Unknown Sites

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.

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...

Garvanza Elementary School, which opened in 1899, 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 me...

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—was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. Having originally opened in 1904, the school was renamed in 1943 "to foster racial harmony." Some PWA buildings appear to have survived subsequent reconstruction, but 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...

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, which opened in 1927, 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...

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...

Artist Barse Miller painted a set of four frescoes at George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles, CA. The frescoes—located over four entrances, including that to the auditorium—were funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). Barse Miller was a teacher at The ArtCenter School in Los Angeles. His other New Deal–funded works in the region include a mural, “People of Burbank” (1940), at the Downtown Station Post Office in Burbank, CA.

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...

Glassell Park Elementary School (today a STEAM Magnet), which opened in 1912, 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 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.

As park of extensive improvements around Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a clubhouse for the San Francisco Model Yacht Club, the members of which sail their elaborate model boats on Spreckels Lake across the road. The WPA report of 1939 included this description: "...a small club house with rest rooms, lockers, storage and repair room for toy boats at Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park. The club house is placed in a picturesque setting and affords a delightful resting place for women and children. The club has stimulated great interest in the sport among...

The Gorman School was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939.  The Mission Revival style design (red tile roof, beige stucco) was common for New Deal buildings in California.  The stone retaining wall and sidewalk are probably WPA, as well. The original school building had only two classrooms, but a new building has been added to the south.  The old building has changed very little in appearance. The school sits in a relatively isolated spot, as Gorman is a dispersed, mountainous rural area near Fort Tejon along Interstate 5.   It is still in use as an elementary school.

Governor Wentworth Historic Site is a 96-acre (0.39 km2) protected area in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. The undeveloped property features a plaque and the stone remains of an extensive northern plantation built just before the outbreak of the American Revolution by New Hampshire's second Royal Governor, John Wentworth. The mansion burned to the ground in 1820. The CCC 117th COMPANY S-53 out of Tamworth NH were involved in the remodeling of a cottage and garage.

Graham Elementary School, which opened in 1924, 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 me...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park occupies large areas of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. The park’s creation was a decades-long process, including advocacy in the late 19th century; legislation signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926; and donations and land acquisitions from small donors, the governments of North Carolina and Tennessee, and charitable organizations, such as the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund. Once the park’s existence was firmly established, funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) and labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made it both accessible and accommodating to the public. President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the park on...

The Greensboro Country Park in Greensboro NC is the city's oldest recreational park. It was built by the Public Works Administration in 1934. The Guilford Courthouse National Military Park was also developed and transferred to NPS in 1933 with a new museum (1937; longer standing) and museum exhibits by the Works Progress Administration and tour road construction by Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed three camps at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, CA, where they were stationed to carry out extensive improvements. The three camps, journalist Carren Jao writes, were "SP-13, which eventually was never used; SP-21, more commonly known as Camp Griffith Park and was visited by President and First Lady Roosevelt; and SP-40, which would eventually be occupied by Travel Town. All three sites would disappear from the park. The first was destroyed by fire of October 3, 1933. The latter two were dismantled as soon as CCC work in Griffith Park was deemed complete or near...

Gulf 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...

The Civil Works Administration funded improvements at the Industrial Home School for Colored Children, between 1933-1934. The structure appears to be today’s Guy Manson Recreation Center, but very little remains (see here and here). “Through Civil Works Administration assignment, some much needed work was done. The interiors of the cottages and administration building were painted and considerable flooring replaced. Some concrete walks were laid. A new cow shed was erected adjacent to the barn and extensive excavation for the replacement of the 6-inch water main was made.”

The gymnasium was constructed 1938-1939 as Public Works Administration project W1232. Architect E. L. Malvaney designed the gymnasium with a seating capacity of 1000, offices for athletic officials, dressing rooms, and a band hall on the second floor. It was converted to use as the Girls' gymnasium when a new one was constructed 1946 for boys. A grant of $16,930 was provided toward the total cost of $37,827. The project was approved 6/22/38, started 9/33/38, and completed 4/17/39. The building was demolished July 2019.

Details were completed in August 1936 for construction of a modern gymnasium for the Kingston High School in Adams County. The building was concrete blocks and 70 feet x 120 feet, constructed by the Works Progress Administration. Kingston was a rural community in the Natchez vicinity, and "badly in need of gymnasiums" (Gymnasium work, 1936, p. 2). The new gymnasium constructed by a WPA crew was "strictly modern and up-to-date" (Gymnasium work, p. 2). The school burned October 2016 and no buildings are extant.

Peter Kostrometinoff was the supervisor of construction for the new Sitka gymnasium and Ross Gridley was the state Public Works Administration (PWA) inspector engineer for project W1004. The community was awarded a $12,500 grant towards the $27,000 cost approved 10/20/1936. Construction began 2/25/1937 and was completed 9/2/1937 for a total cost of $29,179. Peterman Construction Company of Juneau won the contract for the new gymnasium with a bid of $28,200. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Sitka also received a loan of $14,850 toward the gymnasium, but that does not appear in the official PWA report. The current status and exact...

L. L. Burnsed, supervisor for project, announced the new Tunica High School gymnasium would begin construction in November 1940. Tunica County issues bonds for $35,000 and the Works Progress Administration allotted funds for the remainder of the cost. Constructed of concrete with brick veneer, the gymnasium cost $46,000. Hull and Drummond were architects for the one story, brick Classical Revival building with a pedimented tetrastyle portico.

Works Project Administration project No. 50,348 was approved to construct a gymnasium for the Tutwiler school. The first news item reported $20,690, scheduled to begin May 12, 1940 and employ an average of 60 workers for six months. The announcement releasing the funds following approval showed $10, 768. The Art Moderne concrete gymnasium served 196 students when constructed. When the Tutwiler school closed, the gymnasium was bought by the Baptist Church. It was demolished in January 2018 when the church could no longer afford the upkeep.

The WPA project for the gymnasium/band building for Tylertown High School was approved January 1939 and construction began in February. The monolithic concrete gym was proposed for 120 x 110 feet, with a playing floor of 80 x 50. Each side held bleachers with locker and dressing rooms underneath. The band room was proposed for 40 x 22 and could be converted into a stage by removal of a partition. The use as an auditorium would enable capacity for about two thousand people.

Details were completed for construction of a modern gymnasium building at Washington High School. It was constructed of concrete blocks, with a size of 70 feet x 120 feet. It was constructed under the Works Progress Administration with a "large crew of workmen given employment" and were billed as "strictly modern and up-to-date" (Gymnasium work, 1936, p. 2). At completion, a "gala celebration" was planned. The gymnasium was slated for completion for the fall start of school. The school is still extant, but the gymnasium appears in maps to have been demolished.

The Nailor High School was initially known as the Cleveland Consolidated School for African American students. It was designed by architect E. L. Malvaney and approved as WPA No. 50,022 in the fall of 1940. The monolithic concrete building contained two wings of classrooms connected by an auditorium seating 400, with a proposed cost of $63,000. WPA approved $25,394 toward the cost of the new school. "Nailor's poured concrete construction and Art Moderne style is almost unique for black schools of the same period and would have made it one of the finest African American school buildings of its time"...

The Civil Works Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) funded improvements at the Happy Hollow Playground in Washington DC. A wading pool was installed. In 1934-1935, FERA, “esurfaced one tennis court; painted house.”

The National Youth Administration provided labor to beautify the park for African Americans in Belton in 1938. They constructed a native rock speaker stand and four picnic tables with benches. Twenty-three youth, including both White and African American, were employed on the work. The entrance gate was also made of natural rock, and a the park was surround by a low fence. Five natural rock flower beds were constructed. The speakers stand held a plaque indicating construction by the NYA. The park is located between N. Smith and N. Alexander streets north of the Harris Community Center (former school).

Sometimes misattributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Bethany, Missouri's Harrison County Courthouse and jail was enabled by the provision of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The stately Art Deco project was authorized in an election in 1938 as a bond issue in conjunction with PWA grant. The cornerstone for the building was laid on Aug. 14, 1939; it was placed on the south façade of the building, at the southeast corner. The building was completed and opened in 1940. A humorous story from the courthouse's construction comes from the St. Joseph News-Press: QUESTION OF SPELLING IS ISSUE AT BETHANY BETHANY, Mo., Jan...

Hart Park in Orange, California, was created in the 1930s by the City of Orange with the help of the State Emergency Relief Agency (SERA) and the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). Orange City Park was the town’s first park. In 1935, a proposal was submitted for funding to build Orange City Park with $30,963 from the WPA for relief labor and $12,362 in local funds for materials, employing 66 men for 11 months. The proposal was approved in early 1936 and the work probably continued for the next two years, given the extensive improvements made. This was part...