• Anaheim High School - Anaheim CA
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded the reconstruction of the Anaheim High School after the Long Beach Earthquake of 1933. Damage to the school was not extensive but reconstructing the entire school was projected to be less expensive than merely repairing the buildings.  In 1935, State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) workers deconstructed the original buildings. Then construction of the new school began in the same year. The PWA contributed $111,000 while bonds raised an additional $275,000 The new art deco style main building, library and auditorium were dedicated in 1936. Then in 1937, a gym was built and financed partially by the...
  • Carnegie Library Mural (former) - Anaheim CA
    In 1934, the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) funded a large three-panel mural by artist Arthur Ames, which was displayed in the Carnegie Library in Anaheim, California. The mural has been relocated to the Anaheim Central Public Library in Anaheim, CA. As of October 2023, the two smaller side panels are still there, but they are not viewable by the public due to the threat of vandalism. The central panel is currently viewable to the public for free at the Anaheim Heritage Center, located inside of the Muzeo Museum. The central mural is oil on canvas, 92 by 56...
  • George Washington Elementary School (demolished) Renovations - Anaheim CA
    After the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake, Central Elementary School was reconstructed with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) and renamed George Washington Elementary School. During the project, carried out in 1938-39, all of the walls were replaced. Central Elementary School was Anaheim's first elementary school, opening in 1879. The reconstructed George Washington Elementary was repurposed in 1979 and finally demolished in 1998 to make way for the beautiful George Washington Park. There is a plaque on site that recognizes the significance of the location as being Anaheim's first elementary school, but does not mention the New Deal school that replaced it.
  • John C. Fremont School (former) - Anaheim CA
    The Public Works Administration (WPA) rebuilt the John C. Fremont High School in the years 1938-1939. The original John C. Fremont School was  built in 1901. In 1911, it served as an elementary school. Then in 1933, the school was severely damaged in the Long Beach Earthquake. This damaged version of the school was demolished in 1937 for the WPA project.  The school was named "for the California explorer, soldier, and presidential candidate of 1856." During the construction of the main building for John C. Fremont High School, there were two additional construction projects. One of the projects was a shop building...
  • John C. Fremont School Murals - Anaheim CA
    As part of the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), Arthur Ames completed two oil on gesso murals for the John C. Fremont School in Anaheim, California. They were painted for the entrance hall for the school auditorium. The original mural was 14 feet by 87 feet. The mural depicts a man, presumably a school teacher, surrounded by school children. The original murals are presumed to have been lost when the school building was redeveloped in the 1970s. The school closed because of high upkeep costs and low attendance. A housing tract was built.  A black and white image of one of the...
  • La Palma Park - Anaheim CA
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided $195,000 in funding to pay relief workers to develop La Palma Park in Anaheim, CA. Workers planted palm trees, built a playground, and built the baseball field, which is now known as Dee Fee Stadium, all remain intact. But the pond pictured in the historic photo has been filled in and replaced with a parking lot.
  • Loara Elementary School - Anaheim, CA
    The New Deal funded the construction of a new Loara Elementary School in Anahiem, CA. Partial funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The original Loara School was demolished and replaced in 1936. You can still visit a school bell which was a part of the original 1888 Loara School building. The school appears to have been rebuilt again in recent years.
  • Manchester Avenue - Anaheim CA
    In 1934, federal financing under the Hayden-Cartwright bill allowed for the grading and paving of 5.2 miles of Manchester Avenue from Buena Park to Anaheim in Orange County. Only small portions of the original road remain in Anaheim when Interstate 5 was built over most of the route in the '50s.
  • Modjeska Sculpture - Anaheim CA
    The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA), along with local sources (Rotary Club and City of Anaheim), funded a sculpture of actress Helena Modjeska. The sculpture was created by Eugene Maier-Krieg in 1934 and resides in the northeast corner of Pearson Park in Anaheim, California. Modjeska was an actress who first immigrated to Anaheim, CA from Poland. She went on to stardom as a Shakespearean actress, regularly touring the country. But she returned to Orange County often for vacation and eventually purchased property in the area. The front of the statue portrays Modjeska...