The Public Works Administration funded improvement work at the Alcatraz Prison on Alcatraz Island. The cost of the project was $1,100,000. The funds for the modernization were earmarked through a PWA program in 1938. The modernization plans were temporarily suspended after the… read more
Then known as Auburn State Prison, the Auburn Correctional Facility received a sizable expansion as a result of a $226,000 federal Public Works Administration grant during the 1930s. PWA Federal Docket No. 3248 (NY). Specific construction included “accommodations for inmates,… read more
“The current courthouse was built in 1916 after a fire destroyed the first Baca County Courthouse in 1910. The elegant brick addition, which presents the Main Street facade, was designed by the Denver firm Mountjoy and Frewen and constructed in… read more
The building was the county police headquarters and 40-bed capacity county jail from 1938 until 1993 when it was razed to make way for a 220-bed facility.
Later known as the Bronx House of Detention for Men, the Bronx County Jail was constructed during the 1930s, a project aided by federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. NY 9050X). Located at East 151st St. and River[a] Ave.,… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to renovate the old Municipal Building in Pennsauken, New Jersey in 1936. The project was completed with no direct expense to local taxpayers. The exact location of the old building is unknown to… read more
The current Castro County Courthouse was constructed in large part with labor provided by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). Text from the state historical marker reads: “This site was set aside as the Dimmitt town square in 1891, the… read more
Altona, New York’s Central School was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. NY 1236). The building was designed by Plattsburgh architect Alvin W. Inman. The former school is now part… read more
The Public Works Administration contributed $35,000 for the construction of a new auditorium and gymnasium for David Anderson High School. Ground was broken for the project on December 9th 1937 and the structure was dedicated on October 3rd 1938. The… read more
The historic Childress County Courthouse in downtown Childress, Texas was built with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a grant of $101,250 toward the project, whose total cost was $223,635. Construction occurred between November… read more
The federal Works Progresss Administration (WPA) constructed Pineville’s historic city hall and jail; the building is still in service.
Sullivan’s municipal building was completed by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works in 1937 and served as City Hall, police department, and jail as well as the town’s auditorium. While the police department has moved, this New Deal building… read more
This former city hall and jail building was built by the PWA in 1936. “The building is currently the location of the Prague Police Department, with the municipal offices having moved to another location in town. …The town of Prague… read more
“The federal government’s New Deal programs, specifically the Works Progress Administration and the Public Works Administration, also played a direct role in Rock Hill’s economic recovery. Building projects included … a new City Hall building …” The PWA supplied a… read more
The jail annex and repairs to the city hall including beautifying and landscaping of city streets in addition to the construction of a 35 x 35 one-story jail annex. W. P. No. 1046 was started 02/01/1936 and completed 07/04/1937 for… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a sizable public building improvement project in Brooklyn, New York beginning in 1935. The project involved the “Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices” at more than 30 locations, including the no-longer-extant Civil Prison… read more
In 1972 the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service approved the nomination of the Cole County Jail-Sheriff’s House to the National Register of Historic Places. The areas of significance were identified as architecture, political and jurisprudence. The nomination… read more
“This [PWA] project consisted of additions to the courthouse and the construction of this two-story reinforced-concrete jail. The jail contains the warden’s quarters, dayroom and two cells each for white and colored women, two day rooms and four felony cages… read more
Collin County Jail was erected in 1880. The two-story Collin County Jail features quarry-faced, ashlar limestone masonry construction and exhibits detailing and massing characteristic of the High-Victorian Italianate style. Two-tiered pilasters mark the slightly projecting central bay. This bay features… read more
The Yazoo County Jail was constructed as PWA Mississippi project 1087 with funding of $20,450 toward the $35,000 cost. J. R. Flint Construction Company built the new jail south of the City Hall on South Washington Street. R. W. Naef… read more
In 1938, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to the former Contra Costa County jail, which stands just behind the old courthouse (the present Finance Building) at 625 Court Street. According to a WPA Project Card from the National… read more
Public Works Administration, project W1208, constructed a two-story Art Deco style jail for the courthouse. A grant of $13,939 was approved toward the total cost of $30,977 6/22/1938. Contract was awarded 9/13/1938 and construction begun 9/22/1938. Architects were Krouse &… read more
This utilitarian yellow brick structure with subtle Art-Deco touches was a Public Works Administration project. Completed in 1939, the jail replaced the old Jonesboro jail located at Madison and Monroe streets. This building remained in use as Craighead County’s jail… read more
The historic Curry County Courthouse (and jail) in Clovis, New Mexico was developed as a New Deal project in 1936. The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) provided a $73,507 grant for the project, whose total cost was $163,388. P.W.A. Docket No…. read more
The Civil Works Administration and the Public Works Administration (PWA) completed improvements at the District of Columbia Reformatory and Workhouse (today’s “D.C. Workhouse and Reformatory Historic District”) between 1933 and 1940. “During the latter part of December 1933 an appropriation was obtained… read more
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… read more
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…. read more
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… read more
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… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) supplied the labor to conduct repairs to the former Ellicott City Jail. Maryland WPA Project No. 181.
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… read more
The Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut was constructed with Treasury Department funds and completed in 1940. The facility is still in use today.
A pair of segregated dining halls at what was then known as the Florida Industrial School for Boys, a reformatory, was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $34,389 grant for the… read more
A pair of segregated dining halls at what was then known as the Florida Industrial School for Boys, a reformatory, was constructed in 1936 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $34,389 grant for the… read more
A hospital at the Florida State Prison (in some documents referred to as the “Florida State Farm”), was constructed in 1936-7 as a New Deal-aided project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) supplied a $137,296 grant for the project, whose total… read more
“Resting on a concrete slab, the building has cast concrete with walls approximately 9 inches thick. A corrugated metal roof with flat, narrow wood fascia caps the jail. The only openings are located in the west side. These include a… read more
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… read more
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… read more
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… read more
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… read more