Start Year: 1935

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon was expanded in two steps under the New Deal.  In 1935 the 164,503 acre Blitzen Valley was purchased using emergency relief funds. In 1941, land west of Malheur Lake was added. The refuge was originally established as the Lake Malheur Reservation in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt from unclaimed government lands encompassing Malheur, Harney, and Mud Lakes after plume hunters had decimated the local bird population. The information brochure for Malheur NWR gives more details: "The drought years of the 1930s had a profound effect on Lake Malheur Reservation. The water levels on Harney, Malheur, and Mud...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the College Court housing development in Louisville, KY. The City of Louisville used municipal condemnation to conduct slum clearance and develop public housing projects on cleared land with funding from the PWA Housing Division. This led to the construction of two housing projects, College Court and La Salle Place. Completed in 1937, College Court was built at Seventh Street and Kentucky on the site of the former Eclipse Baseball Park. The project H-2503, was for Black residents whereas La Salle Place was for White families. Today, College Court still stands and continues on...

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) leased the 12-story, 70,000 square-foot Furniture Mart Building for use as their headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. The site would become a hub of administrative activity and deep-seated controversy. Under the leadership of Ralph L. Dalton, WPA director for Los Angeles County, both African American men and women were initially appointed to administrative roles. However, systemic discrimination persisted, as evidenced by a 1935 incident in which Black applicants who had passed the WPA's stenographer examination were asked to report to headquarters, only to be turned away and told their assignment was a mistake. Later...

The Auburn/Turner Fish Hatchery in Auburn ME is one of 18 fish raising stations constructed by the Work Progress Administration (WPA) in Maine with the state contributing $72,328 and the WPA $150,927. By 1962, the state sold off the property to the City of Auburn for $1 and was subsequently abandoned. A very popular playground and picnic site called Tot Lot was constructed on site which is still used. From this researchers investigation of the location, two buildings, the caretakers house and a utility building remain and are used by the city and the recreation dept. The hatchery consisted of...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) constructed a fire hall in Max, north Dakota in 1935. "When completed the building will house governmental offices and a jail in addition to fire-fighting equipment." The current fire hall in Max is located at 202 2nd Ave. It is unknown if this is the Depression-era structure.

The gorgeous and historic city hall, a.k.a. Zeeland Hall in Zeeland, North Dakota was constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1935-6. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic post office in Meredith, New Hampshire was constructed in 1935-6 with federal Treasury Department funds. The stately building is still in service.

The historic post office building in Ware Shoals, South Carolina was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds in 1935. The handsome building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in use today.

The historic post office in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania was built in 1935-6 with Treasury Department funds. The stately building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

The historic post office in Ambridge, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1935-6 with Treasury Department funds. The stately facility is still in operation. The five-year-old post office made headlines in 1941. Per the The Evening News of Harrisburg: AMBRIDGE, Jan. 30.—Postal clerks in the Ambridge post office kept the mails moving on schedule today, while workmen cleared up the debris left when twenty tons of plaster fell from the ceiling. Fifteen employes, forewarned by the cracking, raced to safety and only one, Leon Jarrett, was injured. He fell and hurt an elbow."