Start Year: 1938

This WPA gymnasium was constructed in 1938-1942. It is a stand alone high school gymnasium constructed of adobe. It is approximately 6,000 sq. ft. Perimeter walls are 30 ft. high and are 20 inches thick. The building contains a reinforced cast in place concrete grandstand that seats approximately 270 adults. Showers and dressing/locker rooms are below the grandstands. The style of architecture is reminiscent of Art Moderne. In 1983 operable steel sash windows were removed and filled in with cement masonry units. A metal hip roof was added on top of the existing roof in 1984. The building was given Texas Historic...

Ilya Bolotowsky’s oil painting study for the Hall of Sciences mural at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York is today housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. It is all that remains of Bolotowsky’s mural commissioned by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Arts Projects, as all murals made for the World’s Fair were destroyed at the Fair’s closure (Mahoney, p. 261). Bolotowsky is a generally overlooked pioneer of American abstract art and this work is a testament to the brilliance of his art, which he was given ample opportunity to practice through the New Deal. Thus,...

The State Street subway line was one of two initial subway lines to open in the city of Chicago, IL, done in conjunction with the construction of the Milwaukee-Dearborn subway line.  Both were made possible by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The subway line has undergone major expansions and alterations since the 1930’s, but it still exists today as a portion of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red Line subway system. State Street property owners were the first to call for the State Street Subway, but they were also the first to oppose the original...

One of Rhode Island's largest sports venues, McCoy Stadium was built between 1938 and 1940 by the City of Pawtucket. It was co-designed by Thomas E. Harding, the city engineer, and Mark Linenthal, associate engineer. Home to the Pawtucket Red Sox, it is named for Tom McCoy, mayor of Pawtucket at the time of the stadium's construction. Renovated in 1999. The stadium is currently home of the Pawtucket PawSox. "Presidents Roosevelt and Truman both visited during the 1940s to see the product of the federal building they'd funded."   (Pahigian)

The historic post office in Sayre, Oklahoma was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses New Deal artwork inside, was completed in 1939 and is still in use today.

Sheridan Bridge was built with funds from the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1938-39.  It was not a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project – a common error repeated in the entry in Wikipedia, owing of the similarity of PWA & WPA. The plaque on the bridge states that it was funded by "The Emergency Administration of Public Works," which was the official name of the PWA (another source of confusion). Sheridan bridge was built under the authority of Yamhill County by the Mountain States Construction Company.  It is a classic steel-truss type carrying two lanes of traffic across the Yamhill...

This stadium built or red iron ore rock was started with funds from the WPA in 1938. It is still home to the Jacksonville High School football and soccer teams.

Originally constructed as Cary High School in 1938-39 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building, which replaced a 1913 school, was built at a cost of $132,000. The building now houses the Cary Arts Center.

Today this building is known as El Mercado, the home of the largest Mercado outside of Mexico. It was built as a WPA project during 1938-1939 after the existing municipal market house (known as the Giles building) was torn down. The new market was originally named the Municipal Truck Market because it was designed with a wide entry so farmers could drive their truck into the market and sell their produce direct from their truck. However, the market was commonly called the Farmer's Market. In 1975 the last produce was sold here and the market house underwent renovation to convert...

"Built as Fogarty Junior High in 1938-39 by the WPA, the school is currently Fogarty Elementary. This one and two-story building was constructed in 1938-39 as a WPA project. It faces west and is addressed as 902 N. Wentz. The building is constructed of multi-toned light colored brick, with portions of the ground level native stone. Above one of the entrances, metal lettering reads: FOGARTY JUNIOR HIGH. It is currently an elementary school... A bronze WPA shield is mounted on the wall by an entrance, above the cornerstone. The shield reads: USA / 1939 / WPA / Oklahoma..." The cornerstone is engraved with...