the Shawnee Fire Station at 1950 N. Park Avenue. According the Waymarking webpage for the former fire station, the building, which is evidently occupied, is now half-obscured among residential homes of a similar architectural style. The Waymarking webpage for this site reads as follows: "This fire station, located among homes of its era, fits in so well, it's easy to miss. It is constructed of yellow brick and was a valuable benefit to the residents of Shawnee in 1938. The building is about 42 x 42 feet and has a hipped roof,...

The Sheboygan Armory and Auditorium was built in 1941 by the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Supervising Architect was Edgar Stubenrauch, based in Sheboygan. Architectural Features: The two-story structure is representative of the Streamline Moderne/WPA Moderne style. The façade construction consists of precast concrete panels decorated with Art Deco motifs. Typical of the WPA Moderne style, the architectural ornamentation is minimal. Ornamented precast panels are placed primarily at the window headers and the cornice. The structure occupies a site located in the vicinity of Lake Michigan. National Significance: The structure is a good candidate for National Register of Historic Places registration under...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) reconstructed the Shipley’s Battery and Signal Station on Hassell Island, in the vicinity of Charlotte Amalie. The cost of the PWA work was $4,495.87.

"This building was erected as a memorial to soldiers who lost their lives in the World War. In the center hall on the first floor is a black granite cenotaph bearing the names of the soldiers. On each side is a museum containing World War relics, records, and other data. Surrounding the structure are 38 square columns, 5 by 5 feet, and 35 feet high. The building is one unit of a well-planned civic center, the construction being of steel and reinforced concrete. The walls are faced with limestone. Marble and granite were used extensively. It is 190 by 89 feet,...

The W.P.A. conducted improvement work at the South Boston Naval Annex, which was located in South Boston. W.P.A. project details: "Improvements at Boston Navy Yard, So. Boston Annex, and Lockwood Basin" Official Project Number: 154‐3‐14‐529 Total project cost: $568,252.00 Sponsor: U.S. Navy Department "Improvements at Boston Navy Yard, So. Boston Annex, and Lockwood Basin" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐14‐426 Total project cost: $179,140.00 Sponsor: U.S. Navy Department

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) rehabilitated police stations in San Francisco during the Great Depression, including the Southern and Mission Stations. The agency: Rehabilitated buildings to meet requirements of department, providing additional cell space, new ventilation and painting.--Healy, p. 70.

This large armory in downtown Sperry was constructed by the WPA, and is now used for other public purposes: "Guard unit members mustered out to WWII from this store front location in September 1940, but returned to a sprawling new WPA-built armory that had been dedicated in 1941 on the site of the old town baseball field.  The armory building housed various military units until 1990, and in 1991 the complex was deeded to the Town of Sperry by Tulsa County commissioners.  Town offices were immediately moved into the facility, where they have remained.  In 2007, taxpayers funded a $500,000 remodel...

The Springfield Armory began "as a major arsenal under the authority of General George Washington early in the Revolutionary War" and "began manufacturing muskets in 1794." (www.nps.gov.) Renovation and repair was conducted under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), including razing some building and replacing others with fireproof structures, as well as strengthening and repairing the floors. The details—including description, Official Project Numbers, total costs, and sponsors—of more than two dozen W.P.A. projects undertaken at the historic armory can be found in the DoD Heritage Assessment cited below.

Originally constructed as St. Joseph Fire Station Number Five, what is now the St. Joseph Fire Museum was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building bears a Federal Works Agency plaque on the right side of its front façade. Note that the building's construction is sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Roadtrippers.com: "The St. Joseph Fire Museum contains a collection of historical firefighting equipment, including fire trucks, used to protect the residents in St. Joseph since 1865. Much of the collection is restored to original condition. Located in the former St. Joseph Fire Station Number Five,...

Originally constructed as St. Joseph Fire Station Number Seven, the building at 919 Corby Street was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The station was moved across the street from an earlier firehouse just across N 10th Street. According to a 1988 article in the St. Joseph News-Press: "According to the brass plaque beside the double bay doors, Station 7 was built by the Federal Works Agency, Public Works Administration, in 1939."

This WPA Coast Guard Station at St. Simons Island, GA was built from 1935-1937. The building is still in existence, but is now a museum rather than a USCG facility. "In 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), authorized the building of 45 United States Coast Guard Stations around the country. Later that same year, Georgia Senator Walter F. George, and Georgia Congressman Braswell Deen obtained an $115,000 appropriation from Congress for the new Coast Guard Station and Boathouse to be built on St. Simons Island. Work began in the fall of 1935 and of...

"The State Armory is located on West Main Street, at the northeast corner of Osage Avenue. This is one block west of Broadway (Highway 75). The building is constructed of native sandstone, with an office area facing Main Street, and a barrel-roof arena to the north. It was constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration. A cornerstone at the southeast corner reads: STATE ARMORY / BUILT BY WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION 1936 / W.S. KEY STATE ADMINISTRATOR. The building exterior is in good condition, however, all windows have been boarded up and it is not in use at this time."   (https://www.waymarking.com)

"The formidable native sandstone building located at 715 W. Chickasha Avenue was built in 1936 by the WPA. It was the home of the 189th Field Artillery. A photo in the gallery shows the armory as it was in the 1950s. Where today a YMCA sign is erected, formerly, the 45th Infantry "Thunderbird" proudly emblazoned the front of this building. In 1936, the American Legion Post No. 54 also called this building home. Today it houses the Chickasha Area YMCA. Where four large overhead doors flanked the main entrance, those areas are now infilled with glass blocks. A metal plaque on the...

This armory was built by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA cornerstone on the building shows the year 1936. The Idabel Armory is a one-story native stone building. It is currently used as a bus barn by the local school district.

"The Minco Armory was constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration... The Minco Armory is a one and two-story brick building, with a barrel-roof drill hall at the rear. The front entrance is a single metal door, recessed under an arched surround that has six rows of corbelled brick. The entrance is flanked by four overhead doors, one of which has been bricked in. The armory is decorated by the use of angled and recessed brickwork, with rusticated stone coping and caps. Also known as the Minco National Guard Armory, this building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places...

The Works Progress Administration built the State Armory in Weatherford OK. Contributor Note: The armory building is located on the northeast corner of S. 8th Street and W. Rainey. The main entrance faces south on Rainey. The WPA constructed this armory in 1936-7. It is a one-story red brick building with heavy white stone trim. The entrance on the south is a single glass door and sidelight within a limestone surround, flanked by projecting brick pilasters. A raised pediment trimmed in stone rises above it. The windows are tall vertical units with three panes and heavy stone sills. The south portion of the armory...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at Ogdensburg's historic State Armory building.

W.P.A. improvements to the Governor William A. O'Neill State Armory in Hartford, CT included the following projects sponsored by the Quartermaster General's Department: Paint Armory Official Project Number: 165‐15‐2072 Total project cost: $4,449.00 Repair and improve Armory building Official Project Number: 165‐15‐2100 Total project cost: $14,493.00 Paint interior of armory Official Project Number: 465‐15‐2‐75 Total project cost: $13,224.00 And this project, sponsored by the State Armory Commission: Construct hangar, office building, concrete walls, and steel roof Official Project Number: 65‐15‐7533 Total project cost: $91,967.00

The Works Progress Administration built a garage for the State Armory of Mounted Commands in Providence. The location and status of this project is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

Short and Stanley-Brown write: The Ohio State Highway Patrol operates from the city of Columbus and has four district headquarters, all radio-connected. Three of these units are in permanent buildings. The Cambridge headquarters has been provided with this new building through the P. W. A., replacing their temporary quarters which had been destroyed by fire. It stands on a 4-acre site at a high point on the national highway, the site having been selected after tests to determine the best location for radio transmission. The project included, besides the building, the radio tower with its network of buried ground lines. The barracks building...

Using ERA funds, Parchman Farm State Penitentiary was one of several state institutions to receive funding for repairs and improvements, 1934-1935. The Penal Board president reported many buildings in need of repair, including the farm's light plant. Specific repairs are not identified, but $10,401.20 was awarded. In January 1935, the facility built two new dormitories to house prisoners and several other buildings related to running the prison, although whether these were part of the ERA expenditure is not identified. It is unknown if those buildings are extant, although there are surviving buildings from that era. Alan Lomax recorded prisoners singing...

A 1937 Hartford Courant article reported that the WPA contributed "to the improvement and enlargement of the barracks at Westport and Ridgefield." One source suggests that the former barracks was on East Ridge Road, and now houses the local police department.

A 1937 Hartford Courant article reported that the WPA contributed "to the improvement and enlargement of the barracks at Westport and Ridgefield." The location and status of this former barracks is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

Hartford Courant: "The cornerstone of the new $150,000 State Police administration building on Washington Street was laid Thursday in ceremonies In which Governor Cross, State officials, and officials of the Works Progress Administration took part." Among the remarks: "Now largely through the financial aid of the Works Progress Administration of the Federal Government, we shall soon have an administration building for the Department of State Police, which will be both pleasing to the eye and so designed as to enable our Stale Police officials to do their work under the most favorable circumstances. " WPA construction on this site included a "new barracks and garage."

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a pistol range at the Morristown State Police Headquarters, ca. 1937. The exact location and status of the project is unknown to Living New Deal.

Constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this handsome facility continues to serve as the Michigan State Police's Bad Axe Post.

Completed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this handsome facility housed the Michigan State Police's Third District Headquarters and Bay City Post. the former relocated to Saginaw in the 1980s.

Completed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this facility was built to house the Michigan State Police's Cheboygan Post. The building is still in service.

Constructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this handsome facility continues to serve as the Michigan State Police's East Tawas Post.

Completed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this facility was built to house the Michigan State Police's Gaylord Post. The building is still in service.

The Michigan State Police District 8 post in Gladstone was completed in 1941 by the Work Projects Administration (WPA).

Constructed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this facility was built to house the Michigan State Police's Gaylord Post. The building is still in service. It was equipped with a 325-foot broadcasting station equal in power to that in the capital Lansing.