Marked Sites

The Works Progress Administration built sidewalks on S. Canal Street in Sharpsburg PA.

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area is in Coronado National Forest at the northeast corner of Tucson AZ.  At the behest of the city of Tucson and Pima County, it was developed out of former mining and grazing land in the Santa Catalina Mountains by New Deal agencies, which built access roads, dams and recreational facilities.  Relief workers hired under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and Works Progress Administration (WPA) all contributed to the park's improvement.  A major recreational lake never materialized, as funds ran out in the mid-1930s and, beside, dams in the desert quickly fill with sediment...

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area is in Coronado National Forest at the northeast corner of Tucson AZ. At the behest of the city of Tucson and Pima County, it was developed out of former mining and grazing land in the Santa Catalina Mountains by New Deal agencies, which built roads, dams and recreational facilities.  Relief workers hired under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and Works Progress Administration (WPA) all contributed to the park's improvement.  A major recreational lake never materialized, as funds ran out in the mid-1930s and, beside, dams in the desert quickly fill with sediment...

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 by Executive Order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. With funds from Emergency Conservation Fund Act of 1933, the Bureau of Biological Survey purchased the 10,775-acre Spalding Ranch to create what was originally called the Sacramento Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees developed the refuge from 1937 to 1942, working out of Camp Sacramento at the present location of the refuge headquarters. Some of the original buildings may exist in the headquarters complex behind the visitors' center, but this has not been confirmed. Under the supervision of the Bureau of Biological Survey, the CCC...

The Sagamore Bridge across the Cape Cod Canal was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA).  It was part of a much larger project that included widening the canal and three bridges across it, for which the PWA made a grant of $6,138,000. The project began in 1933 and the bridge opened in June 1935.  The Sagamore Bridge carries four lanes of traffic on U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the mainland of Massachusetts. The bridge's main span is 616 feet long, with a 135 foot clearance.    

Saginaw Elementary School in Saginaw, Texas was constructed in large part with federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds. Text from the state historical marker reads: "Saginaw School. Jarvis J. Green settled here in 1882 and named the site for his former home of Saginaw, Michigan. The Fort Worth and Denver and Santa Fe railroads later crossed here, and in 1892 the first school opened. It was a tuition school on McLeroy Boulevard which became a public school the following year. A 1910 teachers strike against child labor in the school led to the creation of a local parent-teacher association. Fannie Gillen donated...

The city of Tucson is flanked by two halves of the Saguaro National Park, which protects extensive areas of Sonoran Desert landscapes and the biodiverse communities of the Tucson Mountains and Rincon Mountains – two of the many "sky islands" of southern Arizona. The eastern district of Saguaro National Park was set aside as Saguaro National Monument by President Herbert Hoover in early 1933; today, it is known as the Saguaro NP - Rincon Mountain District (RMD).  The western district of the park was originally part of the Tucson Mountain Park, a county park created in 1929; the northern section of...

The city of Tucson is flanked by two halves of the Saguaro National Park, which protects extensive areas of Sonoran Desert landscapes and the biodiverse communities of the Tucson Mountains and Rincon Mountains – two of the many "sky islands" of southern Arizona. The eastern district of Saguaro National Park was set aside as Saguaro National Monument by President Herbert Hoover in early 1933; today, it is known as the Saguaro NP - Rincon Mountain District (RMD).  The western district of the park was originally part of the Tucson Mountain Park, a county park created in 1929; the northern section of...

The city of Tucson is flanked by two halves of the Saguaro National Park, which protects extensive areas of Sonoran Desert landscapes and the biodiverse communities of the Tucson Mountains and Rincon Mountains – two of the many "sky islands" of southern Arizona. The eastern district of Saguaro National Park was set aside as Saguaro National Monument by President Herbert Hoover in early 1933; today, it is known as the Saguaro NP - Rincon Mountain District (RMD).  The western district of the park was originally part of the Tucson Mountain Park, a county park created in 1929; the northern section of...

The city of Tucson is flanked by two halves of the Saguaro National Park, which protects extensive areas of Sonoran Desert landscapes and the biodiverse communities of the Tucson Mountains and Rincon Mountains – two of the many "sky islands" of southern Arizona. The eastern district of Saguaro National Park was set aside as Saguaro National Monument by President Herbert Hoover in early 1933; today, it is known as the Saguaro NP - Rincon Mountain District (RMD).  The western district of the park was originally part of the Tucson Mountain Park, a county park created in 1929; the northern section of...

This former high school building was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939-1940. The new school put 105 men to work for eight months. This building would serve as a high school until 1988. It was sold to the Old High School Association in 1995 who started restoring it as a Museum and Cultural Center for Sallisaw. The building burned down in June 2004. Arson was suspected. Only the facade of the front entrance remains.

Record flooding of the Salt Fork Red River occurred on June 15, 1938, damaging the bridge for then State Highway 52 (now State Highway 203). Deemed unsalvageable by Texas Highway Department Engineers, plans were made for a replacement bridge. The funds for the bridge were jointly allocated by the Texas Highway Department and the Federal Works Agency, each of which committed $80,000. The new bridge was built seventy-five yards north of the previous bridge. This new location was chosen for its stable red clay and shale bedrock which would help prevent future flood damage. When letting for the contract was concluded,...

WPA crews contributed to expanding Salt Lake City Municipal Airport, now Salt Lake City International. From the Salt Lake City International Airport history site: "At a cost of $52,000, Salt Lake City built an airport administration building that housed a passenger waiting room, mail room, airport manager's office, lunch room, weather observatory, radio control room and leased office space to airlines. A third runway was also added." It is unclear if the administration building survives today, but judging from the Salt Lake Tribune's 2015 photo retrospective, it appears to have been replaced with today's modern structure.

The Works Progress Administration built the Saltar's Point Park pavilion and comfort stations in Steilacoom WA in 1939.

This building was constructed as a community center in 1938 by the National Youth Administration (NYA) (which was a branch of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)).   It is a craftsman-style, one-story, T-shaped building constructed of native stone and wood. The front entrance has a porch and double doors. Above the door are the letters N Y A. There is an NYA cornerstone at the building's southeast corner.  It reads: National Youth Administration Community Building Erected 1938 Huston A. Wright, Dir NYA for Okla. Mason Hart, Mayor James Kelley, Eng. City Com. Hardin Ray, Dir. - Grey Garter C.B. Alexander, Co. Supt. - Lee Perkins Luther Lail, Bldg. Supt. - Lee...

Between 1937 and 1939 the existing 1904 courthouse was extensively renovated and a  new jail was added. A 1978 report entitled 100 Courthouses, A Report on North Carolina Judicial Facilities states that the county wanted a new building, but the WPA,  which supervised the undertaking, objected. The reconstruction greatly enlarged the building and completely transformed its looks. This all suggests that a considerable amount of the financing came from the federal government. The architect was R. R. Markley.

This San Bernardino branch of the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was built around 1830 and underwent a number of function and ownership changes in the ensuing century. In 1925 the County of San Bernardino took over the property. It was restored in 1937 by the WPA assisted by the San Bernardino County Historical Society.

The WPA undertook campus improvements at San Bernardino Valley Junior College.

This chapel was originally a house, built in 1850, and converted into a chapel in 1858. In 1937, San Diego's streets were realigned and the chapel was bulldozed. The WPA rebuilt the chapel that same year on an adjacent site, using parts of the original Chapel, such as the tabernacle, the altar, woodwork, pews, confessional and doors. In restoring the chapel, WPA workers made the bricks by hand.

The "Guardian of Water" is a granite sculpture, with a mosaic and frieze around the base. It was created by Donal Hord in 1939, with support from the WPA. The sculpture is a 23' high figure of a woman holding an olla on her left shoulder, symbolizing the need for water conservation in southern California. She is surrounding by a mosaic of kneeling nudes- symbolizing clouds- pouring water from jars over a dam into a citrus-fruit orchard. The San Diego Historical Society Museum has on display a small scale plaster maquette and a film about the creation of this work.

From the archive photo descriptions of this WPA built station: "The fire station was a new construction project, building forms, placing reinforced steel and pouring concrete. The ground floor of the building measures 50x85 feet. The main part of the building is 34 feet high with a tower rising to 70 feet. This is a two-company station with one hose truck and one hook and ladder truck. Dormitory accommodations provide for eight firemen."

The airport first opened in 1927 as Mills Field Municipal Airport. It became San Francisco Municipal Airport in 1931, and SF International Airport in 1955. Both the WPA and the PWA were heavily involved in airport construction and expansion: " Improved the airport by grading, draining, paving and lighting, installing water, gas, electricity, telephone and sewers; building walks, curbs, pavements, new buildings; dredging for seaplane harbor; building seaplane wharves, ramp and seawalls, rock and earth levees and work incidental to making a first class seaplane port." --Healy, p. 70. As of 1936, over $1,800,000 had been expended by the WPA. The reclamation...

The Works Progress Administration and the Federal Works Agency funded and built the South American Tropical Rainforest and Aviary at the San Francisco Zoo in 1940. The structure was originally an aquatic birdhouse. Now it serves as an aviary.  

The bridges over the north and south forks of the San Gabriel River in Georgetown, Texas are identical designs of a cantilevered-suspended span type bridge, where a steel unit is placed between cantilevered arms projecting beyond the main supports of the bridge.The Texas Highway Department designed the bridges, and the state and the United States Bureau of Public Roads provided funding. Contractor Dean Word built the two 367-foot long bridges between 1939 and 1940. The bridges carry four lanes of traffic on North Austin Avenue and are the main north-south route over the rivers into the business section of Georgetown.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) completed improvements at the San Jose de los Jemez Mission in Jemez Springs NM. The San Jose de los Jemez Mission is a mission compound for the Jemez Pueblo, established by the Catholic Church and the Spanish, rebuilt in 1621-1626. The initial excavation of the San Jose de los Jemez mission church began in 1921 and 1922, then advanced by the CCC in the late 1930s. The mission church and surrounding excavated structures are are part of the Jemez pueblo.

San Juan High School was constructed in 1915 and work by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works done in 1939.

Between 1935 and 1939, WPA crews conducted historic restoration and renovation work at this site, Casa-Torre de Ponce de León, built in 1521 for the notoriously brutal conquistador who died before ever occupying the residence. It is better known as Casa Blanca, or "White House." WPA work included roof repairs, installation of lighting, and creation of a garden. It now houses a museum with information about early colonial life on the island.  

WPA crews conducted extensive renovation and restoration work at this 18th century Spanish fort, including repair of the fortress walls, and cleaning, repairing, and lighting tunnels under the fortress, in order to facilitate tourism.  

Between 1935 and 1939, WPA crews conducted extensive historic restoration and renovation work, including restoration of the fortress walls, at this site, a 16th century fort later used as a military site during WWII.

In 1940, the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse was rebuilt by the New Deal on the site of the original county courthouse of 1851 and a Greek Revival courthouse of 1873.  The North Wing of the 1940 courthouse was in place before the older one was demolished to make way for the rest of the new structure (see historic photo, below).  The handsome building by local architects, Walker and Eisen, is a classic example of Civic Moderne, with fine detailing and bas-reliefs on the exterior (the condition of the interior is unknown to us).  It is a large edifice that almost...

San Pedro High School, which opened in 1909, was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. Designed by architect Gordon B. Kaufmann, the new Streamline Moderne buildings were constructed of poured-in-place concrete. The Administration and Language Arts Buildings are both now protected landmarks. 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...

A 160 foot wire and wood suspension bridge over the San Rafael river at Buckhorn Wash. The bridge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1937, and dedicated by then Utah Governor Henry H. Blood. The Swinging Bridge was the only bridge over the river until the early 1990′s when a new concrete bridge was built next to it. It is for pedestrian traffic only. The area is noted for dinosaur tracks and 2 - 6000 year old pictographs. Because of the remoteness of the location, it is only possible to visit with 4WD vehicles.

Sandtown Road was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939 near Cushman, Arkansas, USA. A WPA marker on Sandtown Road reads "USA 1939 WPA."

WPA crews completed the Sanpete County courthouse in Manti in 1937.  

The U.S. Treasury Department built the Santa Clara post office in 1935.  The building style is Mission Revival, which was popular for houses and civic buildings during the interwar period. It is also the site of Michael von Meyer's 1937 wood carving, "Early Pioneers," available for view in the library.

In 1935, the Santa Fe County Board of Education prepared a WPA project proposal for a gym at Santa Cruz High School, a school located in a rural community just east of Española. Opened in 1925, with 89 students, it was the only high school in the greater Española Valley until 1930. The gym, to be constructed of traditional adobe, would be thoroughly “modern” and include a “standard size ball court” and meet “all the requirements of the State Board of Education” (WPA OP 65-85-498: 7238). The Board estimated that it would cost $8,664.40 to construct, with the WPA contributing $5,919.75. The WPA played...

The Works Progress Administration's (WPA) modernization of Santa Monica High School between 1935 and 1938 represented the largest reconstruction project undertaken by the Santa Monica City School District following the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The WPA remodeled and retrofitted the school's two-story Academic & Administration Building (later the History Building), Manual Arts & Commerce Building, Fine Arts & Household Science Building, Library/Student Center, and Girls’ Gymnasium. Their "'earthquake-resistive construction' designed to withstand shocks greater than those felt in Long Beach. Bearing walls were reinforced with steel and coated on the exterior with stucco. Gabled roofs were replaced with shock-proof,...

Barnum Hall Theater was one of three new buildings constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at Santa Monica High School between 1935 and 1938 as part of the largest reconstruction project undertaken by the Santa Monica City School District following the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. "The high quality of design of the new auditorium building suggested not only the importance of this facility to the growing high school, but also the degree of civic pride associated with this new community amenity. Designed by noted Los Angeles architectural firm Marsh, Smith & Powell, it displays the smooth surfaces, curved...

A PWA grant and bonds made possible a group of buildings at Santa Rosa Junior College, including an administration unit, large assembly hall and library. These plans were drawn up by C.A. Calkins, and the building materials were steel, concrete, brick veneer and tile roof. The WPA constructed permanent bleachers in the football stadium (now Bailey Field). Tree-trimming and other work was done on the campus. They installed the first permanent exhibit in the Jesse Park Museum of Native American artifacts as well as Californian flora, fauna and rock specimens. This grew into a biological, cultural, and historical center. Santa Rosa...