Military and Public Safety Sites

The Works Progress Administration built the National Guard Armory in Darlington IN in 1938. Presently, (November 2021) it serves as a community center.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked to improve the 1921 David Street Fire Station, also known as Fire Department Station 1, in Casper, Wyoming. Cassity: "The beautiful, but already aging, David Street Fire Station in Casper gained its share of attention when workers painted and applied a calcimine, chalky solution to the walls and ceilings."

The historic Dawes County Courthouse in Chadron, Nebraska was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $44,893 grant for the project, whose total cost was $99,771. Construction occurred between January 1936 and January 1937. PWA Docket No. NE 1013.

Known by many names over the years, what is now the Defense Distribution Center Susquehanna, adjacent to Capital City Airport outside New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, was the site of extensive Works Progress Administration / Work Projects Administration (WPA) efforts. Per a DoD survey (in which the site was called Cumberland General Depot), the WPA did the following: Inspect, recondition materials; 165-2-23-421; $53,924.00; War Department Construct recreational facilities and landscape and improve grounds; 165-3-23-1478; $11,580.00; Commanding General, 3rd Corps Area, U.S. Army Improve facilities; 165-3-23-493; $60,095.00; War Department Construct, reconstruct, and improve facilities and grounds; 265-3-23-83; $145,093.00; Commanding Officer, New Cumberland General...

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) conducted numerous and extensive projects to improve and develop what was then known as Columbus General Depot in Whitehall, Ohio (now known as Defense Supply Center Columbus). Per a DoD survey, the WPA did the following: Description: Construct, rehabilitate, and improve buildings, structures, and facilities; Project No. 113-3-42-55; Cost: $328,940.00; Sponsor: War Department Construct, rehabilitate, and improve buildings, structures, and facilities; 113-3-42-60; $5,000.00; War Department Improve buildings and grounds; 154-3-42-131; $150,000.00; War Department Improve buildings, grounds, and facilities; 165-3-42-131; $200,000.00; Commanding Officer, Columbus General Depot, U.S. Army Construct a receiving station and repair buildings; 1X-3-42-9X; $40,185.00; War Department Improve...

"When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used landscape and park projects to provide relief and hope for America. The second great period of park building occurred during this ten year period when the CWA and WPA work teams focused much of their attention on our "City Park" building the Rose Garden, bathhouse, wading pool, bandstand, and the stone armory, now known as Fort Decatur Recreation Center." (decaturparks.com)

The WPA conducted extensive work at former Delaware Ordnance Depot, located on the west side of Route 130 about halfway between Penns Grove and Pedricktown. Many buildings and much of the infrastructure from the time is still extant. WPA projects at the old Ordnance Depot included: "Improve buildings and grounds by constructing magazines and rail facilities, barracks, dispensary, offers and non‐commissioned officers quarters, roads, sidewalks and utilities, landscaping; and performing appurtenant and incidental tasks." Official Project Number: 713‐2‐19 Total project cost: $900,000.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Delaware Ordnance Depot, and War Department "A non‐construction project to improve and rehabilitate buildings, public utility systems, water supply and gypsy...

"This is a modern fire station which includes not only all the necessary facilities for the fighting but also provisions for training, recreation, housing of personnel, and maintenance of all equipment. The building is located in the business district of the city at the intersection of two important streets which are not, however, arteries of excessive traffic. In addition to the building illustrated, the project includes a shop building and a drill tower. The headquarters building is rectangular in plan, 128 by 117 feet. The apparatus room provides space for five units of rolling stock besides space for...

According to the Washington Post, the Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for additions to the District Jail, first built in 1876.  In 1938, four new cell blocks, two connecting wings, a new powerhouse, and a new laundry facility were proposed. In 1940, the Post listed unspecified "remodeling operations" as part of the work on the jail. According to The Hill Is Home (blog), by 1983 the jail had been razed and its functions performed by the new jail just to the south, at 19th and D streets SE. The site of the former jail is now the St.Coletta of Greater Washington...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Dixie Bibb Graves Armory in Montgomery in 1935. The structure was named after Dixie Graves, the first female senator to represent Alabama, and wife of Governor Bibb Graves. A WPA grant for the armory was secured through the lobbying of Governor Bibb Graves, Mayor Bill Gunter, and Alabama Senator Hugo Black. Today the structure serves as the Armory Learning Arts Center. The armory was designed in “Streamline Modern Style” and followed a plan produced by architect Earl G. Lutz, which served as a basic plan prototype for all thirty-six armories built in Alabama.

The Works Progress Administration / Work Projects Administration (WPA) conducted multiple construction and development projects at what was then known as Doña Ana Target Range. Per a DoD survey, the WPA did the following: Construct new target range facilities and rehabilitate Construct new target range facilities and rehabilitate and extend existing facilities; Project No. 165-3-85-102; Cost: $26,450.00; Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Bliss, U.S. Army Improve and extend range facilities; 165-3-85-174; $79,282.00; Commanding Officer, Fort Bliss, U.S. Army Extend facilities; 165-3-85-183; $17,519.00; Commanding Officer, Fort Bliss, U.S. Army Construct garage and shop building; 65-1-85-2157; $15,926.00; New Mexico National Guard, 120th Engineers Construct access roads;...

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) conducted multiple projects to improve and develop the former Duncan Field in San Antonio, Texas. Per a Department of Defense (DoD) survey, the WPA did the following: Construction of utilities and runways, and rehabilitate buildings, and utilities systems; Project No. 13-3-66-56; Cost: $50,000.00; Sponsor: War Department Construct, rehabilitate, and improve buildings, structures, and facilities; 113-3-66-33; $250,000.00; War Department Duncan Field is no longer extant.

A former armory quartering the Durham National Guard, what is now the central civic center in downtown Durham, North Carolina  was constructed between 1935 and 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) It was converted to a civic center circa 1954.

This compact, red-roofed station was built with $30,000 in federal funds.

The facility now known as East Hall was originally constructed as the "Isolation Building" for Florida Industrial School for Girls, a reformatory. It was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $27,727 grant for the project, whose total cost was $65,660. (It is possible that the grant enabled other construction on the grounds as well.) Wikipedia: "East Hall is an historic one-story red brick building located at 307 Southeast 26th Terrace in Ocala, Florida, United States. Designed by architect Frank Parzaile, it was built in 1936 by the Public Works Administration. On July...

Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Public Works Administration provided funding for the expansion of the Eddy County Courthouse and jail in 1939. Treasures on New Mexico Trails: "Eddy County Courthouse was begun in 1891, with additions in 1914 and 1939. The 1939 addition was done by the WPA for $185,000." Eddy County History: "Eddy County was named for Charles B. Eddy, a rancher in southeastern New Mexico during the last decades of the 19th century. ... The original courthouse built a few years after the creation of the county was a Victorian structure built for $21,000 with a...

"In 1936, Edmond was allotted $45,000 to build a National Guard Armory. The WPA built this sandstone building, designed by Colonel Bryan Nolan, on the southeast corner of Stephenson Park."

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) conducted multiple projects to improve and develop what was then known as Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base (now Eglin Air Force Base) outside Valparaiso, Florida. Per a Department of Defense (DoD) survey, the WPA did the following: Construct quarters, clear and grub areas, plant grass, and extend facilities; Project No. 565-35-2-2; Cost: $12,880.00; Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base, U.S. Army Construct barracks, ammunition storage houses, and bungalows; 65-35-27X; Construct Army Base; 65-35-3204; Rehabilitate buildings, public utilities, water supply, water and sewer lines, install plumbing, heating, and electrical facilities; 713-2-165; $10,000.00; War Department The...

Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration work relief division efforts included "the remodeling of the old 'Manicomio'" in San Juan, in 1937, "to render it available for the motorized transport of the Sixty-Fifth United States Infantry." The facility now houses Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño de Puerto Rico (the School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico).

The Works Progress Administration built an armory in Elba, Coffee County circa 1937. The exact location and condition of the structure is unknown to the Living New Deal.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) developed what is now Elizabeth Field on Fishers Island, as part of what was then Fort H. G. Wright. The following projects were sponsored by the Commanding Officer, Fort H. G. Wright, U.S. Army. Description: Develop airport facilities Official Project Number: 165‐2‐15‐138 Total project cost: $145,765.00 Description: Develop airport Official Project Number: 165‐3‐15‐151 Total project cost: $250,423.00

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) supplied the labor to conduct repairs to the former Ellicott City Jail. Maryland WPA Project No. 181.

The WPA was responsible for the demolition of Elmwood Music Hall in Buffalo, NY in September 1938. The building, which previously served as an armory, was located at the northeast corner of Elmwood Avenue and Virginia Street. "The building was declared unsafe and condemned in February, 1938. Edward and Mary Seaton Kleinhans had already left a bequest in 1934 expressly for the construction of a new music hall. Music performances were held at the Buffalo Consistory (Cansisius High School) for the next two years while the Kleinhans Music Hall was being constructed on Pennsylvania Street."

Emporia, Virginia's historic National Guard armory building was constructed with federal funds and labor. The building, presently owned by Greensville County, also served as a school gymnasium. It has housed operations for the local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club of America since the late 1990s. Local sources state that the armory was constructed in 1936 by the Army Corps of Engineers and was "built to last." According to a National Register of Historic Places registration form: "The Emporia Armory ... is located at the northernmost edge of the historic district. ... This building is 11 bays wide and is two...

"The Enid Armory, located at 600 E. Elm Avenue is a two-story red brick building, constructed as a WPA project in 1936. At the time, it was the third largest armory in Oklahoma. It is the only armory built using red brick. This building has been used to train soldiers for World War II and Korea. It was targeted by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2005, as one of the 58 armories to be closed within the next five years. Currently, a new Armed Forces Reserve Center is being built at Vance Air Force Base in Enid. This Center...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) funded the Ephraim Fire House in Ephraim WI in 1935. Unusual fire house built into a cliff. Architect was William Bernhard, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Now a museum and a memorial to fall firemen and women. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, "The Ephraim Engine House was constructed of local limestone in 1935 following a design by prominent local architect William Bernhard. Construction of the building relied on funds provided by FERA. As such, although Bernhard drew the plans for the structure in 1934, construction did not begin until April of 1935, when FERA funds...

Originally the Erie County Jail, the Erie County Sheriff's Office in Buffalo, New York was constructed with federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. 1282-D). Construction began February 1937 and the building was completed in 1938. According to a local newspaper at the time, the jail, Architect Maxwell James claimed was "so escape-proof neither wall nor fence is needed." The fifth floor of the structure was set aside for female inmantes. The building has since been integrated into a larger law enforcement and penal complex that includes the Erie County Holding Center.

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) conducted multiple and extensive projects to improve and develop what was then known as Erie Proving Grounds, northwest of Port Clinton, Ohio. Per a DoD survey, the WPA did the following: Description: Make improvements at Ordnance Works Depot and adjacent grounds; Project No. 265-3-42-75; Cost: $257,496.00; Sponsor: Corps of Engineers Area Engineer and War Department Improve facilities; 265-2-42-81; $457,262.00; U.S. Army, Ordnance Department, Erie Proving Ground Improve facilities; 265-3-42-18; $246,508.00; U.S. Army, Ordnance Department, Erie Proving Ground Construct, rehabilitate, and improve buildings, structures, and facilities; 113-3-42-70; $2,000.00; War Department Rehabilitation of railroad tracks, material in storage, buildings, and systems;...

"Built in 1935 and finished in 1937, this building continues to house a unit of the Oklahoma National Guard... Construction began in November of 1935 on the Armory. The building was constructed of quaried of native sandstone. The architecture created a feel of a fortress. Relief stone work created the Seal of the United States over the doorway. Major Bryan W. Nolen of the Oklahoma National Guard, was the architect of the Eufaula Armory and the standardized plans for all the armories throughout the the state created under the WPA. Nolen created standard plans for one-unit, two-unit and four-unit armories for the...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted development work at the former Fairfax Municipal Airport / Fairfax Field in Kansas City, Kansas. The project, sponsored by the Commanding Officer of Fairfax Airport, U.S. Army, cost $29,310. Description: "Construct garages, storage systems and facilities." WPA Project No. 865‐82‐2‐9

The Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut was constructed with Treasury Department funds and completed in 1940. The facility is still in use today.

Adobe fire building on Broadway across from Fellows Park at the west end of Fellows, CA. The structure was constructed with WPA labor at a cost of $9800. Not known whether building is still extant.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted an extensive improvement and development project at what was then an army-managed facility at Fields Point in Providence, Rhode Island. Description: "Rehabilitate building for additional offices, improve storage area, grade and place slabs, surface, realign and replace railroad tracks, provide ramps and drains at the U.S. Army Air Corps Storage Department at Fields Point." WPA Project No. 265‐2‐16‐23; $523,720. Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fields Point, U.S. Army

The Works Progress Administration constructed the firehouse on the Henry Hudson Parkway East in the Fieldston section of the Bronx. Frank da Cruz with the Kermit Project describes the history of the firehouse thus: "The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse at 4550 Henry Hudson Parkway East in the Fieldston section of Bronx NY (MAP), serving Fieldston, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge, and Marble Hill since 1884. The present building was designed and constructed in 1939 by the US Works Projects Administration: Public Buildings ... The new house built by the WPA for Engine Company 52 at 4550 Riverdale Avenue replaces an old...

National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: "The Fifth Regiment was the first armory built by the State for the National Guard. ... The original structure cost $450,000 to build and had a barrel vault roof over the drill hall floor, which was apparently finished with sheet metal. After a series of damaging fires, the roof and interior of the entire building were completely destroyed by an uncontrollable blaze in 1933. Wyatt and Nolting were recalled to the site to rebuild all but the exterior shell of the first floor and balcony. Operating under tight budget constraints ($1.4 million was...

On March 14th, 1939, the Washington Post reported the allocation of funds by the Public Works Administration (PWA) for the construction of a fire alarm headquarters for Washington DC: "Construction of the new District fire alarm headquarters building in McMillan Park, near Fourth and Douglas streets, at a cost of $183,994 was approved yesterday by the PWA. The building contract was awarded to Jeffress-Dyer, Inc., of 1719 K street northwest. Funds will come from a $500.000 combined loan and grant in PWA funds authorized last fall. The building will house the fire alarm system, storage room. repair shop and offices for H. A....

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) laborers constructed a new fire alarm signal station in Everett, Mass. The exact location and status of this project is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

As part of a Civil Works Administration (CWA) project in Casper, Wyoming: "the fire alarm system, a separate system by which businesses were connected to a central fire alarm center through lines on poles, was extended and rebuilt; in this case, workers cut poles from Casper Mountain and installed them in town."

The Works Progress Administration built the Fire and Community House in Plainville CT. Today, the structure houses the Plainville Recreation Department and the Youth Services office.  

A combined fire and police station in Niles, Michigan was constructed as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The P.W.A. supplied an $40,050 grant for the project, whose total cost was $94,463. Construction occurred in 1938-9. Sources suggest the building has since been demolished. The exact site of the building is unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. MI 1524