Adult Education – Rochester NH

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) managed an adult education program in Rochester, New Hampshire during the Great Depression. The program replaced a similar one that had been locally organized and funded. A somewhat disdainful attitude toward federal assistance is typified by this addition to the school report by the City of Rochester School Board.

“ADULT EDUCATION
Contrary to our plans of last year we have again organized adult classes under W. P. A. The work is devoted wholly to preparation for citizenship to meet the needs of about seventy residents of this city. Both afternoon and evening classes have been organized to
serve those whose employment limits their opportunity to attend class. The interest shown is most commendable and progress to date is very satisfactory. There can be no doubt that recent social security legislation has prompted the worthy ambition to attain citizenship. This department stands ready to assist in every way possible. In response to economic pressure Rochester several years ago abandoned the regularly organized evening schools which had been maintained with good results. It seems to me that such service should be restored on our own responsibility and without reference to government assistance. By so doing we can more fully meet the needs of our people than when subject to W. P. A. restrictions. This Board is asked to approve the organization of an evening school for the winter of 1937-38 and to make financial provision therefor in the budget. Completion of a part or all of the twelve grades of public school should not mark the termination of school service to our former pupils. A public obligation continues beyond that point.”

Sutter Bypass – Nicolaus CA

“An average of 118 men on WPA Project No. 5416 were engaged during the month in clearing the overflow channel of the Feather River north of Marysville and near Nicolaus. SRA Transient Camp No. 7 in the Sutter Basin furnished an average of 48 men for work on the east levee of Sutter By-pass, at Pumping Plant No.1 and No.2 and at the Sutter maintenance headquarters. It was impossible to work, in the Tisdale By-pass during this period on account of overflow.”

Walter Stokes School (closed) – Nashville TN

The Walter Stokes School in Nashville, Tennessee was undertaken with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. The Colonial Revival building was constructed with ten classrooms and a cafeteria. It temporarily housed Julia Green Elementary School and continues to operate as Walter Stokes Middle School following rejected plans to sell the property in 2010.

As of 2014: The school has been sold to the nearby Lipscomb University, a private Christian institution. For now, the building stands vacant and the grounds serve as a parking area for the college. It would not be surprising were the college to raze the building and build new facilities in the not-too-distant future.

Tennessee State University Improvements – Nashville TN

Tennessee State University was established in 1909 as Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State College, a land-grant college. It is the only state-funded historically Black college or university in Tennessee. The New Deal helped a great deal to build up the Tennessee A & I College campus in the 1930s.

Early in 1935, the college announced the opening of six new buildings on campus: Practice Hall, Administration and Health, Men’s Hall (East), Hale Hall, Wilson Hall, and Science Hall (Harned). These were almost certainly funded by the New Deal’s Public Works Administration (PWA). It is hard to imagine the college having the money for such a flock of new buildings in the midst of the Great Depression, and the PWA under Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes, was very favorable toward investing in educational facilities for African Americans (e.g., Pearl High School in Nashville and Howard University in Washington D.C.). Further confirmation is needed on this.

In late 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) allocated $148,183 for construction projects to expand A&I College facilities. These included two residences, 20 tennis courts, a field house, a football stadium, baseball bleachers, a track field, a stone fence, a stable and tool house, and lake equipment.

Bennington Local Protection Project – Bennington VT

The Bennington Local Protection Project was undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), in Bennington, Vermont during the Great Depression. Later reconstruction projects were handled by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

“The Bennington Local Protection Project is located along the left bank of Roaring Branch, a tributary of the Walloomsac River, in Bennington. The project protects Bennington from damage caused by the floodwaters of Roaring Branch. The project, about one mile in length, begins about 1,000 feet upstream of the Brooklyn Bridge and ends on Park Street. It consists of: Three sections of concrete floodwall with stone slope protection that total 1,472 feet. These include two sections of newly constructed concrete floodwall totaling 147 feet, and a 1,325-foot-long floodwall that was originally built by the town as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1939. The first section of floodwall, newly constructed, starts about 500 feet upstream of the Brooklyn Bridge and extends for 34 feet before tying into the second section of floodwall, which is the WPA floodwall. The third section of floodwall is located immediately downstream of the WPA floodwall and is 116 feet long.

During the floods of December 1948 and August 1950, a 725-foot-long section of the WPA-built floodwall was seriously damaged. The Corps reconstructed this section of floodwall as a small project under Section 208 of the Continuing Authorities Program. Construction was initiated in July 1951 and was completed in April 1952 at a cost of $196,000. This 725-foot-long section of the WPA-built flodwall was later incorporated as part of the Bennington Local Protection Project.”

Amphitheater – Mineral Wells TX

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) erected an amphitheater in Mineral Wells, Texas during the Great Depression. The natural rock, earth, and grass amphitheater behind the Lillian Peek Home Economics building in Mineral Wells was constructed in 1937. Both projects were recently renovated by the 50 Year Club of Mineral Wells.

Water System Extension – Oak Ridge LA

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook an extension of the water system in Oak Ridge, Louisiana during the Great Depression. Public utilities projects, including such water supply and purification systems, accounted for ten percent of all WPA spending during the period. The Oak Ridge water system project in the Morehouse parish employed 37 men.

Sewer System Enlargement – Bastrop LA

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook an extension of the sewerage system in Bastrop, Louisiana during the Great Depression. Approximately two thirds of all WPA spending on public utilities during this period was dedicated to the construction and repair of sewerage systems, which represented a significant public health concern.

The WPA provided an initial appropriation of $35,000 for enlargement of the Bastrop sewerage system in the Morehouse Parish of Louisiana. The project employed 175 men.

St. Roch Market Improvements – New Orleans LA

Established in 1875, in a Creole neighborhood northeast of the French Quarter, St. Roch Market is one of several public markets improved by the WPA in New Orleans in the late 1930s. By that time, the city supported 19 public grocery 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 public markets under the Market Rehabilitation program. This included making interior and exterior upgrades to six neighborhood markets and building two new ones. For the St. Roch Market, the WPA gutted the interior, replacing walls, pouring concrete floors and installing new
plumbing. The reworked interior included new stalls and refrigerated food display cases, a much-appreciated modernization. The WPA added ventilators on the roof and revised the front entry. The WPA turned the market from cramped dark stalls to an airy, hygienic space signifying progress. The building stayed in use as a fresh fish market until Hurricane Katrina struck. It reopened in 2015, as a cooperative culinary market, offering local produce, artisanal foods, coffee and oysters. It is one of the main landmarks of the St. Claude Corridor revitalization, and the only building improved by the WPA which still sells groceries.

Fountain of the Four Winds, Lakefront Airport – New Orleans LA

One of the results of the 1936 Works Progress Administration (WPA) airport beautification project was the Four Winds fountain and bas-reliefs by sculptor Enrique Alférez. The airport, originally Shushan Airport, was renamed New Orleans Municipal Airport, and then Lakefront Airport after the new airport was constructed. The airport was restored in a 4-year project following Hurricane Katrina damage, at which time Alférez’ bas-reliefs and murals by Xavier Gonzalez were uncovered. Alférez served as the director of the sculpture program for New Orleans WPA artists.