Start Year: 1938

Two water system construction projects: one for a water tank and another for water mains in Valley Falls, Kansas were undertaken as federal Public Works Administration (PWA) projects. Water main, PWA Docket No. Kan. 1108: The PWA provided an $8,590 grant for the project, whose total cost was $19,382. Construction started in Dec. 1935 and was completed in Mar. 1936. Water tank: PWA Docket No. Kan. 1417: The PWA provided a $3,713 grant for the project, whose total cost was $9,089. Construction started in Oct. 1938 and was completed in Jan. 1939. The status and locations of the projects are presently unknown to...

A school construction project in Meriden, Kansas was undertaken as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA provided an $16,200 grant for the project, whose total cost was $35,920. Construction started in Dec. 1938 and was completed in Oct. 1939. The status and location of the project are presently unknown to Living New Deal. PWA Docket No. Kan. 1410.

Located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, this building in Altadena, CA was constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at a cost of $47,000. The funding was secured by William B. Davies, who also aided in the establishment of Farnsworth Park further up Lake Ave. Designed by architect Frederick Marsh, it originally served as the Altadena Public Library. The building’s classical pediment, still engraved with “Altadena Public Library,” faces Lake Avenue, preserving its historic identity even after the library relocated. This site was the library’s main location from 1938 until 1968, when the current Altadena Libraries'...

Olathe's historic former Colonial-style post office was built in 1938 as a New Deal project. The building cost $90,000 to construct. Postal operations relocated within downtown Olathe in 1981; the building has housed Olathe's city hall. When the municipal building relocated ca. 2012-15 it became Gurdwara Nanak Darbar Sahib, a Sikh house of worship. A New Deal mural created for the building has since been relocated.

A high school addition project was undertaken in Danbury as a federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. Living New Deal believes this to be Danbury's former high school, now known as White Hall or Ives Concert Hall. Located at the northeast corner of White Street and 5th Avenue, the building was originally constructed in 1925. The P.W.A. supplied a $52,600 grant for the project, whose total cost was $583,095. Construction occurred between Aug. 1938 and Apr. 1939. P.W.A. Docket No. CT 1258

A former salmon hatchery in Aroostook County. One of many projects that have been neglected by the state. The March 11 1938 Bangor Daily News in an article "Aroostook WPA Crews Will Be Increased To 1200 by March 20" notes that "At Winterville, where a fish rearing pool is under construction under the sponsorship of the inland fish and game department the crew will be augmented by 40 men from Eagle Lake, Wallagrass, and Winterville." A WPA job card notes that "Located on Birch River at Winterville - Salmon Fish Hatchery built by the WPA and sponsored by the Maine...

Two large petrachrome murals by Stanton Macdonald-Wright flank the entrance to Santa Monica City Hall. Each one is two-stories high and wraps around a corner of the lobby. The murals would have been funded by the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), since Macdonald-Wright was supervisor for the FAP's Southern California division from 1935 to 1943. Macdonald-Wright pioneered the petrachrome method, whereby a mural is painted with a liquid mixture of materials including crushed tile, marble and granite. The mural on the south side of the lobby is entitled "Recreation in Santa Monica" and represents popular spectator sports of the time, such as...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Alice Whitney Park Dam on the Sauk River in St. Cloud MN in 1938.  WPA workers also built steps going down the riverbank to the dam and a path along the river.  The dam was  meant to provide a swimming hole for park users. The dam was about 4 feet tall and provided a walking path to get across the river, connecting Whitney Park and Sauk River Park.  All of the stone and wood was cut by WPA workers.  The dam’s purpose was to raise the water level of the Sauk River to create a...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, WV. According to WOWK: "The history of the Charleston Municipal Auditorium in West Virginia’s capital city started with debate from citizens. According to the auditorium’s Statement of Significance to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the debate on whether or not to have the auditorium in downtown Charleston began in the 1930s. It says people for the auditorium said it was needed because it would attract performers and bring culture to the capital city. On the other side, people said it would be an 'unnecessary...

The Daniel Boone Homestead is a 579-acre park with multiple historic structures including the birthplace of famed pioneer Daniel Boone. The site is owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The National Youth Administration (NYA) played a key role in the development of the site. Over 100 NYA workers graded the landscape, built roads, trails, fences, and campsites, installed picnic tables and planted trees. They excavated the Daniel Boone Lake, constructed the Wayside Lodge, and a few of the most skilled workers assisted in the restoration of the homestead. Architect G. Edwin Brumbaugh and landscape architect Markley...