Long Beach Sites

This colorful 38' x 22' mosaic, "Recreation in Long Beach," was created under the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). Produced by a large group of artists—whose tile signatures surround the giant artwork—it was the largest WPA mosaic upon its completion in 1938. The mosaic depicts a variety of recreational activities associated with 1930s Long Beach, including swimming, croquet and horseshoes. Notably, it depicts both men and women at play, with a range of skin tones and dress, including uniforms. The mosaic originally adorned the Municipal Auditorium, which was demolished and replaced by the Terrace Theater. In 1982, the mosaic was relocated to...

Long Beach Polytechnic High School, which opened in 1895, was rebuilt with New Deal funding in 1935 after incurring extensive damage during the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. Buildings 100, 300, 400, 600, and the auditorium were designed by architect Hugh Davies in the WPA/PWA Moderne style. Polytechnic High's auditorium is of particular note. "During the repairs, the building was transformed from a Mediterranean Revival auditorium to a building that strongly evoked the WPA Moderne style. While the corner towers retained the look of three windows near the base of the structures, the domes as well as any arching was removed,...

Ivan Bartlett and Jean Swiggett—alumni of Long Beach Polytechnic High School—completed this tempera fresco, entitled "Industrial Activities in Long Beach," in 1938/39, under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). The mural, which wraps around an interior stairwell between buildings 300 and 400, measures 18 by 32 feet and depicts a crowded city scene of local people at work and play near the harbor.

Long Beach High School (the current site of Renaissance High School for the Arts) was built in 1935, likely with New Deal funding. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were...

Will Rogers Middle School was built in 1934 with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. Edward L. Mayberry designed Building A in PWA Moderne style. He also designed the Boys and Girls Physical Education Buildings in 1935, but it is unclear whether this too was a New Deal project. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent...

This mural, "Deep Sea Magic," by Oklahoma artist Olinka Hrdy was painted in 1939 and funded by the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). It is composed of two panels, each measuring 6' x 19', and is currently located in the foyer of Will Rogers Middle School. "The artist’s signature and 'Federal Art Project WPA; is written in the corner.... The mural depicts an underwater scene of marine life motifs. The background is a bluegreen sea with sea creatures, plants, and fish painted in a flat style with fine lines and detailing. One door (not original) is located on each wall...

The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. Originally constructed in 1921, Roosevelt Elementary School was rehabilitated in 1935 with assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were constructed with basic amenities...

Hill Classical Middle School (now Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science) was built in 1935, likely with New Deal funding. It is unclear if the 1935 structure(s) survived a 1957 addition/remodel. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings,...

Designed by William E. Webb in WPA/PWA Moderne style, Starr King Elementary School was built in 1934 with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were...

The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. Designed by Clarence N. Aldrich in WPA/PWA Moderne style, Stevenson Elementary School (Buildings A and B) was reconstructed in 1934 with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the reconstruction of Washington Middle School in Long Beach, CA, after the school was heavily damaged in the 1933 earthquake. The school reopened in 1935. According to the school's website, Washington Middle School was originally constructed in 1921 (with the addition of a shop building in 1926). The architects were W. Horace Austin of Long Beach and John C. Austin of Los Angeles. Curiously, the school history fails to mention the 1933 earthquake and the reconstruction paid for by the New Deal! Yet documents in the National Archives clearly state that the school was rebuilt...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the reconstruction of Washington Middle School in Long Beach, CA, after the school was heavily damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The school reopened in 1935. The school's website gives a description of the building's exterior artworks: "Washington's design details combine characteristics from all three phases of the Art Deco and Art Moderne architecture. The exterior has Streamline Moderne details. There is a low-relief profile of George Washington (1732-99) above the main entryway on Cedar Avenue. Recessed double vertical lines create the illusion of a two-story lobby area. The two Cedar Avenue entrances...

P. G. Napolitano painted a mural for Washington Middle School in Long Beach, CA. The mural, located in the school's science building, received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). “Mr. Napolitano’s main interest has always been in murals, which he executes in tempra (egg white), in frescoes, and in Sgraffito which he introduced here in creative work. Much of his work is marked by the omission of pretty detail and mere decorativeness until only the essential stand out; economy of line, rhythm, and strength are the three uppermost qualities” (Wells, p. 22). Napolitano's other FAP murals in the region are...

These storage tanks were built under the New Deal in the 1930s. They may be the tanks near the intersection of Redondo Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway—this half mile section of PCH was graded and paved under a federal grant in 1935—but confirmation is needed.

Whittier Elementary School was built in 1935, likely with New Deal funding. The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were constructed with basic amenities without cafeterias, libraries, auditoriums, swimming pools, or...

Originally constructed in 1926, Willard Elementary School was rehabilitated in 1935 with New Deal funding following the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. The style is WPA/PWA Moderne. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building materials were salvaged from damaged buildings, some schools were rehabilitated, and new schools were constructed with basic amenities without cafeterias, libraries, auditoriums, swimming...

Carlos Dyer, an alumnus of Woodrow Wilson High School, painted this WPA mural "Democratic Education" upon the asbestos fire curtain in the school's auditorium (also a WPA project) in 1940. At 22 x 44 feet, the mural depicts a multiracial group of students engaged in academic and extracurricular activities—including art, music, and sport—against a beach backdrop. In a nod to the city's aerospace industry, a plane flies overhead. "At its present state it is raised so that only the bottom few inches are exposed revealing the words 'Let us seek here truth in the name of liberty and peace, justice...

Woodrow Wilson High School, originally built in 1924, was rehabilitated by W. Horace Austin following the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake with $27,000 in Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. In 1937, the Works Project Administration (WPA) reconstructed the gym building. The 1933 earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building...