- City:
- Davis, CA
- Site Type:
- Civic Facilities, Auxiliary Civic Facilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Artist:
- P. L. Dragon
- Marked:
- Yes
Description
Built by the WPA as the Davis City Hall in 1938, this building has since served as a fire station, a police station and now, a restaurant.
Site Details
Plaque info: "WPA 1938" and "Davis City Hall 1938"
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Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site5 comments on “Davis City Hall (former) – Davis CA”
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Is there any documentation beyond the inscription that this was a WPA project? The local historical society can’t seem to find anything.
There is a group of folks in Davis who claim that the Old Davis City Hall was not built by the WPA. They claim the old restroom in Central Park is the only building built by the WPA in Davis, CA. Is there an authoritative historical reference on this that you can refer me to settle the question? Thanks.
Can anyone provide a historical reference showing the the oldDavis City Hall was built by the WPA? Some in town say just the sidewlak was a WPA project.
.
Well, the local historical society claims that the imprint “WPA” on the sidewalk curb, only means that the sidewalk was a WPA project. So I’m looking for some other historical documentation that the old City Hall was also a WPA project. — There was a city bond issue passed in 1937 or 1938 to help finance the project, but as I’ve tried to explain to the skeptics many WPA projects had 10% to 30% local financing, and a local city hall bond issue doesn’t necessarily mean that the Old Davis City Hall was not a WPA project. — The Shields Library on the UC Davis campus has copies of our local paper “The Davis Enterprise” going back to 1898 on microfiche. I guess I need to do some library research.
Clay,
They’re right that the sidewalk stamps only mean the sidewalks are WPA. Unfortunately, the WPA did not always put plaques on their buildings and some public buildings were funded by the PWA. But you are right that New Deal projects were usually split funding between the feds and state or local governments. The local paper will certainly have an article on the completion of City Hall, if you do a search — which these days can usually be done pretty quickly.