Unmarked Sites

Although the New Deal is best known for creation and construction, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) also put unemployed people to work demolishing obsolete structures. In the winter of 1933-34, CWA crews took down the old Aqueduct Bridge, a canal bridge built in 1843 that closed in 1923 when the nearby Key Bridge opened. An abutment of the bridge still remains, overlooking the Potomac Boat Club boathouse.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is a 114,657-acre, federally protected area at San Antonio Bay on the coast of Texas. The refuge was established by Executive Order 7784 on December 31, 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. The name was changed in 1939. It was created under the Bureau of Biological Survey and is administered today by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (created in 1940 from previous agencies). The refuge was set aside to protect the breeding grounds of migratory birds and the vanishing wildlife of coastal Texas. In particular, Aransas was the focal point of...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed a municipal baseball park in Arcata, California, just north of the City Hall.  The work was first approved in 1936, finalized in 1937 and then completed in 1938 (WPA funding was greatly reduced in 1937 and then pumped up again in 1938). This is full-sized ball park, with a grandstand behind home plate, has been upgraded over time, but the entrance and barrier behind the grandstand appear to be original (wood).  The bleachers, lights, field and fencing all appear to be much newer.  It is still in use (and hard to view because the fencing...

In February 1936, to complete the portion of Highway 101 between Cannon Beach and Manzanita, the Oregon Highway Department approved construction plans for a 1227-foot-long tunnel through Arch Cape. The federal Public Roads Administration provided critical funding for the project. At the time of its construction, it was the longest tunnel on the Oregon Coast Highway. Difficulties associated with the long bore through both the cape's sandstone and basalt stretched the construction project out over almost four years. The presence of soft sandstone required the construction of a timber lining to prevent a cave-in. Construction workers struggled with difficult conditions including exposure...

Arch Rock Tunnel is one of three tunnels built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) along the Feather River Highway in northeast California.  The tunnels were the final pieces in the construction of the Feather River highway (highway 70) by the State of California (1928-37). Arch Rock tunnel is the southern-most tunnel of the three and the shortest. The tunnels were blasted through solid granite in and around Grizzly Dome. Rock from the tunnels was used for rock safety walls along the highway.

The Civilian Conservation Corps' Indian Division (CCC-ID) did archeological excavation and stabilization work at several sites of ancient indigenous ruins across Arizona in the 1930s.  A Navajo Indian CCC mobile unit was formed under a joint program between the Park Service and the Indian Service (later the Bureau of Indian Affairs) to work under the supervision of an archeologist on stabilization work on pre-Columbian ruins in Chaco Canyon, Navajo, Tonto, Wupatki, Aztec Ruins, Montezuma Castle, and Gran Quivira national monuments (Paige 1985, p. ?) It is likely that CCC enrollees also built the main visitor trail at the monument, but that needs...

Arches National Monument was established in 1929 with only 4,500 acres and enlarged dramatically to over 33,000 acres by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 (Arches became a National Park in 1971).  Some of the first improvements to the monument were made by workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  CCC camp NP-7 was established in nearby Moab UT in April 1940 and lasted until March 1942, one of the last in the country to be closed. CCC 'boys' worked on roads, trails and erosion control, and notably a headquarters building and bridge over the wash that often blocked access to the...

The New Deal helped construct the 9-mile road from Fort Valley Road (Highway 180) to the Arizona Snow Bowl ski area on Mt. Agassiz in the San Francisco Peaks, northwest of Flagstaff AZ. In the winter of 1938, the 20-30 Club, a Flagstaff service group, held a "snow carnival" on the southwest slope of Mt. Agassiz. It was so successful that the group ran a contest to choose a name for the area, and "Arizona Snow Bowl" was selected. The Coconino National Forest managers saw the opportunity to help advance the ski resort and offered to build a better access road up...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of several new facilities at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe – today's Arizona State University. The New Deal improved many college campuses, including the University of Arizona in Tucson and Phoenix College.  Teachers' Colleges were often targetted. The building shown here is probably the back of West Hall, now covered by other buildings and the reception is surely in the lounge of West Hall. Known buildings have their own project pages.  Matthews Hall appears to be New Deal, but it is not certain.  More information regarding the location and status of all New Deal...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction a cafeteria building at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe (today the Arizona State University). The exact location of the cafeteria and its fate are unknown to the Living New Deal. It has probably been demolished.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the old Matthews library building at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe.  It presently serves as the Matthews Center on the campus of today's Arizona State University. The building is a low (two-story) brick building in neo-classical style. It has a large footprint, no doubt to accommodate book stacks in the past.  It is unclear how much modification has been made for its new life as The Matthews Center.   

The Public Works Administration (PWA)  funded the construction of the West Hall, a girls’ dormitory at the Arizona State Teachers College in Tempe (today the Arizona State University). "Built as the last of four dormitories that created the quadrangle, a place that hosted many early student traditions, West Hall is the only of the four buildings still remaining. The School of Social Transformation, and the School of Politics and Global Studies now occupy West Hall." West Hall is a handsome, two-story brick building in neo-classical style. The columned portico has Paladian windows and the original light fixtures.  There are inset bas-reliefs set around...

This Arkansas State University building was constructed by the PWA in 1936. It started as a Teacher Training School, before it became the current Sciences and Math building where many science classes are taught. It is still in great shape today.

The Arlington Memorial Bridge across the Potomac River was completed in 1932, but considerable finishing work remained to be done at each end.  In late 1933, the Washington Post reported that $32,000 was appropriated for the Public Works Administration (PWA) to construct retaining walls for the approaches and sidewalks leading to the bridge on the east (DC) side of the river. The work would have almost certainly been completed in 1934. The wonderful statues on the bridge approach have only a minor New Deal dimension: plans for the statues were drawn up in the 1920s, plaster casts were made in the...

The Annual Report of the Board of the Los Angeles Park Commissioners stated in their 1932-1933 report that the Arroyo Seco Parkway was at the time the third largest park in Los Angeles with 276.1 acres. "A new roadway was built by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation some 1800 feet long which involved the removal of 2000 cubic yards of dirt and the installation of 2600 feet of curbing. General grading consisted of widening and straightening the river channel, placing rip-rap on both banks and using the dirt to fill in areas for lawn and buildings. A group of service buildings...

Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center/Park was developed between 1936 and 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), working with the Oakland Recreation Department.  The WPA funded the project for around $60,000 in 1935 (Chronicle 1935). The 16 acre site on Arroyo Viejo Creek was purchased by the city in pieces, starting in 1935.  The entire purchase cost about $36,000 (Post-Enquirer 1935). The property had belonged to the Japanese Domoto family, who operated a nursery there.  (An interesting sidelight is that Kenji Domoto went on to be a famous landscape architect) The work of creating a new park began with tearing down acres of...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) built the Artic Brook Sewer in Bangor ME. The 1934 town report notes: "The Arctic Brook sewer was enclosed from Broadway to Kenduskeag Stream, or a distance of 2600 feet, by a 36 inch sewer, at a cost of $51,530." According to earlier articles, during December, 169 men plus a foreman and blacksmith were employed on the project. A typical pay week would bring $2,153 to the men. "ARTIC SEWER JOB BROUGHT CITY $50,000 More than $37,600 Spent For Labor on First CWA Project" "Approximately $50,000 was spent on the Artic Brook sewer, the oldest CWA project, in point of...

In 1933-34, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made improvements at the Aspen Grove Family Camp owned by Brigham Young University. The Aspen Grove camp was established after land was donated to Brigham Young University in 1921 and BYU started an Alpine Summer Camp there in 1922. (https://aspen.byu.edu) Working with BYU, the CCC enrollees planted lawns and installed 5,000 feet of pipe for a new sprinkling system, plus adding parking spaces, stoves, campsites and a new trail (Baldridge, p. 309). The CCC enrollees worked out of Camp F-5 at Granite Flat (Baldridge, p. 309).  The exact location and survival of these improvements is unknown...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was active in Rocky Mountain National Park throughout the New Deal era, 1933-42.  Among the other works undertaken by CCC enrollees was the construction of three amphitheaters, at Aspenglen Campground, Moraine Park Museum and Glacier Basin campground.  These were used for educational presentations by park rangers and staff. The Aspenglen and Glacier Basin amphitheaters were built in 1938 (Brock, p. 43), as part of general upgrades to those campgrounds (Brock, p 41).  The amphitheaters were designed by the National Park Service in Rustic Style and meant to blend into the landscape and surrounding trees.  The one...

In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out improvements on Atascadero Lake Park.  WPA project cards indicate the following work: "Improve the recreational area at Atascadero Lake near Atascadero, San Luis Obispo Co., by improving earthen dam, and performing other incidental work, to provide additional parking spaces." We cannot ascertain what was done to the dam and the parking lots have been greatly enlarged since the 1930s.  Nevertheless, there are stone rings around trees, stone benches along the lake shore and stone drinking fountains that are characteristic of the rustic style used by WPA relief workers.  Further confirmation is needed. WPA Proj....

Park improvements were one of many projects in the city that employed citizens in 1934 under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. According to the town report "Lewiston Athletic Park: General repairs and painting inside and out of the grand stand. Exterior covered with Setabs brick siding. Two bleachers demolished, rebuilt and painted. Erection of a 75 feet Flag Pole. Erected a chain link fence between the Athletic Park and the Junior Field."

Two major road projects were accomplished by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) in Fresno County. The June 15 1933 issue of the Clovis Independent mentions the Auberry Road as one of a few major road projects being submitted by the Board of Supervisors. The February 3, 1934 issue said "Supervisor C. Todd Clark reported Wednesday that it is now planned to improve Millerton road from Friant to Auberry Junction with Funds from the new CWA appropriation." The April 4, 1934 article mentions that the widening of the Auberry Road was going to continue under FERA despite the liquidation of CWA projects.

A 1940 Maine State Legislature report records the Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport was one of 6 airports considered important for national defense by the State Defense Commission in 1940 and that construction was undertaken by the WPA. Developed under FERA, it was originally built in 1935 to support recreational flying and consists of two 2,000 x 100 graded runways. "From late 1942, during World War II, the airfield was under the control of the United States Navy for use as a base for anti-submarine patrols by Squadron VS-31. It was commissioned on 15 April 1943 as Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Lewiston, and used...

Augusta State Airport is a public use airport located one nautical mile northwest of the central business district of the state capital of Augusta, a city in Kennebec County, Maine. The airport is owned by the state of Maine, but managed and operated by the city of Augusta. It is served by one commercial airline, with scheduled passenger service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. As per the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 3,554 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 3,663 in 2009, and 4,300 in 2010. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems...

The runways of Austin Municipal Airport, later known as Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, were Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects conducted in the late 1930s/early 1940s. The municipal airport was replaced by the Austin-Bergstrom Air Force Base in 1999, which became the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Robert Mueller Airport, which was then decommissioned, has since been redeveloped for mixed-use purposes, including housing and stores. The airport officially opened in 1930 with one small building, gravel runways, and a gas pump. There were only a few flights during this time because of how small it was. This WPA project was one of many to...

Automotive High School in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, facing McCarren Park, was built during the 1930s with funds from the federal Public Works Administration (PWA).  The school was created to train students to be skilled auto repair technicians, to which have been added offerings in Software Engineering and Art and Media. The building has a striking inscription over the main entrance: "Manhood Service Labor Citizenship". Not surprisingly, it has few female students.  The exterior and interior appear to be little changed over the years.    

The Public Works Administration provided a $99,000 grant to construct a new K-12 public school in 1937-1939. Much expanded and renovated, the school remains in use today.

The Babbin Farm is an example of the work of the Resettlement Administration in getting families off the relief rolls and back to farming. An article in the July 1 1937 Bangor Daily News reports on two families, the Babbins and Holmquists who were helped. The article mentions that a million farm families were on the relief rolls as the depression came on. “It was during this crisis that the government came to the conclusion that in most cases a more ideal and beneficial situation exists when the farmer is helped to help himself himself than by parceling out of direct...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a car bridge in Babcock State Park in Clifftop WV. Babcock State Park contains 46 New Deal/CCC era resources on 4,127 acres near Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia. The land was purchased from the Babcock Coal & Coke Company to create a state park. CCC Company 1522 established Camp Beaver on 14 May 1934 lasting until 14 August 1937. Camp Lee was occupied by CCC Company 532 on 10 July 1935, and remained active until late 1941 or early 1942.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Glade Creek Dam in Babcock State Park in Clifftop WV. Babcock State Park contains 46 New Deal/CCC era resources on 4,127 acres near Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia. The land was purchased from the Babcock Coal & Coke Company to create a state park. CCC Company 1522 established Camp Beaver on 14 May 1934 lasting until 14 August 1937. Camp Lee was occupied by CCC Company 532 on 10 July 1935, and remained active until late 1941 or early 1942.  

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Park Headquarters and Administration Building in Babcock State Park, Clifftop WV. Babcock State Park contains 46 New Deal/CCC era resources on 4,127 acres near Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia. The land was purchased from the Babcock Coal & Coke Company to create a state park. CCC Company 1522 established Camp Beaver on 14 May 1934 lasting until 14 August 1937. Camp Lee was occupied by CCC Company 532 on 10 July 1935, and remained active until late 1941 or early 1942.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Pump House #1 in Babcock State Park, Clifftop WV. Babcock State Park contains 46 New Deal/CCC era resources on 4,127 acres near Clifftop, Fayette County, West Virginia. The land was purchased from the Babcock Coal & Coke Company to create a state park. CCC Company 1522 established Camp Beaver on 14 May 1934 lasting until 14 August 1937. Camp Lee was occupied by CCC Company 532 on 10 July 1935, and remained active until late 1941 or early 1942.  

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped develop the Badger Pass Ski Area at Yosemite National Park in the mid-to-late 1930s. Limited skiing had started in 1933 with the opening of the Glacier Point road, making Badger Pass one of the earliest California ski areas.  The Badger Pass lodge was built in 1935.   The National Park Service wanted to encourage skiing and used the CCC to assist with further improvements at Badger Pass. The CCC was involved in at least the following projects: •1938  Widening the Badger Pass Access Road. •1939 – 1940  Building the Badger Pass Ranger Residence. •1940 – 1941  Adding a Comfort Station...

According to the town report, one of the several projects the New Deal completed in Farmington was work on Bailey Hill Rd. in 1939. WOODCOCK, OR BAILEY HILL ROAD Paid by town for materials, labor, trucks, arch culvert, etc. $3,049 24 Received from State, Special Resolve $1,974 50 Overdraft, no appropriation 1,074.74 Received from W. P. A. $6,105 23

A 1939 report on the WPA's progress in Southern California described the agency's extensive involvement in a major roads project improving Balboa Avenue: "The Balboa Avenue Improvement, Work Project No. 645, was sponsored by the City of Los Angeles to provide a high speed traffic artery between San Fernando Road and Ventura Boulevard through San Fernando Valley. When completed, this street which is primarily a farm-to-market road, will serve, indirectly, a potentially enormous agricultural area by connecting these two major State Highways. The total length of this 54' roadway will be 9.8 miles, which will require 335,000 cubic yards of excavation, nearly...

The Bald Eagle Hill Children’s Health Camp was built in 1936-1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for children suffering from tuberculosis. The camp’s address was 4900 Nichols Avenue SE, which is now Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.  The camp was located at the southern end of the avenue, near its intersection with Joliet Street, which is the site of today’s Bald Eagle Recreation Center. This WPA-built camp replaced a smaller tuberculosis facility in Northwest DC and cost between $79,000 and $110,000 to construct. In 1939, the Sunday Star described the camp: “Scattered over nearly five acres of grassy hilltop land overlooking...

The Forest Service fire lookout tower on Washington Bald Mountain, built in 1918, was an enclosed wood type and was 55-feet high. It was replaced in 1934 with a 70-foot steel tower constructed by the Indian Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) out of the Passamaquoddy camp. The tower was dismantled in 2007.

Ballard High School in Seattle opened in 1901, underwent renovations through New Deal funds in 1934. The Civil Works Administration (CWA) completed renovations between 1933 and 1934. Special Report of accomplishment by CWA workers from November 24th, 1933 to February 15th, 1934. Project KCWB 547-CWA 17-244. See 1934 progress report. *Building has been remodeled in 1998 and the work done by the CWA cannot be viewed.

The US Army Corps of Engineers played an instrumental role in developing this important Los Angeles urban waterway.  Much of the creek was "channelized", i.e.,  lined with concrete, as part of a massive flood-control project undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District following the great Los Angeles flood of 1938. Ballona Creek is short river in southwestern Los Angeles County that drains an area exending from the Santa Monica Mountains on the north, the Harbor Freeway (I-110) on the east, and the Baldwin Hills on the south. It flows through Culver City and...

The federal government in the form of the US Army Corps of Engineers played an instrumental role in developing the Ballona Creek waterway in Los Angeles, which helps drain the Los Angeles basin from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The section from the Pacific Ocean to Vista del Mar was started in 1938 and completed in 1939. The Vista del Mar to La Salle Ave section was started in 1935 and completed in 1936. The La Salle Ave. to Washington Blvd. section was started 1938 and completed 1939. The Washington Blvd. to Redondo Blvd. section was started in...