Start Year: 1937

President Theodore Roosevelt created a 9,000 acre national bird refuge around Deer Flat Reservoir, now Lake Lowell, by executive order in 1909. The reservoir had just been built by the Reclamation Service (now Bureau of Reclamation) three years earlier.  Its purpose was to supply irrigation was for the surrounding region. The refuge remained unstaffed and undeveloped until the New Deal. In 1937 President Franklin Roosevelt designated 36 islands in the Snake River as the Snake River Islands Refuge, also by executive order.  The new refuge would be managed by Deer Flat Refuge, which got its first manager, Thomas Horn, in that same...

Improvements were made to Wilton Place Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1937. The two-story PWA Moderne building at the corner of S Wilton Pl and Leeward Ave was remodeled by the J & B Construction Company for $47,288; the architect was Theodore R. Jacobs. The reconstruction and renovation of Los Angeles schools damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake was the single largest PWA funded program in the country, totaling ~$34.7 million (LA Times, May 23, 1937).  It was overseen by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and proceeded in...

The auditorium at Victoria Avenue Elementary School (formerly Home Gardens School) in South Gate, CA was remodeled with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1937. The architects were Arthur Kelly and Joe Estep; the contractor was L. W. Odell. While the auditorium was adjoined to the main school building at the time, it now is free standing at the corner of Dearborn and Missouri Aves. The reconstruction and renovation of Los Angeles schools damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake was the single largest PWA funded program in the country, totaling ~$34.7 million (LA Times, May 23, 1937).  It...

In 1937, a new building was constructed at the Sophia T. Salvin Special Education Center (formerly Washington Boulevard Elementary School) in Los Angeles, CA with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The single-story, 23-room building was designed by architect W. F. Ruck and built by contractor H. A. Nichols for $146,452. The school has historically served students with physical and mental disabilities. The reconstruction and renovation of Los Angeles schools damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake was the single largest PWA funded program in the country, totaling ~$34.7 million (LA Times, May 23, 1937).  It was overseen by...

Samuel Gompers Middle School in Los Angeles, CA was built with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1937. Administration, classroom, physical education, and domestic science buildings were designed by architects Myron C. Hunt and H. C. Chambers and constructed by J. K. Thomas for a total of $435,413. The PWA Moderne structures incorporate Mission Revival elements (with the exception of the gym) and are still in use today. The reconstruction and renovation of Los Angeles schools damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake was the single largest PWA funded program in the country, totaling ~$34.7 million (LA Times, May...

The Works Progress Administration built the City Hall in Converse IN. It was built in 1937 with $32,000 (80%) of the cost funded by PWA according to the NRHP Registration Form. " the building cost $40,000; the town sold an $8,000 bond issue to cover their portion and the PWA supplied $32,000 for labor and materials"

A civic auditorium and gymnasium in Lebanon, South Dakota was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $5,670 grant for the project, whose total cost was $14,428. Construction occurred between Jan. and Jul. 1937. The exact location and status of the project is unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Project No. 1036

The National Youth Administration (NYA) constructed a log cabin community hall in Huff, North Dakota in 1937. The three-month project was dedicated in October 1937, at a ceremony attended by 300 people. The exact location and status of the project are unknown to Living New Deal. COMMUNITY CENTER WILL BE PROVIDED THROUGH NYA PROJECT NOW UNDERWAY Construction of a log cabin community hall in the village of Huff is underway as a project of the National Youth Administration, it is reported by Harold G. Wheeler, county NYA supervisor. Built entirely of logs, the building is one-story, 24x40 feet in dimension. Carl Benz, NYA...

The National Youth Administration (NYA) constructed a playground in Medora, North Dakota in 1937 as a project sponsored by "Parent-Teachers association and Homemakers' club." Opened in late July 1937, the playground was created for preschool children. The project supervisor was Laura Connell. The exact location of the efforts in question is unknown to Living New Deal.

The National Youth Administration (NYA) conducted improvement work at a park in Golden Valley, North Dakota in 1937. The exact location of the efforts in question is unknown to Living New Deal.