Unknown Sites

When the Civil Works Administration (CWA) was launched in November 1933, the Old Dover Village Cemetery received improvements. According to community notes in the Bangor Daily News, "road grading and widening at the Dover Cemetery, and construction of a new piece of road leading to the Bassett section."

In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to Downey Park (today's Downey Recreation Center) in Los Angeles, CA. The project included improvements to fencing and swimming pool bathhouses, as well as additions to the filter houses. As of 2024, all Recreation Center structures appear to have been replaced. Downey Recreation Center was one of 43 public parks in Los Angeles improved by the WPA under a project approved in February 1936. The others included Jackie Tatum/Harvard Recreation Center, Highland Park Recreation Center, Evergreen Recreation Center, and Algin Sutton Recreation Center.

The public swimming pool at Rafferty Slough in Dubuque, IA was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1937. Measuring 75 x 225 feet, the Dubuque pool was the largest and most expensive of a number of publicly constructed swimming pools in Iowa during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Over the course of its construction, the pool project secured employment for sixty-one laborers. The dedication of the pool culminated a total expenditure of $17,000 by the city of Dubuque with the rest of the funding coming from the WPA. The opening ceremony included public speeches, diving exhibitions, and swimmers performing...

Now (2023) apparently unused, but still owned by Madison (Indiana) Consolidated Schools. Gym was built by WPA in 1938 behind the 1926 Lancaster Township Grade and High School. School was replaced with a new building attached to the gym.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Durant Public School in 1940-42. N. W. Overstreet and Associates designed the Art Moderne school building and  W. E. Rubush of Meridian was the superintendent of construction. The building is 181 feet by 138 feet, with a 2-story central auditorium joining together two single-story wings.  The Durant school system made two applications to the federal government for aid in building a new school.  Public Works Administration application x1330 was returned unfunded due to lack of funds. A Works Progress Administration application was submitted in 1940 and approved for project no. 41133 for an allotment of...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed Oklahoma's Durant State Fish Hatchery, asserted in newspapers to be the largest fish hatchery in the world. A Caddo Herald article cites the fish hatchery as a WPA project being undertaken in Bryan County in Oct. 1936, employing 172 men at an estimated cost of $6,465,40 that month. Work was suspended in Jun. 1937, resumed in Dec. 1937 and was completed in Nov. 1938, with a massive dedication ceremony on Nov. 10, 1938. Leaning on a Legacy: WPA projects both directly and indirectly affected fish and wildlife. More than 300 fish hatcheries were built or enlarged...

Built in 1936, Durkeeville was once public housing -- the second public housing project built in Florida under the federal Public Works Administration. This was listed as 239 living units, one and two story group houses, costing $1,000,000. Durkeeville was razed in September 1997. The Durkeeville historical society building houses the 1936 cornerstone of the original public housing project.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the E. Conway Road in Conway NH. According to Langdonian, the CCC camp newsletter, "On May 23rd 1936 the company moved to its present location near Chatham Center, N.H. The chief project on which the company is employed while at this location is the construction of the Saco River Road between Chatham, N.H. And Jackson, H.H. At the present time three bridges on that road are under construction."

In December 1939 the Eagle Bend School burned down, causing $110,000 in damage and destroying a gymnasium constructed by the Public Works Administration in 1934. While deliberating on new construction on January 31, 1940, the members of the Eagle Bend School Board applied for $52,000 of Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) funding to complete the rebuilding of the school. Blueprints were drawn by architect, E.F. Broomhall from Duluth, MN., and A.C. Dunn was the W.P.A. area engineer. The project employed a variety of local laborers and businesses to supplement W.P.A. labor. Carpenters Gust Berggren and Olof Edmonds received an additional 50-cent per...

"The East Barre Dam was one of four flood damage reduction projects constructed in Vermont by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Construction was overseen by the Corps’ North Atlantic Division. The construction costs of East Barre Dam were not calculated separately because of accounting procedures, but instead lumped together with the construction costs of Waterbury Reservoir, Wrightsville Reservoir, and the Winooski River Local Protection Project. The construction costs of these four projects totaled $13.7 million. Following completion, East Barre Dam was turned over to the State of Vermont for operation and maintenance. The project provides flood protection primarily to...

In 1937, the Federal Art Project (FAP), an agency created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), funded the creation of four 4'x6' mosaic murals by Caspar Duchow at East Whittier Middle School in Whittier, CA. The murals depict and are titled: "Hippos," "Waterfowl," "Tropical Birds," and "Monkey." The murals were originally located in the cafeteria, which today serves as the computer room.

The Public Works Administration financed the construction of the facility with an $8,990,000 grant. Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of three wastewater and sewerage treatment facilities in the Cleveland area. According to a 2015 Pittsburg Post and Gazette article, the system services 1 million people and $3 million was spent to upgrade the facility to double treatment from 200 million to 400 million gallons a day with work completed in 2019. According to NORSD, "he oldest of our facilities, Easterly is located in Cleveland, in the same location where it has stood since 1908. The plant treats wastewater from homes and...

Eastman Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1923, 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...

In 1940, the Works Projects Administration (WPA) began a flood control improvement project on Eaton Wash in Pasadena, CA. The project consisted of procuring and placing brush in existing wire fences, revetement, and incidental work. The work was done from Colorado Blvd to Lower Azusa Rd. This project was part of a broader $60,000 County wide project to improve flood control infrastructure in 1940.

In 1939, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a storm drain at the intersection of Echo Park Ave. and Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, CA. The WPA funded labor, and the city covered equipment, materials, and inspection.

Edison Elementary School was reconstructed with New Deal funding following the devastating 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. Designed by Earle R. Bobbe in WPA/PWA Moderne style, Buildings A and B were completed in 1935. A relief panel, likely executed by a WPA artist, is located over the entrance to the school. “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,...

Artist Lorser Feitelson painted a mural in three panels at Edison Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. He was funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). "The central panel pictures the great inventor and some of his contributions. On the left are Edison's predecessors, Farraday , Henry, and Maxwell, and their original instruments, together with an allegory showing the genii of the new knowledge, aroused to create the electrification of the modern world. On the right are the developments growing out of Edison's electrical improvements and the men who contributed to the conquest of time and space in the long-distance...

The Edmondson Park Swimming Pool and Bathhouse in Oskaloos IA was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1937. It was one of over a dozen public swimming pools constructed in Iowa during the New Deal. The Oskaloosa pool measures 75 x 150 feet and was of “particular pride” to the WPA officials and engineers who designed it. Oskaloosa’s bathhouse was regarded as one of the most beautiful in the state upon its completion. Built out of limestone quarried in Mahaska County IA the 53 x 75 foot structure is set upon a scenic spot in the municipal park. In 2005, the...

The brick and concrete band shell is a concert and public performance stage constructed in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the El Paso International Airport in El Paso TX. The antecedent to the El Paso International Airport, built by the WPA, was the Municipal Airport, established by Standard Airlines. This original airport was established close to the east side of the Franklin Mountains. More than 1000 men worked on landscaping, groundwork, as well as airplane and airport improvements. This original site then became a cement batching plant, and later on it became a US Army training base during WWII. It is important to consider the precedent of the original airport because it gives important historical...

Hugo Ballin painted a mural, "Rudimentary Education," at El Rodeo Elementary School in Beverly Hills, CA. Completed in 1934, the mural was funded by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and—upon termination of the PWAP—the Federal and State Emergency Relief Administrations (FERA/SERA). The mural is oil on plaster and approximately 1500 square feet. "Ballin traced his design on to the wall for assistants to complete and included several symbolic references. Towards the top was the Egyptian figure of Set, inventor of numbers, and below him, Tubal-Cain, the ancient metal worker. In the center was a scene of a teacher...

In 1936-37, a gym and seven classroom bungalows were built at El Sereno Middle School (formerly Woodrow Wilson High School) in Los Angeles, CA with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). They were built by contractors Brunzell & Jacobson for $81,955. The gym is extant as the school's "small gym"; a few of the classroom bungalows appear to survive in the northwest corner of campus, but confirmation is needed. 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...

In October 1936 -- two years after the First Lady visited Puerto Rico to assess social and economic conditions -- it was announced that the New Deal’s Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) was taking bids for the construction of the Eleanor Roosevelt housing development.  We don’t know which firm won the bid, but by 1939 about 472 homes were completed and about 1,500 more were planned.  The Eleanor Roosevelt neighborhood still exists today – it is a subbarrio of Hato Rey Norte, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico had been plagued by hurricanes, poverty, sub-standard housing, and a lack of...

Public Works Administration (PWA) 1203 approved a loan of $66,000 and grant of $54,000 for a new electric power plant. The project was approved 11/14/1935. Construction began 10/10/1938 and was completed 10/4/1939. The delay between approval and construction was due to the Mississippi Power Company attempting to prevent Aberdeen from securing the money from PWA to construct the plant and connect with Tennessee Valley Authority's power lines. It was dismissed in lower court and then upheld in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in April 1938. By July 1938, Aberdeen City Council offered Mississippi Power $60,000 to purchase their existing...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) allotted $128,138 toward construction of a new elementary school. R. W. Naef was the architect for the two-story brick 1941 International style building. W. T. Beckelheimer was the superintendent of construction. An auditorium was added to the building in 1956. District Manager for WPA office announced the building would be ready for occupancy in fall of 1941. The building remains in use.

The one-story Colonial Revival brick building was constructed by a $14,318 grant from Public Works Administration approved 9/26/1938. Construction began 12/19/1938 and was completed 7/29/1939 for a total cost of $31,585. Edgar Lucian Malvaney designed the building and it was constructed by Flint-Jordan Construction Company. It remains in use as a school. Replacement doors and windows have been installed, but the interior retains its floor plan.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) project No. 41,290 for construction of a school building at Redwood community was approved for $26,406. The Redwood History page reported the "final school" was constructed on a 10-acre plot. While it was being finished, it was hit by a tornado in 1941 and more than half of the classrooms were damaged. The opening of the school was delayed until 1942 when it could be completed. The building is still extant, though renovations and additions over the years have changed the appearance. It now serves elementary children.

Public Works Administration project 4726 for an elementary school building was approved 3/21/1934 for a $20,000 loan and $8,232 grant. Construction began 6/18/1934 and was completed 5/29/1935. The Colonial Revival style building was designed by Edgar Lucian Malvaney and constructed by Currie and Corley. The former school was listed as a Mississippi Landmark and the Lawrence County Historical Society began work toward restoration and renewed use of the building.

The Works Progress Administration built the Ellis County Courthouse in Hays KS. The Moderne courthouse is constructed of yellow brick. The courthouse is still in use. Mann & Co. was the architect of record. 

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the Ellis Kinney Swimming Pool in Pratt, Kansas. However, the original pool was demolished in September of 2022. It has been replaced by a new pool funded by a private donor.

In March 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out improvements to the playground at Emery Park Elementary School in Alhambra, CA. The work consisted of grading approximately 6,000 square yards and paving.

Enslen Elementary School in Modesto, California apparently gained a new building in 1935 with aid from the New Deal.  That aid may have come as Public Works Administration (PWA) funding or relief work by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The original school building is a long, single-story structure with red-tile roof (Mission Style) and ample window openings onto classrooms.  It is a close (identical?) match to the Wilson Elementary School in Modesto. We have a photograph from the National Archives and Records Administration of an unidentified school building in Modesto that matches the basic lines of the Enslen and Wilson schools. Further information...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) funded the Ephraim Fire House in Ephraim WI in 1935. Unusual fire house built into a cliff. Architect was William Bernhard, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Now a museum and a memorial to fall firemen and women. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, "The Ephraim Engine House was constructed of local limestone in 1935 following a design by prominent local architect William Bernhard. Construction of the building relied on funds provided by FERA. As such, although Bernhard drew the plans for the structure in 1934, construction did not begin until April of 1935, when FERA funds...

Estrada Courts was one of the developments in Los Angeles, CA completed under the city’s New Deal–era public housing program. In 1941-43, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) constructed 10 public housing developments for $16 million, funded 10% by city bonds and 90% by federal loans from the United States Housing Authority (USHA). Located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, Estrada Courts was completed in 1942.  Estrada Courts consisted of 31 frame buildings with lawn and recreational areas. Over 150 homes were expropriated and demolished as part of a “slum clearance" project to make way for the housing development. In...

The main building at Euclid Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA was remodeled with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1936-37. It was designed by architect Elmer Grey and built by contractor Charles J. Dorfman for $49,900. The two-story, PWA Moderne structure—featuring Mission Revival elements including arched doorways and a tile roof—is extant on Albertine St. 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...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built. the Eureka Fishing Lake in 1938.

The Industrial Arts (Education) building at Eureka High School was funded in part by the Public Works Administration (PWA).  PWA provided 45% of the money for a set of construction projects by the Eureka Public School District, including this building. A school bond measure provided the balance of the funds. The funding was apparently secured in late 1938, the structure erected in 1939 and the official opening took place with little fanfare in early 1940. The style of the two-story building is Streamline Moderne, with a curved wall made of glass bricks to the left of the entrance and streamline horizontal bars...

At Evans Park, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped the City of Reno build a circular cement wading pool, fifty feet in diameter. A sprinkling system was installed and gravel walks laid out. Today, the park, which sits just to the south of the University of Nevada, Reno is a grassy area with horseshoe pits. Students are found there enjoying the space.

A classroom building was constructed at Evergreen Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1936. Designed by architectural firm Rea & Garstang and built by contractor Harvey A. Nichols for $45,821, the single-story PWA Moderne structure is extant at the corner of N Evergreen Ave and Ganahl St. 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)...

In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) rebuilt the baseball bleachers at Evergreen Recreation Center in Los Angeles, CA. As of 2025, the baseball diamonds survive, although the bleachers have likely been replaced. Evergreen was one of 43 public parks in Los Angeles improved by the WPA under a project approved in February 1936. The others included Jackie Tatum/Harvard Recreation Center, Highland Park Recreation Center, Algin Sutton Recreation Center, and Downey Recreation Center.