Unknown Sites

Fort Mountain State Park in northern Georgia was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. Part of the Cohutta Mountain Range, the park gained its name for a stone structure located along a mountaintop in the area.   The park officially opened in 1936. The CCC built the park’s infrastructure and constructed many of its facilities such as the lake and recreational buildings. CCC work crews also did forestry work and made hiking trails. “One of the most notable contributions by the CCC,” according to Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, “is the large stone fire tower that stands...

The Fort Peck Theatre was part of the larger Fort Peck Dam construction project, funded by the New Deal’s Public Works Administration (PWA) and carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1933-1940. The theatre itself was constructed by the C.F. Haglin company in 1934, but it's unclear who designed its chalet-style appearance - the Haglin company, the Corps of Engineers, or both. The theatre’s construction is sometimes credited to the WPA, but the theatre was built and opened well before the WPA’s existence (PWA projects are frequently misattributed to the WPA, and vice versa). The New Deal's stimulus spending and construction...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) rebuilt Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island, site of the first English settlement in North America.  By the 20th century, virtually nothing remained at the site, which was known as "The Lost Colony."   The site, which was a state park at the time of the WPA work, was designated as Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in 1941 and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. A 1938 inventory of WPA achievements notes that:  "For 350 years all that remained of of Fort Roanoke, site of "The Lost Colony" on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, was...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) began to restore the foundation of Fort Rice and build replica structures on the historic site in 1937.  Located eighteen miles south of Mandan in Morton County, Fort Rice was originally built as an Army post during the Civil War. The WPA mapped out a program of improvement for both the site and the North Dakota State Park system more generally. “No structures remain but there are markers for the site and individual building locations. The main marker is enclosed in a stone shelter. Two replica blockhouses were constructed by the WPA in the 1930s, but they...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook several projects totaling over $2 million to improve and develop Fort Tilden in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens. Per a Department of Defense (DoD) survey, the WPA completed the following projects at Fort Tilden: Rehabilitate and improve buildings, utilities, facilities, and grounds, including landscaping, constructing and reconstructing buildings, roads, curbs, gutters and walks, installing electrical systems, demolishing roads, facilities, and obsolete buildings, eradicating poison ivy; Project No. 765-97-2-16; $935,081.00; Sponsor: Commanding General, 2nd Corps Area, U.S. Army Construct buildings, for use as officers and NCO quarters, and playground facilities, including plumbing, heating, and electrical...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook several projects totaling over $4 million to improve and develop Fort Totten in the Bayside neighborhood of Queens. At the time, Fort Totten was a 93-acre federal military base; today, it serves primarily as public parkland maintained by the New York City Parks Department. Per a Department of Defense (DoD) survey, the WPA completed the following projects at Fort Totten: Rehabilitate and improve buildings, utilities, facilities, and grounds, including landscaping, constructing and reconstructing buildings, roads, curbs, gutters and walks, installing electrical systems, demolishing roads, facilities, and obsolete buildings, eradicating poison ivy; Project No. 765-97-2-16; $935,081.00;...

In 1935-36, multiple school buildings and an auditorium were built at Forty-Ninth Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA. Construction totaled $141,490 and was partially funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA). In 1935, Johnson & Dahlquist constructed two single-story buildings at the northeast and southeast corners of campus, one with 12 rooms and the other with eight. Both were designed in a basic PWA Moderne style. In addition, the central/main building on McKinley Ave was reconstructed to combine elements of the Classical Revival and PWA Moderne styles. The following year, a single-story reinforced concrete auditorium was built on campus by Brunzell...

CCC 130th Company Baxter State Park: Foster Field (Millinocket Maine) (June 1934 – October 1934) Excerpt from Schlenker, In The Public Interest: On June 1, 1934, the 130th Co. moved from Alfred to Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin. Field work was placed under the State Park Service, and Forestry #SP2 was assigned to this camp. At Mt. Katahdin, the work was recreational, including the building of trails, camp sites, cabins and dams. In a newspaper article by Kenneth Fuller Lee, dated October 7, 1934, the significance of the 130th Co. stay at Baxter Park is described. “Last June the boys of the 130th Co....

In 1926, the South Park Commission created a new 30-acre park in the growing Auburn Gresham community, including many of the features originally envisioned by its long-time superintendent, Frank Foster.  Because the commissioners had to make 50 separate land purchases between 1921 and 1932, the park developed slowly. By the early 1930s, Foster Park's improvements were only an athletic field, tennis courts, and a comfort station (restroom). In 1934, the newly-formed Chicago Park District improved Foster Park's landscape and constructed a small recreation building with the aid of federal relief workers (probably from the Civil Works Administration).

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Fowler Swimming Pool and Bathhouse in Fowler KS. Fowler was apparently hard hit by the dust storms of the 1930s, and the construction of a swimming pool would bring not only construction jobs but welcome relief from dirt and heat. Cost in 1936-1937 was $13,000, of which the town paid $3000. The pool's dedication ceremony on July 30, 1937 drew 1,000 people. The project was approved in may 1935, but construction was delayed and began in March 1936 and was completed in November 1936. According to the Kansas Historical Society, "Among 40 Kansas pools improved or...

C. G. Willis & Son made improvements to the grounds of Franklin Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1936-37. The specifics of the improvements and their current status are unknown. 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 two cycles, 1934-35 and 1935-37. The first cycle began in Spring 1934, lasted 21 months,...

Designed by architect George D. Riddle in PWA Moderne style, buildings 100 and 300 at Franklin Classical Middle School in Long Beach, CA, were completed in 1934. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed the school originally designed by J.C. Austin and W. Horace Austin in 1922 at 6th and Orange; the school is now located at 6th and Cerritos. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools . Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty...

Franklin Classical Middle School in Long Beach, CA, is home to a mural likely completed under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). The artist and date of completion are unknown, although Suzanne Miller is a possibility. Located in the school's main entryway as well as along the northern and southern stairwells, the mural "depict a landscape scene of mountains, rivers, and trees using browns, greens, and blues. The mural is painted on canvas and attached to the walls in the main entryway. The canvas is cut to fit the walls on either side of the small doorway sidesunder...

Franklin Classical Middle School in Long Beach, CA, is home to three concrete Bas Relief panels likely completed under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). The artist and date of completion are unknown. The first relief is located above the entrance to the girls locker room. It "depicts the words 'Health' and 'Beauty' flanked by three female profiles, on both sides of the phrase, looking towards each other and shaking hands. On the other side of the profiles there are four horizontal sections forming a zigzag pattern on the edges. The profiles and words are painted a flesh...

Designed by Glenn E. Miller and Hugh Gibbs, Fremont Elementary School was built in 1934 with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. It is one of six LBUSD schools built in the aftermath of the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake that were designed in the Period Revival style instead of WPA/PWA Moderne. The 1933 earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out improvements to the grounds at Fremont Elementary School in Alhambra, CA.

Fremont Lake, north of Pinedale, Wyoming, is a large natural lake created by glacial scouring and a terminal moraine that has been expanded by the construction of modern dams.  Today, the lake is about 12 miles long and 1/2 mile wide.  It lies entirely within the Bridger-Teton National Forest. In the 1930s, a concrete and rubble stone dam was built that raised the level of the lake by 2 feet.  Relief workers from the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) participated in the construction of that dam. We do not know exactly which years the work was done. A...

Under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), artist Eugenia Everett sculpted a statue for Fries Avenue Elementary School in Wilmington, CA. The sculpture is of "Wynken, Blinken, and Nod," characters in Eugene Field's Dutch lullaby. George Washington Preparatory High School (Los Angeles, CA) has a copy of the same statue. According to a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal, "Eugenia Everett is a wistful young lady, working in her aunt's studio on Manhattan Place" (Wells, p. 25).

The town of Fruita, Colorado received a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant of over $70,000 that covered almost half the cost of a new Fruita High School, begun in 1935 and completed in 1936.  The building is now used as the Fruita Middle School. The school building is a lovely example of Moderne architecture. It is a long, rectangular two story structure with two rows of windows separated by vertical elements suggesting columns. There is a small, single story wing joined to the main building and a rounded entrance foyer between the two.  The cladding is a light orange/earth-tone brick. There is...

Charles Kassler painted Pastoral California at Fullerton Union High School in 1934. He received funding from the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP). Located in the Louis Plummer Auditorium (built in 1930), the mural is 75′ x 15′. Pastoral California is one of the largest frescoes created during the New Deal. Kassler first drafted the mural design on paper and then transferred this draft, one 36 inch square, at a time onto the wall to be traced. The mural was then painted in true fresco technique (watercolor on top of wet plaster).  Caroline Luce notes that the mural “depicted the lives of...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Civil Works Administration completed improvements at the Gallinger Playground in Washington DC, between 1933 and 1934. The work consisted of the following improvements: “New shelter(s) built."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to Garden Grove High School school in the 1930s in response to damage the school suffered during the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) rebuilt the structure now known as Heritage Hall.

Gardner Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA was remodeled following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). Architects Earle Webster and Adrian Wilson designed the two-story PWA Moderne structure, which is extant on Hawthorn Ave. Note the single-story auditorium wing, today named "Michael Jackson Auditorium." 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 two cycles, 1934-35...

The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. Originally built in 1930, Garfield Elementary School in Long Beach, CA, was rehabilitated by D. Easton Herrald in 1935 with New Deal funding. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were...

The Gem Lake Trail at Rocky Mountain National Park is on the National Register of Historic Places (2008, 5LR.11810.1), in part for New Deal improvements: "The trail is associated with the early resort industry and tourism in the Estes Park region, particularly in its function as an equestrian route.  The trail assumed its current alignment with the completion of alterations in 1923.  During 1940 and 1941, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) performed trail maintenance and improvements in keeping with National Park Service Naturalistic Design principles of the 1920s through the 1940s.  The property is associated with the Rocky Mountain National Park and...

Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Parks were created separately, but because they are contiguous they are administered today by the National Park Service (NPS) as a single unit. Sequoia was the third national park, created in 1893, while Kings Canyon became a national park in 1941, under the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.   During the New Deal of the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did extensive work in both national parks, building campgrounds, trails, roads, ranger stations and other facilities.  More specific information is needed on these projects.  

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp Co. No. 2421 SP was created at Geneva State Forest in what was previously cleat-cut land, part of a land holding of timberlands owned by the Jackson Lumber Company. The lumber company donated the land to the State of Alabama instead of paying property taxes on land they could no longer exploit.  The Geneva State Forest was originally known as C.C.C. Co. No. 2421, SP-1. The camp was under the leadership of Captain M.G. Denton. According to Robert Pasquill, Jr. book, The Civilian Conservation Corps in Alabama, 1933-1942: A Great and Lasting Good the C.C.C. Co. No. 2421...

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) built the George J. Perry Memorial Armory in St. Marys KS between 1941 and 1943. In the early 1940s, plans for a new armory in St. Mary estimated costs at $55,000, most of which would be covered by the WPA. Ground was broken in April 1941, and that first summer construction employed 65 men. With the advent of World War II, however, work slowed and costs rose. By the time work was actually completed in 1943, the WPA had disbanded and there were only nine "silver-and gray-haired men" left on the project. Dedication ceremonies were held...

Elise Seeds painted a mural, "Prehistoric Animals," for a school in Los Angeles, CA, with funding from the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and—upon the termination of the PWAP in 1934—the Federal and State Emergency Relief Administrations (FERA/SERA). The mural was subsequently relocated to the George Page Museum. Elise Seeds' other New Deal work in the region is a mural, "Air Mail," at the post office in Oceanside, CA.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds in the amount of $13,676 were approved for the Laurel Municipal school district to improve buildings, grounds and facilities at the George S. Gardiner High School and Kingston School. The work at Gardiner was for grounds improvements and reconditioning of the track and football practice areas for the 1922 school.

George Washington Carver Middle School—formerly William McKinley Junior High School—in Los Angeles, CA was rebuilt following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Construction in 1935-36 totaled $187,759 and was partially funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA Moderne style administration and auditorium buildings were rebuilt by George Hess in 1935. The two-story administration building faces onto Wadsworth Ave; the auditorium appears to be located behind the administration building in the center of campus (confirmation is needed). In 1936, a one-story shop building designed by architects David J. Witmer and Loyall F. Watson was built by the Lynch-Cannon Engineering Company. The PWA...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) renovated George Washington Elementary School in Burbank, CA, which had suffered damage in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.

George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles, CA was rebuilt following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Construction between 1935 and 1937 totaled approximately $300,000 and was partially funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA). In 1935, the administration, liberal arts, science, cafeteria, shop and art buildings were all rebuilt for $222,116. The following year, a single story boys' gym was built for $36,845; William Richards was the architect and Walter F. Olerich the contractor. The auditorium was also rebuilt for approximately $60,000. It appears all eight of these PWA Moderne style structures survive with few alterations. The reconstruction and renovation of...

Artist Ross Dickinson painted two murals for George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles, CA. "Valley of California" (25' x 7') is located at the north end of the school library; "Mankind's Achievements" is on the landing of the main stairs (Wells, p. 21). Both were completed in 1934 and funded by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP). Dickinson's other New Deal–funded works in the region include a mural, “History of the Recorded Word” (1937), in the Thomas Jefferson High School library (Los Angeles, CA).

Helen Lundeberg, assisted by Donald Totten, painted a two-panel mural at George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles, CA. The panels, titled "Valley Forge, 1777" and "Yorktown, 1781," are located in the auditorium's interior foyer. Completed in 1941, the mural was funded by the Federal Art Project (FAP). "Valley Forge, 1777" depicts George Washington against a snowy background as he assists a fallen soldier towards a fire. "Yorktown, 1781" depicts George Washington standing before a church with a pen in his right hand and a sword in his left. Both murals are made of plaster and petrochrome and feature the...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) companies 385 and 1355—both African American units—restored, improved, and maintained Gettysburg National Military Park between 1933 and 1942. CCC projects in and around the battlefield included: road, trail, and fence construction; tree planting and maintenance; tree and stump removal; firefighting; snow shoveling; and utility pipe installation (presumably for water, sewage, or drainage). “The CCC also reconstructed the XII Corps earthworks on Culp’s Hill and provided manpower for the 75th anniversary commemoration of the battle in 1938” (James J. Campi, Jr., Hallowed Ground, 2013).   The CCC worked with the National Park Service (NPS) to plan projects with...

Construction of Shenandoah PA’s Girard Park began in September of 1936 with the support of funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA allocated $93,000 for the development of the sixteen-acre park, with the rest of the cost to be shared with the city of Shenandoah. According to a contemporary report in Parks & Recreation magazine, Girard Park “was first designed for a bandstand but the newest plans call for children’s playground equipment, which will probably place the park cost at more than the anticipated $134,000.” The public park has played a central role in the community life of Shenandoah since...

Glen Alta Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA was rebuilt following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). In 1936, the main building was remodeled by architect John R. Kibbey and contractor L. W. Odell for a total of $29,611. Later that same year, an additional $4,950 worth of "improvements" were made to the school by Hoagland Engineering and Construction Company. The New Deal–era school buildings have since been demolished and replaced. The reconstruction and renovation of Los Angeles schools damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake was the single largest PWA funded program in...

The 1939 WPA Accomplishment Report for Southern California reports that the WPA demolished and reconstructed a school building in the Glendora school district. Exact location and current status unknown.

Goeres Park is an 8-acre landscaped park location along the bottoms of Spring Creek in Lodi, Wisconsin. The park was designed in large part by noted landscape architect Franz A. Aust, who was the first professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and the construction of much of the park was made possible by the use of annual project funds that were provided by the federal government's Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief program between 1938 and 1942. Features include a baseball field with stone bleachers, swimming pool, stone walls and stairs and stone rip-rapping along the...