Marked Sites

In 1942, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed work on a National Guard armory designed by Edd Gregg for Williamsburg. The building is a 2-story poured concrete building with a modern deco style. From the Kentucky National Guard History eMuseum: The first armory was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1942, and was located close to downtown on Bridge Street. The old Williamsburg Armory was designed by Louisville architect Edd R. Gregg, who designed six other armories in Kentucky in the same style. The armory is a two-story poured concrete building with attached maintenance garage/drill hall. Currently, the old armory is...

The modern campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was established at Bethesda MD during the New Deal.  It included the first laboratory of the newly-created National Cancer Institute, as well (the NCI came under the NIH in 1944). The NIH is the leading medical science agency of the United States, performing its own research and funding research at universities and hospitals around the country. The NIH was launched in 1930 as a reorganization and enhancement of government-funded medical research efforts that date back to 1887. NIH’s original location (1930-1938) was at 25th and E streets NW, Washington DC.   In...

Richard Ayer create two artworks on the third floor of the visitors center (former Aquatic Park bathhouse) at the Maritime National Historical Park in San Francisco, California.  One is a bas relief "Nautical Abstractions" is composed of paint on plaster with embedded rope and piping.  The other is a mural, "Tugboats". Both pieces were completed in 1939 with the help of Federal Art Project (FAP) funds.

The Blue Room is one of the original dining areas in the San Francisco Aquatic Park bathhouse,  constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The building is now the visitors center for the National Maritime Historical Park. The building architects were William Mooser Jr and William Mooser III. The painting and murals were paid for by the Federal Art Project (FAP) and done under the supervision of Hilaire Hiler, lead artist for the entire building's artworks. Original drawings refer to this circular room on the eastern side of the second level as “restaurant.” There is no known record as to how it...

Beniamino Bufano's brown granite sculptures of a seal and a frog were completed in 1942 with the help of Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. They sit  on the bayside exterior porch of the visitors center.

Hilaire Hiler created the massive 10' x 100' mural entitled "Lost Continents of Atlantis and Mu" that covers all four walls of the main entrance hall at the visitors center of the National Maritime Historical Park.  It is a fantastic representation of sea life that captures the imagination of visitors to this day. The method of painting was  "wax-emulsion variation of the Gambier-Parry spirit fresco process."   To save time Hiler began the work on canvas and carried it as far as possible before installation on the lobby walls.  Hiler was assisted by artists Lawrence Holmberg, Richard Ayer and Thomas Dowley. The...

The oil-on-plaster "Prismatarium" mural at the National Maritime Historical Park visitors center was designed by Hilaire Hiler to give "striking demonstrations on the relationship of color and light." It represents Hiler's fascination with color and his idea that he had found the perfect color palette. It covers the walls and ceiling of a circular room on the west side of the building. Originally, the light fixture revolved. Several other artists worked under Hiler on this mural, which was completed in 1939 and paid for by Federal Art Project (FAP) funds.  This and other murals in the building have been restored by the National...

African American sculptor Sargent Johnson created a 30 x 14 foot frieze of incised green slate on the exterior of the entrance to the visitor's center of the National Maritime Historical Park in San Francisco, California.     The work, "Sea Form Marquee," was completed in 1939 and paid for by the Federal Art Project (FAP).   Johnson also created a 3′ x 5′ ceramic lintel bas relief on the 4th floor, above the door to the "Radio Room."   The building was built as the bathhouse of the San Francisco Aquatic Park, built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936-39.

A huge 14' x 125' glazed tile mural, "Sea Forms," was created by African American sculptor Sargent Johnson in 1939-40 for the bathhouse of the former San Francisco Aquatic Park, built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).  It was funded by the Federal Art Project (FAP). It sits on the bayside balcony/terrace of what is now the visitors center for the National Maritime Historical Park. The mural is partially incomplete because Johnson and other artist's walked off the job in protest against the city's plans to install a private restaurant in a public building.  

Charles Nunemaker painted a 6' x 32' oil-on-canvas mural called "Sepia Seascape" for the women's bathroom on the second floor of the visitors center  at the Maritime National Historical Park in San Francisco, California.    The mural was completed in 1940 with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds.   The San Francisco Aquatic Park was originally created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), 1936-39.

William Zorach was commissioned by the New Deal’s Treasury Section of Fine Arts to create the statue “Benjamin Franklin.” The statue was made out of marble, and Zorach was paid $8,000 for the job. This artwork was created for the headquarters of the U.S. Post Office Department—today’s Clinton Federal Building—and now resides in the National Postal Museum (and the museum itself served as the main post office—not to be confused with the headquarters building—for Washington, DC from 1914-1986). The Treasury Section of Fine Arts existed from 1934 to 1943. It was initially called the “Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture”; then...

National Youth Administration constructed a vocational building that was used for youth education. The structure was completed in 1938.

Two one-foot square cast-aluminum plates, depicting the  "Pied Piper of Hamelin," were produced by Domenico Mortellito in 1936 and installed in the Small Mammal House at the National Zoo. These pieces were commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP), which gave work to unemployed artists in the Depression.

Heinz Warneke created a red granite sculpture for the National Zoo, entitled "Tumbling Bears," in 1938.  It sits at the bottom of a hill near the Large Cat area.  A plaque on the sculpture calls it Tumbling Bears, but it is also known as the "Wrestling Bear Cubs" and "Wrestling Bears." Though the date at the base of the sculpture reads "1935," it seems that this work was not finished until 1938.  The Evening Star (1938) reported that the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture submitted to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts "a sculptural group by Heinz Warneke of East Haddam,...

From the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County description plaque: "Los Angeles planners wanted to visualize the city center to improve roads, bridges, tunnels, and other public works. Sponsored by the Works Progress Administration, a team of City Planning Department model makers, draftsmen and architects surveyed downtown Los Angeles between 1938 and 1940 and built a model of which this is just a small part. Much has changed, but you can spot Union Station, City Hall and the old Plaza."

Navajo Lake in Kane County, UT is a natural lake formed by a prehistoric lava flow.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) added a dike to raise the lake level and extend the recreational boating, swimming and fishing season.  This is one of several projects undertaken by the CCC in Dixie National Forest during the 1930s, under the supervision of the US Forest Service.

An amphitheater type football stadium was constructed in 1934 using WPA funds. The stadium was designed by City Manager, R.J. Brule and the field was named in his honor. Mr. Brule is remembered today as being a resourceful manager who used available resources to make what the city needed. He negotiated several beneficial WPA grants for the City of Navasota. Brule Field was used by the high school team until 2006 when a new, modern facility opened. Today Navasota Intermediate School uses the facility for their games. Note: All available records list completion date as 1934 and agency as WPA, but the...

Nazareth Boro Park (also spelled Nazareth Borough Park) was begun in 1935 as a WPA project. Stone walls, a foot bridge, and an automobile bridge were among the features constructed. By 1937, a bathhouse and an 18,500 square foot swimming pool had been constructed. The pool was replaced in 2015 due to structural damage. The bridges and stone walls and entrance to the park remain. The automobile bridge has WPA 1939 chiseled into the rock.

Referred to as either Necarney Creek or Sam Reed Bridge, this bridge was a critical part of the completion of the Neahkahnie Road section of Highway 101, As described on a Oregon Department of Transportation plaque at the Neahkahnie Mountain Viewpoint of Highway 101: ". . . this is one of Oregon's first bridges to be constructed with steel girders and towers. The 602-foot deck, with gothic arch balustrades railings, rises 90 feet above Necarney Creek in a broad sweeping curve." Locally known as the Sam Reed bridge, the name honors an individual active in the area's promotion. Samuel Reed developed the town...

Completed in 1939, the biggest bridge on what was then the newly constructed Wolf Creek Highway (now the Sunset Highway) spans the 600-foot-deep Nehalem River gorge. It eliminated a three-mile detour on this major highway between Portland and the northern Oregon coast. The concrete arch bridge cost $130,000 and was built in a cooperative effort between the US Bureau of Public Roads and the Oregon State Highway Commission. Mountain States Construction Company, a Eugene firm, built the bridge.

The Works Progress Administration built the Ness City Public Library in Ness City KS. This building originally housed the Ness City Fire Department, the Ness City city office, and the Ness City Public Library. It now is the location of the Ness City Public Library only. The city office and the fire department have moved to other locations. 

"Originally constructed in 1867, the courthouse underwent expansion and renovation in 1900. It was drastically remodeled in 1936-37 by architect George Sellon, resulting in the existing WPA Moderne structure. An annex was constructed in the mid-1960s."    

The New Jersey National Guard Armory located near McGinley Square in Jersey City, New Jersey, was constructed during the Great Depression with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building is still in use and also serves as a recreational facility. "This armory provides quarters for one battalion of infantry, one battalion of engineers, two medical units, and one division of the naval militia. The large drill hall is on the street level and has banks of seats on two sides. Under these seats are eight company rooms and equipment storage rooms, and on two mezzanine floors are four more company...

Originally a school, present (February 2023) status is not indicated, possibly a community center. Building is identical to the present Marysville Community Center, also in Oregon Township, Clark County.

New Mexico School of Mines is now known as New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. "Like many institutions of higher learning in New Mexico, the New Mexico School of Mines, as NMIMT was known then, took advantage of the New Deal federal assistance programs (PWA and WPA) to add new buildings and remodel existing buildings on campus. One of the new buildings from that period, Fitch Hall, is a two and one-half story, masonry and stucco, California Mission Revival style building which was completed in 1937. It has been placed on the New Mexico State Register of Historic Buildings, #1461...

The Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works funded the construction of the Assay Laboratory in Socorro NM in 1939. New Mexico School of Mines is now known as New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the remodeling of Brown Hall at the New Mexico School of Mines in Socorro NM. "Like many institutions of higher learning in New Mexico, the New Mexico School of Mines, as NMIMT was known then, took advantage of the New Deal federal assistance programs (PWA and WPA) to add new buildings and remodel existing buildings on campus. One of the new buildings from that period, Fitch Hall, is a two and one-half story, masonry and stucco, California Mission Revival style building which was completed in 1937. It has been placed on the New Mexico State...

Fitch Hall was built as a part of the federal governments Public Works Administration (PWA), a program which created jobs during the Great Depression. Finished in 1937, it was named for James G. Fitch, who served three terms on the board of regents--1894 to 1899, 1909 to 1912, and 1922 to 1927. Fitch was also a lecturer on mining law at the college." -NM Tech New Mexico School of Mines is now known as New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

The Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works funded the construction of the New Mexico School of Mines Gymnasium in Socorro NM in 1935. Project no. 5127. A plaque  mounted near the entrance to the New Mexico Tech Gymnasium reads, "New Mexico School of Mines Gymnasium - Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works - Project No. 5127" New Mexico School of Mines is now known as New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

"Weir Hall was another federal project, built under the Works Project Administration (WPA) in 1939. It was named for John Weir, a longtime professor of mining at the School of Mines, who worked here from the mid-1920s until his death in the late 1930's, just before the building was completed. The 1925 School of Mines yearbook, Porphyry, describes Weir as 'undoubtedly one of the best instructors in surveying and drafting that the School of Mines has ever had.'" -New Mexico Tech New Mexico School of Mines is now known as New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

Two twelve-by-six-foot murals were painted by Mr. and Mrs. William Herbert Holston for the Newark Terminal (Administration Building) of 1935 under the auspices of the Federal Art Project (FAP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The murals, shown in a contemporary WPA photograph, have been lost or destroyed. According to Newark's Star-Eagle: The first mural depicts Leonardo da Vinci gazing into space with his left hand raised, attempting to solve the mystery of flight. Seated at a table to his left is his student, Astro, head bowed, wearing useless wings. The second mural shows the "Kitty Hawk" in successful flight 40 years later ... Both murals combine...

"Between 1935 and 1937, Gorky painted ten large-scale murals on the theme of  aviation for the Newark Airport Administration Building. This mural cycle, known as Aviation: Evolution of Forms under Aerodynamic Limitations, was among the first modernist murals created and installed under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) Federal Art Project. Although still engaged with the Cubist vocabulary of Picasso and Braque, the mechanized forms of these murals also reveal a debt to the work of Fernand Léger, especially his monumental 1919 painting The City, now in the Museum's collection. Léger's urban, machine-inspired imagery and vivid colors...

In 1933, the Federal Emergency Relief Act funded 65% of extensive Newport Beach Harbor improvements in Newport Beach, CA. As part of the project, sandbars were dredged and jetties were extended to improve sailing conditions and increase Newport Harbor’s allure as a commercial and naval auxiliary harbor. These improvements made the harbor one of the best in Orange County, if not in all of California.  Today it serves mainly as a leisure harbor (as opposed to a commercial harbor) and if you walk to the end of the Balboa Peninsula you can visit a plaque that commemorates the Newport Harbor Improvements...

The Texas Highway Department and the United States Bureau of Public Roads designed and financed several underpasses on Nogalitos Street in San Antonio, Texas. Built in 1937 by Brown & Root, the project took Nogalitos Street under Cassiano Street, The Texas & New Orleans Railroad tracks, Lachapelle Street, and the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad tracks. The street bridges were steel stringer design and the railroad bridges were steel plate girder design. The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad tracks have been abandoned, but the other three bridges and the underpass are still in use.

The former Norcross Public School at 17568 Norton Ave S opened as a public school in 1938, operated until c. 1970s. As of 2021 being marketed as a residential project, but needs a total restoration. According to Docomomo, the structure is an "Art deco school built under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the federal New Deal, replacing a two-story wooden school. The brick structure cost approximately $46,000. Closed in 1970s." In 2020, it was listed for sale as a potential 3500-3800 sq. ft. residential adaptive reuse.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built sidewalks on North 9th East in Mountain Home ID, in 1941. A 1941 WPA placard is set in the concrete on the sidewalk at 390 North 9th East.

From the City Landmark sign pictured below: "Well sited in a triangular park, the building offers a harmonious gateway to the surrounding Northbrae neighborhood. It was designed in the Spanish Revival style with a low-pitched red tile roof, central tower, and deeply inset arched windows. The project was funded by the Federal Works Progress Administration and the city. When it opened, civic leaders proclaimed this 'one of the most beautiful public buildings in the City of Berkeley.'"

In 1942 the Work Progress Administration began construction for a building to serve as an armory, athletics coliseum, and student assembly hall. Only the skeleton was constructed during World War II; materials shortages caused by the war halted progress. After the war, construction recommenced when the college arranged other funding sources, and it was completed in 1949.

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Chemistry Building (later renamed Withers Hall) on the North Carolina State University campus in Raleigh NC. Construction of a fire-proof structure of reinforced concrete with exterior finish of brick and Indiana limestone. Total floor space of 72,000 square feet comprising 14 classrooms and large assembly room. Total seating for 1000 students. Laboratory accommodations for for 2640 students.

The Public Works Administration built the “A” Dormitory at North Carolina State College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Today the dormitory is still in service under the name Alexander Residence Hall. Construction of new dormitory building for 400 students: brick load-bearing exterior walls, steel column with bar joist and concrete slab floor construction, and steel roof trusses with Nailcrete slab and slate shingle roof. The interior finish was plaster with wood trim and Bruce random length flooring.