Marked Sites

This bathhouse was built by the WPA in the 1939. It still stands today along the shore of LaBolt Lake, in Grant County, South Dakota. Much of it is in disrepair but it still stands as a nice tourist attraction. It is still used as a very rustic changing facility. The changing rooms have no roof and no door so discretion is a valor when using the facility.

The addition to the existing 1849 courthouse was accomplished with an almost seamless continuation of the style of the original.  The dental work below the eaves and over-all style was duplicated.  This was important to the townspeople because of its historic nature.  In the photo of the original courthouse, a cannonball from the Civil War Battle of Lexington remains embedded in the top of the pillar on the left.

Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (later renamed PWA), Project No. ILL. 1306-R. Constructed in 1936.

A statue of the Marquis de LaFayette in Revolutionary War uniform constructed of concrete by sculptor Arnold Foerster was installed and dedicated in 1937. His other known work is his collaboration on the astronomers monument at Griffith Observatory.

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed this bath house in 1941-1942. Located at Lake Carlos, the facility includes a concession area, restrooms, and storage. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with other 4 structures, in 1987. A 1992 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form describes the formal characteristics of the Bath House: “The Bath House is a standard design utilized in many state parks with overall dimensions of 82'2" x 22'6". It consists of a split stone gable roofed central section containing a concession, restrooms, and storage areas flanked on either side by loggias which allow circulation through the building....

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the club house at the Lake Chabot Municipal Golf Course in 1939-40, in conjunction with the City of Oakland Parks Department. The Mission Revival style building is still intact, including most of the interior.  It has a lovely main hall with a bar and behind that, the Chabot Cafe.  The entrance hall has a closed-off fireplace and original tile work.  In front, there is a Mission-style breezeway with tiled floor. Decorative stone walls line the road, both entry paths, and the practice putting green next to the clubhouse. In 1939, the WPA was brought under the umbrella...

The Lake County Museum was completed by the WPA in 1936. It now serves as the Lake County Law Library.

Built in 1936, the brick structure appears to be the only extant WPA building in Roseville, MN. The address is 211 McCarrons Blvd N, Roseville, MN. The building predates the city. The structure is in good shape, and renovations have been done in such a way as to preserve the original building.

From the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department: “Nestled in the scenic Turtle Mountains on the shores of Lake Metigoshe, Lake Metigoshe State Park was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s and is one of the most popular year-round vacation spots in North Dakota.” The site continues: Several ND state parks have infrastructure within them that were built as a result of the New Deal programs, including Lake Metigoshe State Park. The first 10 workers to show up to build this camp complex started in August 1934. By October, there were 50 men working onsite. Those workers were quartered...

This water retention dam and lake was constructed by the WPA in 1937. It was was justified as being for potential needs in a drought, but which primarily served as a place for water recreation for African American families in the Kansas City area. At the time, there was very limited opportunity for outdoor recreation for blacks in Kansas City, essentially being a small section of Swope Park nicknamed "watermelon hill." The surrounding land was privately owned by some of the wealthier black families in the Kansas City area.

In 1922, due to increasing numbers of students, the Lake Placid school district constructed a large brick high school at the south end of the current middle high school. It was modern and fireproof, sitting on the hill overlooking athletic fields and Main street. In November 1933, again due to increasing numbers of pupils, the community members voted to increase the school size by building two more sections. The original brick building was incorporated as the south end of the newly completed high school, now having three main sections, all finished with a Palladian neoclassical façade. A plaque indicating that...

The Wikipedia page for Lake Shetek State Park, indicates that both the FERA and the WPA played instrumental roles in the early development of the park, including roads, sewers, and the construction of several structures, some of which are still in the park today. From the Murray County website: Much of the early development and construction of park facilities was done by Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers. The workers were part of a WPA Camp which was located on Keeley Island, across the lake to the west, from 1934 to 1940. The camp employed 200 transient and homeless men. Initially operated...

This steel and concrete bridge was constructed in 1937 through the Public Works Administration (PWA) for a cost of $108,729.44 (PWA grant, $10,636.00; Federal-State Highway Funds, $32,593.44; City of Reno, $65,500.00).

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Lakeview Road Bridge in Stillwater OK. From waymarking.com: "The WPA constructed large amounts of roadway infrastructure during the last half of the 1930's, including thousands of bridges and culverts. This bridge on West Lakeview Road, about 5 miles west of Stillwater, crosses Dry Creek. The bridge has seen a lot of wear and tear and the concrete guardrails are broken in several places, with sections missing. The bridge on both sides of the road has imprints of the WPA shield with the year 1939, and one place on a guardrail pillar, there is evidence that...

The Lakeview Station post office was constructed by the Treasury sometime between 1933-1937. The date on the cornerstone is too worn to read, but Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (whose name does appear on the cornerstone) was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by FDR in 1933, and a New Deal mural was installed in the building in 1937.

The state historical marker at the site reads: By the 1920s, Dawson County’s rapidly expanding cotton economy was outgrowing its labor supply. Like other areas of the country, Lamesa began to rely on migrant laborers from Mexico to increase the available pool of seasonal workers. One effort to federally regulate migrant labor was the creation of farm labor communities to ensure a dependable source of labor for farmers and to provide safe and sanitary living facilities for migrant workers and their families. The Lamesa Farm Workers Community, present day Los Ybanez, operated from 1942 until 1980. In 1941, the Farm Security Administration...

In the 1936-37, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) build the stone observatory (later visitor's center) at Land's End on the western tip of Grand Mesa. It was built in the Rustic Style popular in the early 20th century, of heavy basalt stone from the mesa and rough timbers. Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, around 500 square miles in area and 10,500 high.  It is entirely within the Grand Mesa National Forest. The observatory was shuttered when we visited, but not permanently closed, we hope.

The Land's End road up the western end of Grand Mesa was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933-34.  The main builders were 200 veterans enrolled in the CCC, who worked out of a CCC seasonal tent camp at the foot of the mountain; so, the project was long known as "the Veterans' Road". The road climbs up 9 miles up switchbacks to the rim of the mesa.  The hardest section, from Wild Road picnic area to the top, was completed by U.S. Forest Service employees in 1934-35. The road is still in use.

Merchant Joseph Landa purchased the property that bears his name in 1859 to build gristmills powered by water from the Comal River. During the 1890s, the Landa property became known as Landa's Pasture and was a popular picnic spot. Landa's Park was established by Joseph's son, Harry Landa, in 1898. Excursion trains from San Antonio and Austin brought tourists to Landa's Park, which was hailed as one of the most popular resorts in the Southwest. In 1927, Harry Landa, sold the property to Jarrett Investment Company, which operated the park until it defaulted on its loan due to financial losses...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an addition to the Langston Elementary School in Langston OK. The structure is currently not in use. 

The Langston Terrace Dwellings, a large-scale public housing project, was built under the New Deal from 1935 to 1938.  It was the first U.S. Government-funded public housing project in Washington DC and only the second in the nation.  Initial funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); later the U.S. Housing Authority stepped in to complete the job. The International Style complex was designed by prominent African-American architect Hilyard Robinson, a native Washingtonian. With its handsome art and style, it embodied Robinson's belief in the ability of fine buildings and art to inspire and uplift residents. Construction began in 1935, with African...

The Works Progress Administration built the Latimer County Courthouse in Wilburton. Contributor note: "The Latimer County Courthouse is located at the intersection of N. Central and W. Ada. This is a beautiful two-story rock building that is painted a cream color. The gutters and downspouts are painted in a contrasting terracotta color which adds to the effect. The windows for the most part are 8-pane fixed units. There are recessed double-door entrances on the south and east. The courthouse has three bays with the center bay slightly projected on the east, and having a higher roof line. To the left of the...

Architects P. J. Krouse and L. L. Brasfield substantially redesigned the historic Lauderdale County courthouse, a 1905 Beaux Arts building originally designed by Krouse, and "transformed into an Art Deco structure" (Ford, 2004). The traditional features, including a dome, cupola, and classic portico were removed and additions of a 3-story setback tower with curved walls enhanced both space and architectural design. The Public Works Administration provided a grant of $127,147 and the county issued a $140,000 bond to fund the project as Mississippi W 1182. It was completed December 4, 1939.

Ripley, Tennessee's historic Lauderdale County Courthouse was constructed during the Great Depression with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The buff-colored Moderne courthouse was the fourth constructed for Lauderdale County, and the first of their PWA courthouses for architects Marr and Holman.

Lauderdale Courts was one of the first public housing projects undertaken under the New Deal, and one of the few housing developments originated under the New Deal that is still standing. The Market Street slums were cleared in order to build the apartments near downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The one, two, and three story group homes contained 66 buildings, 449 units, and held one-through-five-bedroom apartments. The project was one architecturally designed to "promote a sense of community" through a central mall/courtyard which connected apartments to the open shared space. One of the most famous tenants was Elvis Presley, who lived there from...

Set back from Main Street (US 25) this building is a former school with a historical marker in front indicating it was the site of the 1826 Laurel Seminary which opened in 1858. Became a Common School 1870-1884, private to 1893, common public school before the original building was replaced with the existing building. (Historic name undetermined)

The Laurel Homes Historic District is an example of a project completed from the Federal Housing Act. They were built in 1933 and were one of the first examples of  integrated housing in the United States. They were the second largest PWA housing project in the United States. As of today only three of the original buildings remain as the rest were razed.

Located in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, downriver from the French Quarter, Lautenschlaeger Market was constructed in 1901 as a public open air market. In the late 1930s, the City of New Orleans owned 19 public markets, many of which had fallen into disrepair and were threatened by demolition. The city turned to the WPA, which financed the improvement of eight of them under the Market Rehabilitation program, spearheaded by Mayor Robert Maestri. Maestri, a New Dealer elected to office in 1936, used work relief programs, according to historian Anthony J. Stanonis, “to change the physical appearance of the cityscape as...

The federal WPA (Works Progress Administration) constructed a lava stone curb wall along Ali'i Drive in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii during the Great Depression. The wall, located 6386 Ali'i Drive, bears a WPA plaque.

The first school in the community of Lavon was a two-story brick building. In 1910, the Little Creek school, which was organized in 1885, closed and transferred to the Lavon School District No. 135. Between 1938 and 1940, the school building for the Lavon Independent School District was built through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt with the passage of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, the WPA was to be an extension of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration Work Program which funded projects at the state and local level. The goal of the program...

This stately 2 story addition to the existing high school, dating to 1921, consists predominately of the gymnasium and auditorium. The front brick façade is accentuated by crenelations at the top of the front wall and the style of the concrete surrounding the entrance. A native rock wall is adjacent to the sidewalk in front of the building, potentially a WPA project. (The Daily Journal lists it as a WPA project, but local papers have been incorrect about this information in the past.)

The Works Progress Administration built the Lee Park in Cordell OK. Contributor note: "Lee Park lies between 2nd and 3rd Streets, and between Glenn L. England (Highway 183) and Cordell Avenue. An extension north of 3rd Street also contains basketball court and skate park, as well as some playground equipment and an old hut. This park was a WPA project in 1940 and contains numerous rock structures, such as two bridges, drinking fountains, fire pits, drainage ditches and walkway curbing, as well as a rock hut. Over the years, items have been added, such as volleyball court and a nice Kiwanis sponsored playground. The...

Lehman Caves National Monument was established in 1922 and put under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service in 1933. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) came to Lehman Caves National Monument and set up a side camp in 1934.  (The main camp was at Berry Creek, northeast of Ely) The CCC enrollees made improvements to the national monument, including the  water supply, trails, the first campground and parking at the visitor center.   The biggest CCC project was helping the National Park Service drill a new access tunnel into the Lehman Caves, the main attraction at the park.  The tunnel was done...

The Leland Elementary School was designed by N. W. Overstreet and A. H. Town, and was constructed in 1935 as part of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (later renamed the PWA). The building complex illustrates the simplicity of the Modern movement that evolved during the Great Depression.

Volume II of a 1978 report entitled 100 Courthouses, A Report on North Carolina Judicial Facilities states the county sold bonds to build a new court house in 1939, but that the construction was "under the guidance of the Federal Works Administration." According to the report, the architects, A. Mitchell Wooten and John J. Rowland, designed a "rare and important example of the sleek modern style."

The CCC assisted in the development of this state forest.

The Leslie L. Diehl Band Shell was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Dayton OH.

"One of a pair of murals at the Lester McCoy Pavilion at Ala Mona Regional Park. A Works Progress Administration art project, done in the Art Deco style. It depicts various aspects of makahiki (harvest festival), imagined as taking place in the vicinity of what is now know as Ala Mona Park, makahiki pa'ani ho'oikaika (annual sports tournaments) are emphasized. This mural shows ali'i (chiefs) guided by the spirit of Lono (one of the four major Hawaiian gods, associated with peace and fertility) being presented with ho'okupu (tribute). In the distance kahuna (priests) guard the kapa (bark cloth) double banner...

Hohenwald, Tennessee's historic Lewis County Courthouse was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Constructed in PWA Moderne style, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1940, the Public Works Administration (PWA) financed this three-story brick building as a dormitory to house female students at Lincoln University. It is named after Libby Anthony, a “matron” of girls and an instructor in the department of domestic economy.