Marked Sites

The Clinton Federal Building (north) was originally the US Post Office Department headquarters, completed under the New Deal in 1934.  It contains a wealth of New Deal artworks commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts: 25 murals and 22 sculptural elements (12 bas-reliefs, 2 statues, 8 wood medallions). Most are on postal themes. Doris Lee painted two large (6' x 13.5') murals for the Post Office Department on the theme of "The Development of the Post in the Country." The two were painted in 1938 and titled, "Country Post" and "General Store."   They hang in the...

The Clinton Federal Building (north) was originally the US Post Office Department headquarters, completed under the New Deal in 1934.  It contains a wealth of New Deal artworks commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts – 25 murals and 22 sculptural elements (12 bas-reliefs, 2 statues, 8 wood medallions) – featuring postal themes. Ward Lockwood painted two large (6' x 13.5') murals for the former Post Office Building: "Opening of the Southwest" and "Consolidation of the West" (1937).  These reflect conventional American thinking in the 1930s about the conquest of the west as a peaceful process of...

The Clinton Federal Building (north) was originally the US Post Office Department headquarters, completed under the New Deal in 1934.  It contains a wealth of New Deal artworks commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts – 25 murals and 22 sculptural elements (12 bas-reliefs, 2 statues, 8 wood medallions) – featuring postal themes. Reginald Marsh painted two large (6'7" x 12'6") murals for the Post Office building:  "Sorting the Mail" and "Unloading the Mail" (1936).   The Marsh murals hang in the 4th floor of the north wing of the Clinton building. The building is presently occupied by the Environmental...

The Clinton Federal Building (north) was originally the US Post Office Department headquarters, completed under the New Deal in 1934.  It contains a wealth of New Deal artworks commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts – 25 murals and 22 sculptural elements (12 bas-reliefs, 2 statues, 8 wood medallions) – featuring postal themes. In 1937, Frank Mechau painted two large (7 x 13') oil-on-canvas murals for the former Post Office Department Building: "Dangers of the Mail" and "Pony Express."  They are notable both for their stylistic daring and their controversial subject matter, and they have evoked praise...

The Clinton Federal Building (north) was originally the US Post Office Department headquarters, completed under the New Deal in 1934.  It contains a wealth of New Deal artworks commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts – 25 murals and 22 sculptural elements (12 bas-reliefs, 2 statues, 8 wood medallions) – featuring postal themes. William C. Palmer painted two large (7' x 13.5') murals for the Post Office Building: "Covered Wagon Attacked by Indians" and "Mail Coach Attacked by Bandits" (1937). It must be said that Palmer's idea of the Wild West was standard popular mythology and the...

The Clinton Federal Building (north) was originally the US Post Office Department headquarters, completed under the New Deal in 1934.  It contains a wealth of New Deal artworks commissioned and paid for by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts – 25 murals and 22 sculptural elements (12 bas-reliefs, 2 statues, 8 wood medallions) – featuring postal themes. Eugene Francis Savage painted two large (7 x 13.5') murals for the Post Office Department building:  "Carrier of News and Knowledge" and "Messenger of Sympathy and Love".  The works were painted in 1937. Sarah Gordon says of these murals: "As the culmination of the U.S. Post...

Carl Ludwig Schmitz was commissioned by the New Deal’s Treasury Section of Fine Arts to create the sculpture “City Delivery Carrier, 1863.” The sculpture was made out of an aluminum alloy, and Schmitz was paid $3,000 for the job. When this artwork was created, the present-day Clinton Federal Building was the headquarters of the U.S. Post Office Department. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts existed from 1934 to 1943. It was initially called the “Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture”; then the “Treasury Section of Fine Arts”; and finally just “Section of Fine Arts” when it was moved under the jurisdiction...

With federal funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) the Cockrill School was constructed in 1939 and opened in late January 1940. Cockrill School replaced an older school, and provided space for 700 students in 17 classrooms. Cockrill School was part of a citywide PWA school building project that included Lockeland and Caldwell Schools for white students and Carter-Lawrence and Pearl Schools for African Americans. According to an article in the Nashville Tennessean (1940), the schools were "equipped with a sound system and radio, modern, new furniture, a projector for visual instruction, a library and teacher workroom, health clinic, modern cafeteria and...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) built tennis and handball courts at Codornices Park – most of which lies on the east side of Euclid Road and is accessed via a pedestrian tunnel from the ball courts, which are on the west side of the road.  The tennis and handball courts adjoin the more famous Berkeley Rose Garden.  The CWA was the short-lived predecessor (1933-34) to the better known Works Progress Administration (WPA), which constructed the Rose Garden.  It is likely that the CWA began the work for the Rose Garden by creating the semi-circular hollow out of the valley cut by Codornices...

The Wilbur J. Cohen building, originally built for the Social Security Administration in 1938-1940, is home to a magnificent collection of social security themed artworks funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Two of the artworks are exterior bas-reliefs over the entrances by Henry Kreis, "The Growth of Social Security" and "The Benefits of Social Security" (1941). The Social Security Administration never occupied the building, which was turned over to the War Department in 1941.  After the war, the Federal Security Agency (FSA), under which the Social Security Board had been placed in 1939, moved into the building. In 1953, the Department...

The Wilbur J. Cohen building, originally built for the Social Security Administration in 1938-1940, is home to a magnificent collection of social security themed artworks funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.  The most spectacular of the artworks is a massive, multi-paneled, fresco mural by Lithuanian-born artist Ben Shahn, entitled "The Meaning of Social Security." Shahn's mural cycle covers both sides of the central corridor of the  building. On the east wall are three panels depicting the ills Social Security was meant to alleviate:  "Child Labor, Unemployment, and Old Age."  On the west well are scenes of a society cured of...

On 27 October 1937, the Radcliffe-King House was pulled down for the new College of Charleston Student Activities Building/Gymnasium building. The new building was funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, and was designed by Simons & Lapham, a well known Charleston, South Carolina architectural firm, which participated in may New Deal projects. The building included some rooms for dorms for out of county basketball players who attended the    College of Charleston. See Blevins (2001): https://livingnewdeal.org/wp-content/uploads/gravity_forms/5-1524db4e8f93549db7fec5d73ae429b8/2018/01/CofC-Gym-pages-98-101.pdf In 1994-1995 the building was renovated. The gymnasium’s rubber basketball floor was removed for a modern floor, an indoor walking track was suspended from the ceiling,...

Collin County Jail was erected in 1880. The two-story Collin County Jail features quarry-faced, ashlar limestone masonry construction and exhibits detailing and massing characteristic of the High-Victorian Italianate style. Two-tiered pilasters mark the slightly projecting central bay. This bay features a low-pitched pressed-metal pediment above the top floor and a stone panel engraved with "Collin County Prison" above the double-door, front entrance. The jail was vacated when new facilities were completed in 1979. Texas State Historical Marker: Completed in 1880, it was modified in 1938 with Funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. Plaque on building: Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works Franklin D....

During the late 1930s, with funds from the WPA, the Seattle Park Department upgraded Colman Playground. The largest component of the improvement project was the construction of a new shelter house near the southwest corner of the playground. WPA workers began constructing the shelter house in 1937. Designed by Seattle architect Arthur Wheatley, the two-story, reinforced concrete structure housed a playroom, caretaker's room, and storage room on its lower level, and a social room, office area, and restrooms on its upper level. A plaque on the north side of the building reads: "Built by Works Progress Administration, 1936-1937." Despite the...

The Colorado River Bridge was built by the Federal Works Agency in 1941. The bridge is approximately 490 feet long. It spans the Colorado River south of Colorado City on HWY-163. Marker Text: COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE BUILT IN 1941 BY THE TEXAS HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT ---------------------- FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY PUBLIC ROAD ADMINISTRATION --------------------- STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION BRADY GENTRY CHAIRMAN HARRY HINES MEMBER ROBERT LEE BOBBITT MEMBER D.C. GREER HIGHWAY ENGINEER R.C. McKINNEY CONTRACTOR

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) carried out major work at Colossal Cave and the surrounding park north of Vail AZ (now a suburb of Tucson, but far to the east in the 1930s). They improved access for visitors to the cave itself, built a large visitors'/administration center, laid out a campground and picnic area, opened roads and trails and built a water supply system.  The Arizona State Park Service oversaw the work. Work inside Colossal Cave included widening the entrance and passageways, installing rock walkways and handrails, and added lighting and a water pipeline. This work was done in 1934-37 by...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) carried out major work at Colossal Cave and the surrounding park north of Vail AZ (now a suburb of Tucson, but far to the east in the 1930s). They improved access for visitors to the cave itself, built a large visitors'/administration center, laid out a campground and picnic area, opened roads and trails and built a water supply system.  The Arizona State Park Service oversaw the work. The visitors/administrative complex is a massive stone edifice on the side of the hill at the main opening of the cave – one of the most beautiful CCC works...

"On the west rim of Pine Creek Gorge, the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, the 368-acre Colton Point State Park resonates with the rustic charm of the Civilian Conservation Corps era of the 1930s. The rugged overlooks offer great views of the canyon."   (www.dcnr.state.pa.us/)

U.S. Route 50, commonly known in Cincinnati as Columbia Parkway, was a project built in association with the Works Progress Administration. The highway runs through Southern Ohio from east to west. It passes through Cincinnati, Chillicothe, and Athens. The highway grade separation in Cincinnati was funded by the Public Works Administration in 1938.

The Commonwealth Post Office in Fullerton, California was funded by the Department of the Treasury and constructed in 1939 in only 7 months. This New Deal project provided work for 40 men.  At the time, it was the City of Fullerton’s first and only post office until 1962. It was also the first building in the city that was federally owned.  The post office was designed by the Office of the Supervising Architecture. It is a beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival building. The Post Office still exists today and still houses a mural called “Orange Pickers” by Paul Julian.  The Commonwealth Post Office is...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the community building in Douglass, Kansas in 1936. A large stone in the front of the building identifies it as such. The building was nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Built in 1940 by the WPA, this building remains a "Community Building" today. There's nothing more fun than driving through a small Oklahoma town, rounding a corner, and "discovering" a WPA-constructed building. In Oklahoma, a great many are built out of the red native sandstone. This Community Building is built of rusticated natural stone which projects unevenly, giving it an appealing look. There is a bronze WPA shield to the left of the entrance near the southwest corner, and another shield at the northeast corner. These read: USA / 1940 / WPA / Oklahoma. On the southeast corner of the building,...

This one-story red brick building was completed in 1939 by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The school has long been gone. The building which is located on Douglas Avenue in the northwest part of Clearview, is currently being used as the Community Center. A porch has been added to the front, and remodeling has been done on the interior, including adding dropped ceilings, a dining area and kitchen facilities. Portions of a rock wall can still be seen which surrounded the entire school campus. A concrete cornerstone on the southeast corner has raised letters on the south side reading "WPA". The...

At an election in February 1937, the voters were given the task to decide whether or not Dunning would have a new community building. The vote was three to one in favor of building the auditorium. The building would be built in the city park. The $14,000.00 building would be completely equipped “for any high class entertainment.” In March 1938, word was received from Washington D.C. that the Dunning Community Building project had been approved. Although funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) had not yet been appropriated, the project would go forward. It was thought that, as drawn, the plans...

This is a one-story native sandstone building with a gabled roof, built by the Federal Works Progress Administration in 1937.  On both sides of the walls flanking the entrance, a concrete panel shows the stamped WPA shield. The concrete lintel for these doors is engraved "OAK LAWN DIST. 273". This area may have contained more buildings in the past, but this classroom building is all that remains. This building is still in use as the local Community Center.

Buff brick building. Main section is two stories, with one story wings on each side. There is a plaque on the main/center section " Works Progress Administration 1935-1937" The Desdemona School (grades 1-12) was built in 1922 and expanded as a WPA project completed in 1937. It finally closed in 1969. The building is now the Desdemona Community Center.

The National Youth Administration constructed a community center built of native limestone rock quarried near Belton in 1941. The structure was a rustic design, in Yettie Polk Park, located near the old club house. The work began in summer of 1941. The project, approved by the President in September, was projected to cost $28,000. NYA furnished $22,000 for labor and the local sponsor provided $6,000 for materials, tools and equipment. Excavation for foundation was completed in October and the concrete pouring began in late October. By November, the foundation had been completed, quarrying was in progress at the old limestone...

The Midvale Community Center was built as the town's City Hall in 1939. Construction was supported by a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant of $31,500 and a city bond of $38,500.  The Midvale City Hall was one of over 240 buildings constructed in the state under the New Deal, and one of 20 in Salt Lake County, according to the State Historical Office plaque. It is a two-story brick building with parapeted gable roof in the Art Moderne style, designed by prominent Utah architects Clark W. Scott and George W. Welch. Characteristic of the Modern style is the streamlined appearance achieved by...

In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a community center and adjoining public library (today's Historical Museum) in El Monte, CA. The adobe-style structures were built of reinforced concrete and stucco. The community center originally housed city offices, meeting rooms for clubs and organizations, a pair of auditoriums with capacities of 250 and 600, as well as a large kitchen and several kitchenettes. Today, the community center houses administrative offices and meeting rooms available for public use. According to his daughter, JoAnn Ells Ebele, El Monte's Depression-era City Engineer Joseph C. Ells traveled to Washington, D.C., to secure the approval of...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a community hall, 1938-40, for use by farm families relocated from the Dust Bowl to a Resettlement Community in Fruita and Loma, Colorado. It is a tall, single-story, wood frame building, with plank siding painted white.  The high-ceiling interior is fitted out with hardwood floors, a basketball court, a stage and riser seating. Two ticket windows flank the entrance.  The basement has a full kitchen, which was used by WPA service workers to make hot lunches for the nearby elementary school. We have no corroborating evidence that the elementary school was built by the WPA, despite...

The community house was constructed 1935-1936 with native pine logs in the rustic style. Superintendent of construction was David Felts, a building and contractor from Carrollton. Extensive restoration was completed in 2001.

The Carson Community House was constructed as National Youth Administration project 5649 in 1939. It is a two story, brick veneer building, currently in use as a Masonic Lodge. It appears to be essentially unaltered, other than sealing of two upper windows. It retains the external double stairs to access the second floor.

The Concordia Parish Courthouse was undertaken in Vidalia, Louisiana during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The "Greco-Deco" courthouse in Vidalia was erected due to the need to relocate the town for flood control of the Mississippi River. The WPA relocated businesses and houses, as well as constructed the new parish courthouse. Constructed for a cost of $109,950, the building remains in use as the parish library and records storage.

The bridge over Coos Bay at North Bend OR was constructed with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1934-36.  It was one of five PWA-funded bridges over Alsea Bay, Coos Bay, Siuslaw River, Umpqua River, and Yaquina River that completed the Oregon Coast Highway. All but the Alsea River bridge still stand. The Oregon coast highway was developed after 1914 by the state and county highway departments, but money ran out in the Great Depression before the job could be finished.  With the advent of the New Deal, the PWA offered $1.4 million and a loan of $4.2 million...

Originally the local police and fire station. "The Coral Gables Public Safety Building, more commonly referred to as the Old Police and Fire Station, was built in 1939 on the corner of Argon Avenue and Salzedo Street. Phineas Paist, the city's principal architect, included a courtroom and a jail in his design of the building. The structure is constructed of oolitic limestone, a type of rock native to this area. The Salzedo Street side of the building is decorated with impressive carvings of firefighters, as well as images of the people and pets that they are sworn to save from fires...

Corcoran Union High School was constructed in 1939 through the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. The facility has since been expanded with numerous additions into a larger educational campus.

This Works Progress Administration (WPA) building is also the site of the "Legend of California" relief panels, sculpted in 1939 by Donald Hord for the WPA Federal Art Project.

WPA created sidewalks and curbs poured as the neighborhood developed between 1939 and 1942.

In 1940, Coryell County voters passed an issue for $30,000 in bonds bearing interest at the rate of not more than three percent to build a county hospital. Those bonds were issued on July 8, 1940. Designed by architects Brooks Pierson of Waco and L. S. Secrest of Gatesville, a 34-bed hospital built primarily with Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor was constructed and equipped between 1942 and 1943 at a cost of around $60,000. The county renovated the building in 2013 for a mental health unit, and currently the building is the Gatesville Center for Central County Services, which provides treatment for...

The Works Progress Administration built a vocational building for the Cotaco School. Correspondence with David Burleson, local source: "The last 8 pictures are of the Cotaco High School vocational building referred to in the 1938 work order At that time Cotaco was an elementary school and high school; grades 1 thru 12. In the late 1960’s or early 1970’s Cotaco and three or four other schools consolidated the high school grades into a new school in central Morgan County. That left Cotaco as an elementary school and middle school. Sometime in the 1990’s the vocational building was remodeled into the...