Unknown Sites

The Works Progress Administration built the Swampton School in Swampton KY circa 1938.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt allotted $2,000,000 in emergency rural rehabilitation funds to the U.S. Office of Indian Affairs (OIA). Out of this sum, OIA sent $32,000 (about $607,000 in 2020 dollars) to the Swinomish Indian Reservation for an 18-house homestead community. The community was completed in the late summer of 1936 and helped relocate families away from nearby (and less stable) floating houses. The cluster of homes still exists today and is known as the “Swinomish Model Village.” In a special 1936 edition of Indians at Work (a publication of the U.S. Office of Indian Affairs), Martin J. Sampson,...

When the school for African American students burned in 1935, Belton sought a federal grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA) to replace the school and repair and renovate three other schools. PWA project 1431 for a grant of $13,590 was awarded 9/25/1935. Newspaper items used the terms PWA and WPA in referencing the new T. B. Harris School and repairs to the other city schools, but total amounts equal the cited costs and dates in the Texas region PWA records and it seems evident that the funds were provided by the Public Works Administration. Funds were secured in the...

The superintendent's house for the Hurricane School complex was constructed 1938 by the National Youth Administration as project W. P. 5206, Application 921. The stone veneer house used stone from the NYA quarry in Pontotoc County and shingles from the NYA sawmill. Superintendent of construction was B. McGraw. The house is no longer extant.

The WPA demolished and reconstructed the building and improved the grounds and facilities of a school in the Temple Unified School District. Exact location and current status unknown.

This cast-metal portrait bust of Admiral Albert Gleaves by Belle Kinney was funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It was originally installed in the old Nashville U.S. Courthouse & Post Office building, but now resides at the Tennessee State Capitol.

The mural entitled "Scenes from Tennessee History," made up of 11 panels, was painted by Jihayr Zorthian.  It can be found in the Governor's Reception Hall in the Tennessee State Capitol.  The Federal Art Project (FAP) commissioned the work.

Tennessee State University was established in 1909 as Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State College, a land-grant college.  It is the only state-funded historically Black college or university in Tennessee. The New Deal helped a great deal to  build up the Tennessee A & I College campus in the 1930s. Early in 1935, the college announced the opening of six new buildings on campus: Practice Hall, Administration and Health, Men’s Hall (East), Hale Hall, Wilson Hall, and Science Hall (Harned). These were almost certainly funded by the New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA).  It is hard to imagine the college having the...

Built in 1936, as a Worker’s Progress Administration (WPA) building project under President Roosevelt, the Municipal Field House is located in the Wessington Springs City Park approximately one block off of Dakota Avenue. Used yet today, it is the center to the beautiful city park, trees, a ball field, and swimming pool. The Field House is an excellent example of a WPA era project that still functions for its original intent. The Field House was added to the National Registry of Historical Places in 2000.

Thomas A. Edison Middle School (formerly Junior High School), which opened in 1926, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member...

Thomas Jefferson High School was one of many schools in Los Angeles, CA, that benefited from refurbishment funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) following the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake. One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Jefferson High School's 45-unit Streamline Moderne campus, designed by architect Stiles O. Clement, was completed in 1935. According the Los...

In 1937, Ross Dickinson painted "History of the Recorded Word" in the Thomas Jefferson High School library (Los Angeles, CA) with Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Arts Project funding. The mural is comprised of four panels, each 10' by 5.5'. The panels depict the history of printing, with subjects including hieroglyphs, manuscripts, and modern printing. After six months of research, Dickinson painted the mural in five weeks. According to the Los Angeles Sentinel (one of the most influential African-American newspapers in the Western United States), "Dickinson was employed as an art teacher at the Art Center School of Los Angeles and needed...

Artist Ross Dickinson designed two tile mosaics for Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. He received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). The mosaics "give glimpses of Indian pueblo life, one showing the influence of the crafts taught by the mission fathers" (Wells, p. 23). According to a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal, "The greatest single patron of Federal art among the schools of the Los Angeles system is Thomas Start King Junior High School, whose principal is Dr. Alice Ball Struthers. The possessions of that school could well serve as a model and be...

This sculpture by Djey el Djey, entitled "The Vanquished Race" (or "The Vanishing Race"), was commissioned by the WPA's Federal Arts Project (FAP) in 1936. It is located at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. "Mr. Djey el Djey is an earnest young man, justly proud of this, his first real successful piece," noted a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal. "'Vanquished Race' was of such merit that it was featured as the cover picture of an issue of the no New York magazine Art Digest. It was also reproduced in the London 'Studio' line with...

Artist P. G. Napolitano painted a pair of murals, titled "Spirit of the Fiesta," at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. The two 9' by 12' panels—featuring a male and female figure—are located above the north court balcony. Napolitano received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). "Mr. Napolitano's main interest has always been in murals, which he executes in tempra (egg white), in frescoes, and in Sgraffito which he introduced here in creative work. Much of his work is marked by the omission of pretty detail and mere decorativeness until only the essential stand out; economy...

Artist James Redmond painted a small mural, titled "California Horsemen," at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. He received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). Redmond reportedly preferred "California Horsemen" to the large mural he painted at Banning High School in Los Angeles, CA (Wells, p. 21). His other New Deal–funded works in the region include a post office mural in Compton, CA. According to a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal, "The greatest single patron of Federal art among the schools of the Los Angeles system is Thomas Start King Junior High School, whose principal...

The Farm Security Administration established a resettlement project called the Ladelta Co-operative Association at Thomastown, Louisiana in 1938. The project was for African American families who had been sharecroppers. The project included 147 individual farmsteads, with five-room house, barn, smokehouse, and poultry shed. The project also included the school building, and cotton gin. The project encompassed 21,876 acres in East Carroll (Transylvania) and Madison (Thomastown) parishes. Bids were solicited for the community center construction in May 1939. The high school at Thomastown graduated its first class in 1944. The building was destroyed by fire in 1972, but the elementary school...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) landscaped the picnic grounds below Phoenix Lake Dam and built this picnic shelter, which has recently been restored. Three Bear Hut was in poor condition as of 2016.

Timpanogos Cave was designated a national monument on October 14, 1922 and was initially developed and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and volunteer organizations.  The National Park Service took over responsibility for the monument in 1933 but did not undertake full management until 1954. (Wadsworth 2018) The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up camp F-5 in the National Monument, at Granite Flat, in the summer of 1933 and worked on trails and other improvements for public use of the monument. The most important trail work by the CCC enrollees of Company 940 was to extend the original trail up the sheer cliff...

Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the following structures still extant within the park: Scout cabin, grill, creek wall, bandshell, fountain. The fountain and the bandshell have recently been restored and upgraded, and the other WPA structures are in line for similar treatment.

Topeka High School has three examples of David Hicks Overmyer’s work, two carried out under the WPA’s Federal Art Project. The first is the large painting “Pageant of Old England” which was commissioned by the Topeka School Board in 1936, completed in 1937, and funded by the FAP. It was created for the English Room, an oversized classroom that includes a fireplace, Tudor-style woodwork, and a gothic-arched stage. The painting shows a group of medieval figures passing through an English village with a large castle in the background. “Pageant of Old England” currently still hangs in the English Room. In 1938,...

Torrance Elementary School, which opened in 1913, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake. One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with...

Torrance High School, which opened in 1917, was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. Later in 1938, the PWA funded the construction of a new moderne-style auditorium designed by Wesley Eager. The new auditorium would seat more than 700 people. Due to it's large capacity, it would be used by the high school and other community groups for concerts and performances. According to the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Torrance High School, "Until the 1950's, the high school auditorium was the only hall in Torrance with a large enough space and properly...

Torrance High School, which opened in 1917, was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with me...

The Works Progress Administration built the Tourist Building in Grand Rapids MI in 1935. From the GR History website: Tourist Building GRHC – February 29th, 2012 The original tenant of the one story Georgian style building at the west edge of Fulton St. Park, now Veteran’s Park, was the Michigan Tourist and Resort Association, which had maintained it headquarters in Grand Rapids since its founding in 1917. Transcript Have you ever wondered about the origins and purpose of the small building at the west edge of Fulton Street Park? The one-story structure was designed to be in harmony with the park environment, the public library, and other...

The Civil Works Administration funded municipal improvements in Acton ME between 1933 and 1940.  Acton is a rural town (1930 population 449) in York County situated next to the New Hampshire border.   

During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built and improved trails throughout Rocky Mountain National Park, working on such things as rock wall construction and trail alignment.  The CCC was active in the park for the entire life of the program, 1933 to 1942.   The CCC 'boys' built around 100 miles of trails – one-third of the total. It is uncertain exactly which trails the CCC enrollees improved, but "the enrollees were largely the driving force behind creating, maintaining, and reconstructing many popular trails."  (Brock, p 40)   Several trails are included in the National Historic Registry listings for Rocky Mountain...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) created a site within the Tulsa Fairgrounds called the Tulsa Fairgrounds Cafeteria, which was finished during 1938. Currently, the cafeteria still remains standing. It has expanded many times since it was first built. Geographically, the Tulsa Fairgrounds Cafeteria spans just under less than one acre. The architecture of the cafeteria is unique. It was built upon an Art Deco style, and its foundation was brick. It’s a one-story rectangular shaped building that was surrounded by a running bond. The construction of this cafeteria was built to better serve the needs of those who attended the...

The refectory building at the Tulsa Zoological Garden was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935. It was one of many New Deal projects undertaken in Oklahoma that “aimed to improve America’s public lands and parks” and “help lift the country out of the Great Depression.” The former refectory building has gone through many uses at the zoo and has recently been refurbished to serve as a public event space. “Originally designed as a refectory (gathering place to eat) this structure has served many purposes in its 86-year history. Once as a zoo entrance and concession area it also became...

In 1939, the Works Progress Administration (WPA)began improvements at Turtle Creek Park in Dallas TX.  The project was one of many undertaken in the area by the WPA and other New Deal agencies. “Widespread park improvements costing $34,000 have been announced at Dallas, Texas,” a writer for Parks & Recreation reported in January of 1939. “Included in the developments will be a new South Dallas community center, a golf course for Negroes and additional work in Robert E. Lee Park and also on the White Rock beautification program.” Dallas’s Robert E. Lee Park was renamed Turtle Creek Park after a vote by...

Tweedy Elementary School, which opened in 1931, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake. One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with...

Twentieth Street Elementary School, which opened in 1902, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. It does not appear that any PWA buildings survived another round of reconstruction in the 1980s. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake. One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur...

Twenty-Fourth Street Elementary School, which opened in 1904, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. The school appears to have been rebuilt yet again in the 1950s or 60s, although the PWA auditorium may remain—confirmation is needed. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake. One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA...

This oil on canvas by Edward Biberman entitled "Los Angeles - Prehistoric and Spanish Colonial" (1938) was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts at the time of the building's construction. It was removed from the building when the post office moved out in 1965, but was restored in 2003. A second mural by Biberman, "Creative Man" is still in storage.

These cast stone eagle facades decorating the outside of the courthouse were carved by Henry Lion in 1938 with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

Artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright designed a series of tile mosaics for University High School (now University High School Charter) in Los Angeles, CA. The work was funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). The mosaics would "fill lunettes (arched window spaces which have no windows) and will treat of music, art, and literature " (Wells, p. 24). Macdonald-Wright was supervisor for the Southern California division of the FAP from 1935 to 1943. He is considered "an important proponent of the nonrepresentational styles of art on the New Deal projects" (Kalfatovic, p. 370). Macdonald-Wright's other New Deal–funded works in the region include murals at the...

University High School Charter, which opened in 1922, was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. The school's architectural style is distinctive, recalling Spain's Alhambra or the Romanesque of Northern Italy. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Infirmary, which was part of the PWA expansion of the University of Arizona. The structure was completed in May, 1936. The infirmary was remodeled as the Student Health Center in 1964.  

The Publics Works Administration funded the construction of ROTC stables, infirmary, and barracks for the cavalry training program. Interestingly, by the time of completion horses were already practically obsolete within the US military. Within five years, "cavalry" would mean meant tanks, not horses. "The R. O. T. C. Stables was another PWA project, designed by Roy Place and built by the M. M. Sundt Co. It is located on the north side of Warren Avenue, north of the University of Arizona Medical Center, next to the old UA polo field. It was completed in March, 1936. Original cost was $24,342. Later,...

A Women's Club building was added to the campus of the University of Colorado in 1937, paid for by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). "Before the construction of the new women's club, the University of Colorado had no suitable facilities for the holding of social functions by women. The building is two stories in height and contains on the first floor a living room, approximately 40 by 25 feet, a dining room, reception room, manager's office, kitchen, and pantry. The second floor is devoted to bedrooms. Construction is fireproof with a reinforced-concrete frame and floor slabs, exterior walls of native stone, and...