Alabama Sites

Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Early Industry of Dale County" painted in 1938 by Kelly J. Fitzpatrick. Still hangs in the old post office building, now used as the County Board of Education. "The Ozark panel was the first of two murals painted by Wetumpka artist John Kelly Fitzpatrick, with Phenix City the second. Fitzpatrick was awarded the commission on the basis of work he had done under TRAP, an earlier Treasury program. He actually proposed several different themes, including a scene from local history depicting a famous battle between Samuel Dale and local native Americans, a decorative and allegorical...

Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Cotton," painted for the Phenix City post office by Kelly Fitzpatrick in 1939. The mural still hangs in the old post office. "The Phenix City panel was the second of two murals by Fitzpatrick, a Wetumpka artist, with Ozark the first. Its theme is the southern cotton crop. Before it was installed in the Phenix City post office it was exhibited at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and described in the local newspaper: 'The subject of the mural is a cotton growth cycle showing the various steps from the planting of the seed to...

Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Chief Tuscumbia Greets the Dickson Family" painted in 1939 by Jack McMillan. The mural still hangs in the former post office, now Tuscumbia City Hall and Municipal Court. "McMillan, a New York artist, chose the theme of his mural after visiting Tuscumbia shortly after receiving the commission. The Section had proposed that he consider using Helen Keller, but the residents of Tuscumbia suggested the arrival of Michael Dickson and his family. McMillan actually produced sketches using both themes and the Section office chose the Dickson panel as "unusually handsome in its simplicity and plastic qualities."...

This Section of Fine Arts mural entitled “The Letter Box” was painted in 1938 by Anne Goldthwaite. Goldthwaite, a Montgomery artist, used the suggested Section theme of postal history for both of her Alabama murals, this one and her panel in Tuskegee. In this panel she shows a group of rural children eagerly gathering to await the daily mail delivery. (Alabama Moments)

Medium: oil on canvas Section of Fine Art "mural entitled "Removal of the County Seat from Daphne to Bay Minette" by Hilton Leech in 1939. It was restored and moved to the current post office building in 1987"

The historic post office in Carrollton, Alabama houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Farm Scene with Senator Bankhead," a mural painted by Stuart R. Purser. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The historic post office in Eutaw, Alabama houses an example of New Deal artwork: the mural "The Countryside" by Robert Gwathmey. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and completed in 1941.

Frank Anderson painted this oil-on-canvas mural, entitled "Spirit of Steel," in 1938 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the Fairfield post office lobby.  

The historic Luverne, Alabama post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Cotton Field," a mural commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, painted by Arthur Getz in 1942. Alabama Moments: "Getz received the commission for Luverne on the basis of designs he had submitted for a competition for the War Department building. As a northern artist he was warned by the Section when he proposed the theme of cotton: "It will be necessary for you to acquaint yourself thoroughly with the appearance of a cotton plant as the individuals using this post office will be especially observant on...

The Section of Fine Arts oil-on-canvas mural entitled "Harvesting" depicts a farmer using a three-mule team to pull a threshing machine across a wheat field. Painted for the Monroeville post office by Arthur Leroy Bairnsfather in 1939, it was restored in 1985 by John Bertalan, a native of Birmingham. Bainsfather won an open competition conducted by the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture under contract to WPA.  He was paid $680. “A.L. Bairnsfather, of Birmingham, submitted three initial sketches to the Section after his invitation to do the Monroeville mural. The Section chose a harvesting scene even though Bairnsfather suggested to...

A Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Early Settlers Weighing Cotton" was painted in 1938 by William S. McCall. The work is installed in the historic post office in Montevallo, Alabama. "McCall, at the time from Jacksonville, Florida, received the invitation to do the Montevallo mural in 1938 on the basis of designs he had submitted for a competition in Miami. He immediately visited Montevallo and chose the theme of cotton and settlement of the region because,in his words, "Montevallo was a very important little town to the cotton industry of the State in the early days." The postmaster, in the...

A Section of Fine Arts fresco entitled "Shipment of the First Iron Produced in Russellville" was painted for the Russellville, Alabama post office in 1938 by Conrad A. Albrizzio. "The mural for Russellville turned out to be one of the most controversial in Alabama. Albrizzio submitted two sketches of local industry shortly after he was invited to undertake the commission. The Section office chose the scene of a local quarry over that of an early iron mine. The Section apparently made their decision in early July 1937 and by the end of the month they had received numerous telegrams in protest...

Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "The Road to Tuskegee" painted in 1937 by Anne Goldthwaite. It was restored and moved to the new Tuskegee post office in 1996. "In addition to depicting local scenes, Goldthwaite, a Montgomery artist, used the suggested Section theme of postal history for her Tuskegee panel, as she did with her other mural in Atmore." (https://www.alabamamoments.state.al.us/sec49det.html)

Section of Fine Arts three section plaster relief entitled "Alabama Agriculture" installed in 1940 by Constance Ortmayer in the Scottsboro post office. "Ortmayer was teaching at Rollins College in Florida when she received the invitation to do a panel in Scottsboro. She chose a theme based on Alabama agriculture, especially cotton and corn. She described the final images: "Three phases of cotton growing form the theme of the central panel. On the right the cultivation of the crop is symbolized by the young man working with a hoe among the new plants. Opposite a young woman is depicted picking ripened bolls,...

The Federal Works Agency built prefabricated defense housing at Sheffield. “Construction of 250 units was assigned to the Tennessee Valley Authority for industrial workers in the Muscle Shoals area.” The exact location and status of these buildings is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

Haleyville, Alabama's historic public library building was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds during the 1930s. The city has utilized the building as the community's library since the post office moved out in 1970. The building also houses a New Deal mural, presently in questionable condition.

This Section of Fine Arts tempera-on-canvas mural “Saturday in Enterprise” was painted by Virginia-born artist Paul Arlt for the Enterprise post office in 1941. Arlt received the commission on the basis of an entry in the 48 States Competition, depicting a city scene of downtown Enterprise at the corner of the famous boll weevil monument. The mural now hangs in the Enterprise public library.

The egg tempera-on-gesso mural "Reforestation" was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts under the Treasury Department and installed in what was then the post office for Haleyville, Alabama in 1940. "When the post office moved in 1970, the city took over the old post office building. Since then, the mural has been painted over at least 3 times. Three silver dollar sized areas of paint have been removed by an art conservator. The local historical society is in the process of raising funds to have the entire mural uncovered--upwards of $25,000." (newdealartregistry.com)

The Public Safety Building, originally constructed as the State Highway Building, at 500 Dexter Ave. in Montgomery, Alabama, was "erected with the aid of WPA funds". The building, designed by Warren, Knight, and Davis of Birmingham, is still in service, housing offices for many agencies of the State of Alabama.  

This Classical Revival style public building was constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds as Selma's City Hall. Today, the building is used by the police department, fire department No. 1, and the municipal court.

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) and, later, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted substantial construction and improvement work at Queen City Park in Tuscaloosa, Alabama during the 1930s. CWA labor constructed roads and tennis courts, and drained fields for baseball diamonds. WPA labor constructed nature walks featuring stone walkways and bridges. The Queen City Park Pool was a WPA project as well.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided funding and labor for construction of what was then known as the Queen City Pool and Pool House at Queen City Park in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The WPA supplied $100,000 of the $125,000 total cost of the construction project. The facility now serves as the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum. Wikipedia: "Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's apprentice Don Buel Schuyler, the Queen City Pool served the citizens of Tuscaloosa from 1943 through it closure in 1989. It was constructed as a ... Works Project Administration relief project of the Great Depression. The site features a poured concrete...

In 1934, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved a $1 million loan to the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad Company (GM&N), from the New Deal’s Public Works Administration (PWA).  Out of this money came two streamliners: Rebel trains 352 and 353.  The Rebels ran a route from Jackson, Tennessee to New Orleans, from 1935 to 1954.  They appear to have been scrapped in 1962. (Note: In 1940, GM&N was merged into the new Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (GM&O) Railroad.) The red and silver Rebels were designed by Otto Kuhler and constructed by American Car & Foundry.  The locomotives (“powercars”) had 660 horsepower Diesel...

The Civil Works Administration conducted multiple road repair projects in Leeds, Alabama. CWA Project No. 37-C-386: completed; "paved street repairs". Work began Nov. 20, 1933. CWA Project No. 37-C-387: completed; a road repair project for what was then known as "4th Avenue South" (now, Ashville Road SE / Eliot Lane). Work began Dec. 18, 1933. CWA Project No. 37-C-368: 90% completed as of Mar. 31, 1934; "grading and drain streets". Work began Nov. 20, 1933.

The historic former Russell County Courthouse in Phenix City, Alabama was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Presently titled the Justice Building, it is still operated by the county. The PWA provided a $42,340 grant for the project, whose total cost was $102,493. Construction occurred between December 1937 and November 1938. PWA Docket No. AL W1174.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) build a cross drain on Sardine Road, a Farm-to-Market Road connecting four farming communities—Sardine, Pineview, Wallece, Foshee—in the vicinity of Flomaton in Escambia County.

The Civil Works Administration of Jefferson County employed women in a school clean up project 37-C-348-2. Excerpts from the Report on Civil Works Administration of Alabama Jefferson County Division: "The clean-up of Birmingham Public Schools and Public Buildings enabled the employment of white and colored unskilled women, and constituted cleaning of walls, dusting of walls, polishing furniture and brass, washing windows and woodwork, and various duties the principals of the schools could outline in order to create cleaner, healthier and more attractive schools, not conflicting in any way with any of the work outlined for the janitor or maid, such as mopping...

The Works Progress Administration built the Shields Bridge over Blackwater Creek in Jasper, Walker County. The Shields bridge was the first one of seven other identical bridges built in Walker County.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Slossfield Community Center. Constructed between 1936 and 1939, the complex consists of several buildings that included a health and maternity clinic, an education building, and a recreation center. The Art Deco structures were designed by architect E. B. Van Keuren. The Health Center opened on July 1, 1939 and was one of many community healthcare facilities built by the WPA throughout Alabama. The center provided publicly-funded care for low-income patients who had no access to private healthcare. The Slossfield Community Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 29,...

"Smithfield Court is a low-rental housing developmenterected in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, fully financed with P.W.A. funds. A site of 22 acres on which were located some of the city's worst slum dwellings, was purchased at a cost of $458,600 or 48 cents a square foot. After demolition of the dilapidated dwellings, a group of fireproof structures was erected covering 27 percent of the land area and accommodating an average of 58 rooms to the acre. The development consists of a series of 1- and 2-story row houses and includes a community building. It provides 1,638 rooms divided into...

The federal National Youth Administration (NYA) constructed the historic Snow Rogers Community Center in 1939. It is located north of Gardendale, Alabama, across from Snow Rogers Elementary School.

The Public Works Administration built new State-owned docks that replaced the old docks in the Mobile Channel.  

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an 18-mile portion of State Highway 12 connecting Andalusia with Brewton. The road was re-graded, widened to 30 feet, and received a 21-foot blacktop surface over a sandy clay base. This was a joint project of the WPA, Alabama State Highway Department, and Escambia County.

The WPA Guide to Alabama states: "The State Judicial Building ... was completed in 1926. It is a three-story building of reinforced concrete, brick, and Indiana limestone, originally designed in the modern mode with Edyptian Mosque motif. In 1932 the Temple was sold to the State, and in 1938 it was converted into a building to house the Supreme Court and Appellate Court of Alabama, the attorney general's office, and a law library. The remodeling work, under the direction of Warren, Knight and Davis, was carried out as a joint enterprise of the State and WPA. The oriental motif has been...

The Civil Works Administration conducted a street and drain improvement project in Irondale, Alabama. CWA Project No. 37-C-160: 80% completed as of Mar. 31, 1934; "streets & drains". Work began Nov. 22, 1933.

The Civil Works Administration conducted a street and drain improvement project in Lipscomb, Alabama. CWA Project No. 37-C-52: completed; "streets & drains". Work began Nov. 27, 1933.

The Civil Works Administration conducted a street improvement project in Cardiff, Alabama. CWA Project No. 37-C-162: completed. Work began Nov. 23, 1933.

The Civil Works Administration conducted a street repair project and a sidewalk construction project in Warrior, Alabama. CWA Project No. 37-C-161: completed; "misc. street repairs". Work began Nov. 20, 1933. CWA Project No. 37-C-1857: 40% completed as of Mar. 31, 1934; "highway walkway". Work began Jan. 20, 1934.

The Civil Works Administration conducted a street improvement project and a sidewalk repair project in Fairfield, Alabama. CWA Project No. 37-C-369: "streets". Work began Nov. 20, 1933; 95% complete as of Mar. 31, 1934. CWA Project No. 37-C-1606: sidewalk repairs". Work began Mar. 1, 1934; 80% complete as of Mar. 31, 1934.

The Works Progress Administration built a public pool in Carbon Hill circa 1937. The exact location and condition of the structure is unknown to the Living New Deal. According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, “The Great Depression hit Carbon Hill particularly hard as the coal mines on which it depended for three-quarters of its employment and income shut down completely. With the monetary aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Public Works Administration (PWA), which was supplemented by local sponsors, many Carbon Hill residents found work on projects that improved the town's infrastructure. In addition to street improvements, townspeople helped put in a new...