Los Angeles Sites

Artist Barse Miller painted a set of four frescoes at George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles, CA. The frescoes—located over four entrances, including that to the auditorium—were funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). Barse Miller was a teacher at The ArtCenter School in Los Angeles. His other New Deal–funded works in the region include a mural, “People of Burbank” (1940), at the Downtown Station Post Office in Burbank, CA.

Glassell Park Elementary School (today a STEAM Magnet), which opened in 1912, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of...

Graham Elementary School, which opened in 1924, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with me...

A 1939 WPA report lists: No. 3272 Los Angeles County Griffin Road Improvement, Little Rock Federal Contr. $18,963 Sponsor $2,018 Average No. of men employed per month 41 Months to complete 7 Project consists of a rubble wall and concrete ditch along the hillside emptying into the Arroyo Seco River

"On Oct. 3, 1933, tragedy struck in the Mineral Wells area of Griffith Park. More than 1,500 public-relief workers in the park came rushing to put out a brush fire. Some climbed down into the steep canyon to fight the blaze, but having no firefighting experience, 29 of the workers were engulfed by fire and died. Two years later the WPA rebuilt the clubhouse that had burned in the fire." - https://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-22/local/me-59618_1_wpa-art-projects/2 "Following the fire which destroyed the original clubhouse, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Work Progress Administration built the current Clubhouse in 1937. Constructed in the Spanish Revival Architectural Style, the Clubhouse...

The Astronomers Monument at Griffith Observatory is one of L. Archibald Garner's well-known public works. It was completed in 1934 with Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) support. The Monument pays homage to six great astronomers: Hipparchus, Nicolas Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, and William Herschel. Although the Monument was Garner's design, he worked with five other sculptors to sculpt and cast it. Each artist was responsible for one astronomer. (One of the artists, George Stanley, was also the creator of the famous "Oscar" statuette.) "On November 25, 1934 (about six months prior to the opening of the Observatory), a...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed three camps at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, CA, where they were stationed to carry out extensive improvements. The three camps, journalist Carren Jao writes, were "SP-13, which eventually was never used; SP-21, more commonly known as Camp Griffith Park and was visited by President and First Lady Roosevelt; and SP-40, which would eventually be occupied by Travel Town. All three sites would disappear from the park. The first was destroyed by fire of October 3, 1933. The latter two were dismantled as soon as CCC work in Griffith Park was deemed complete or near...

These classic Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) check dams and other stonework along Vista Del Valle Drive are yet another example of the extensive improvements the New Deal carried out in Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

Starting in 1933, the R.F.C, CCC, and W.P.A. initiated efforts at constructing a sprinkler system that would cover the hillsides in the park and turn on in case of wild fires. In part, the project was as a result of the death of 29 county relief workers that perished in a fire Oct. 3rd 1933. Over time, the system has broken down and is completely non functional. According to National Archives records, the W.P.A. also built a fire break as part of its efforts in Griffith Park.

Federal Art Project artist Uno John Palokangas (known as John Palo-Kangas) sculpted "Spirit of the CCC" (1935) for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) WWI Veterans Camp located at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, CA. Also known as "Iron Mike," the 10-foot Art Deco sculpture depicts a young man stripped to the waist and holding a shovel. World War I veteran Robert J. Pauley of Carmichael, CA, was the artist's model. Palo-Kangas told a reporter that the work would be called "Conservation of Man and Nature." President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the sculpture on October 1, 1935. During his visit to Los Angeles,...

"WPA funds were responsible for various projects in park, including construction of a 9 hole golf course on the former Griffith Reservation. At the urging of Mayor Frank Shaw, it was named in honor of President Roosevelt in 1937."

The CWA or the RFC (which early on in the New Deal directly hired temporary day labor) constructed a 12 court tennis complex in Griffith Park. Rubble wall construction typifies work done by the ND throughout the park.

A mission revival style building. In July 1933, the Illustrated Daily News reported that under various projects that were being initiated under the CWA and CCC in Griffith Park as part of the first large wave of mass employment projects was a club house and a sprinkler system for the golf course at a cost of $128,988. The plaque on the clubhouse though says Built by the United States Works Progress Administration 1937

In 1937, with Federal Art Project (FAP) funding, Charles Hulbert Davis painted a mural, "Drake's Landing in California – 1579," at the Hall of Records in Los Angeles, CA. Davis' mural was located in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, alongside FAP murals by Lorser Feitelson, Helen Lundeberg, and Buckley MacGurrin (see linked projects). The Hall of Records, built in 1911, was demolished after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The status of all five murals is unknown.

In 1937, with Federal Art Project (FAP) funding, Lorser Feitelson painted an oil-on-canvas mural for the Hall of Records in Los Angeles, CA. Feitelson's mural was located in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, alongside FAP murals by Charles H. Davis, Helen Lundeberg, and Buckley MacGurrin (see linked projects). The Hall of Records, built in 1911, was demolished after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The status of all five murals is unknown. Feitelson was the FAP's supervisor of murals in Southern California from 1937 to 1943. His other FAP works in the region include a mural at Thomas Alva Edison Middle School in...

In 1937, with Federal Art Project (FAP) funding, Helen Lundeberg painted an oil-on-canvas mural for the Hall of Records in Los Angeles, CA. Lundeberg's mural was located in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, alongside FAP murals by Charles H. Davis, Lorser Feitelson, and Buckley MacGurrin (see linked projects). The Hall of Records, built in 1911, was demolished after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The status of all five murals is unknown. Lundeberg's other FAP works in the region include a pair of murals, "Quests of Mankind" (1940), at Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park, CA; a pair of murals, "History of...

In 1937, with Federal Art Project (FAP) funding, Buckley MacGurrin painted two oil-on-canvas murals for the Hall of Records in Los Angeles, CA. MacGurrin's murals were located in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, alongside FAP murals by Charles H. Davis, Lorser Feitelson, and Helen Lundeberg (see linked projects). The Hall of Records, built in 1911, was demolished after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The status of all five murals is unknown. MacGurrin's other FAP works include petrachrome murals, “Santa Paula” and “Youth," at Santa Paula High School in Santa Paula, CA.

The former Hammel Street Elementary School was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. Hammel was demolished to allow for the construction of Esteban Torres High School, which opened in 2010. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told...

The Annual Report from 1932-33 of the Los Angeles Board of Park Commissioners describes federal involvement in the development of Hazard Park: "Work in this park consisted mainly in improving what is known as the west addition, or that portion of the grounds lying east of the Pacific Electric Railroad right of way to Soto Street. This land while a portion of the main park, lay undeveloped for a number of years because of lack of funds for its improvement. During the past two years, however, with the help of labor from Unemployment bonds and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation relief organization...

Hollenbeck Middle School in Los Angeles, CA, was designed by architect Alfred P. Rosenheim and constructed with PWA funding in 1936.

Dorr Bothwell painted this mural "Youth and Democracy" in 1938 with WPA Federal Art Project funding for the Hollenbeck Junior High School, also a New Deal project. From a 1965 oral history interview with Bothwell: MS. BOTHWELL: That was just a little thing. It was only two feet high, I think it was two feet high or two and a half feet high, and that ran two hundred and some odd feet. And we had all the costumes of the children of the world or all the costumes of the people of the world around the foyer of the theater. Above...

The Los Angeles Board of Park Commissioner 1932–33 Annual Report describes federal involvement in the development of Hollenbeck Park: "With Reconstruction Finance corporation and County Welfare labor it was possible to improve this park by resurfacing 4,050 square yards of old walks, as well as renovating and grading four acres of sloping hillsides. The park was further improved with the moving of six large trees, planting 28 new trees, 314 shrubs, and 1600 flowering plants. Fifteen hundred square feet of new lawn was also sown. All of this work greatly improved the appearance of Hollenbeck Park and added to its usability by...

Hollywood Bowl Improvements, WP 997, WP 2687, WP 6097, WP 4953, WP 9590, and WP 11052, sponsored by the County of Los Angeles, are designed to increase the beauty, add to the capacity and provide greater safety, convenience and comfort to the many thousand people attending Hollywood Bowl entertainments. The Hollywood Bowl is situated in a natural amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills. Its facilities are in constant demand for concerts, operas, ballets, conventions and many other activities requiring a large seating capacity. The 55 ton steel orchestra shell, built to add to the nearly perfect acoustics of the Bowl, proved to be...

George Stanley created this large sculpture "Muse of Music, Dance, Drama" for the Hollywood Bowl in 1938-1940, with funding from the WPA. "The monument was constructed from 1938 to 1940, as part of the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP). It was the largest of hundreds of WPA sculpture projects created in Southern California. It was described at the time as "an engineering feat...the entire hillside of this famous shrine made into a monument, in which are eleven hundred and eighty-eight tons of concrete, the forms of which are delineated by slabs of the same granite to the amount of two...

This sculpture "Muse of Music, Dance, Drama" is actually a fountain, created by artist George Stanley. Medium: concrete and granite Size: 200' l x 22' h Restoration Info: Restored and re-landscaped in 2006. "The Streamline Moderne-style fountain was built in 1940 by the sculptor best known for creating the Academy Awards' Oscar statue. Standing over the bowl's Highland Avenue entryway, it depicts the muses of music, dance and drama. The 200-foot long, 22-foot high sculpture was heralded as one of America's most ambitious art projects in 1939 when artists and craftsmen hired by the federal government for the Depression-era WPA Federal Arts Project began constructing...

Hollywood High School, which opened in 1910, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake. One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Hollywood High School's beautiful Streamline Moderne styling was designed by the architectural firm of Marsh, Smith and Powell. Built of reinforced concrete, the two-story Science Building ($208,968 in PWA...

Haldane Douglas painted a 42' x 16' mural, titled "Education," in Hollywood High School's library. The mural was funded by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and—upon the termination of the PWAP—the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). It was completed in 1934. Located above the library's circulation desk, "Education" depicts "the roots of modern civilization in Greek culture and emphasizing that which gives Hollywood its unique position in the world of entertainment. It was Mr. Douglas' first mural and a piece of which WPAP officials were not particularly proud" (Wells, p. 22). Featured in the mural is the Hollywood Bowl,...

In 1936, sculptor Merrell Gage created a frieze and free-standing pylon, titled "Honorable Achievements," for Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, CA. He received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). The pylon is located beside the south entrance to the Science Building. It depicts "figures representing various school activities: a track man at the take-off, a halfback about to pass, a girl picking botanical specimens, a chemistry student at work, a co-ed, and a graduate in cap and gown. Its inscription reads 'Achieve the Honorable'" (Wells, p. 24). Gage, an instructor at the University of Southern California and at the Chouinard...

In 1938, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Liberal Arts Building at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, CA. The PWA aided in the reconstruction of hundreds of Southern California schools after the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Built of reinforced concrete designed to resist earthquake damage, the Liberal Arts Building contained 14 classrooms as well as facilities for art and domestic science (Short & Stanley-Brown, 1939). It was featured alongside the Science Building in Hollywood High School's 1939 yearbook: "Two of the most beautiful buildings on the Hollywood High School campus house the six Academic Departments....

In 1938, artist Bartolo Mako created a bas-relief sculpture for Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, CA. The relief is located above the entrance to the liberal arts building, which was constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. Cast in concrete, the relief features historically important intellectuals—scientists, mathematicians, physicists, chemists, engineers, astronomers, and philosophers— including Euclid, Archemedes, Plato, Aristotle, (Luigi) Galviani, (Isaac) Newton, (Benjamin) Franklin, (Antoine) Lavoisier, (Leon) Foucault, and Galileo (Galilei). Mako was likely commissioned by the Federal Art Project (FAP), as sculptor Merrell Gage had been two years earlier to create a frieze and free-standing pylon for the south entrance...

The historic and grand Hollywood post office was constructed as a New Deal project. The building houses an example of New Deal artwork and is sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). "In 1937, renowned art deco architect Claud Beelman, then partner at Curlett + Beelman, could not have had any inkling that his WPA commissioned Hollywood Post Office Building, (located at 1615 Wilcox) would end up being a dead letter repository for love letters to such Hollywood luminaries as Clark Gable, Judy Garland, et al."

This wood relief "Horseman" by Gordon Newell and Sherry Peticolas depicts a man leading two horses. It was funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project in 1937.

The Annual Report from 1932-33 of the Los Angeles Board of Park Commissioners describes federal involvement in the development of Holmby Park: "Reconstruction Finance Corporation and County Welfare workmen helped install 6100 feet of curbing along the walks as well as completing 100 cubic yards of general grading work and the laying of 50 feet of new water system."

Holmes Avenue Elementary School, which opened in 1907, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the board agrees with...

Artist Lorser Feitelson painted two murals, "Henrick Hudson" and "Daniel Boone," flanking the auditorium stage at Hooper Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA. The murals—now missing—were likely funded by the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), as Stanton Macdonald-Wright's mosaic above the doors to the school auditorium was in 1936-37.

This colorful mosaic by Stanton Macdonald-Wright is installed above the doors to the auditorium at Hooper Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, CA. Entitled "Products of Nature and Inventions of Man," the mosaic was created under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP) in 1936-37. A 1936 article in California Arts & Architecture described the partially completed work: "This mosaic mural will be approximately eight feet wide by seven feet high. It symbolizes the products of nature and the works of man. The mosaic, a form of mural decoration developed by the Federal Art Project in southern California, is...

Washington Irving STEAM Magnet School (originally Verdugo Road Junior High School) in Los Angeles, CA, was constructed by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The Northeast Los Angeles River Revitalization Area Report describes the school as being built in 1936-37; a PWA plaque on the auditorium, however, bears the date 1939. The original buildings include the main building, a cafeteria, a gymnasium with two bas-relief sculptures near the roof, and an auditorium containing a Federal Art Project (FAP) mural by Ivan Bartlett. All these structures are still standing. The school is one of many schools in the LAUSD school system which were damaged...

Ivan Bartlett painted a mural, "Life of Washington Irving," at Washington Irving Junior High School (now Irving STEAM Magnet School) in Los Angeles, CA. Completed in 1936, the mural was funded by the Federal Art Project (FAP). Located in the auditorium's interior foyer, the mural depicts "characters and scenes from the works of American author Washington Irving, such as the headless horseman from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (Dunitz, p. 105). Bartlett's other New Deal works in the region include a mural, "Industrial Activities in Long Beach" (1938), at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, CA. He also assisted Norman Chamberlain with...

James A. Foshay Learning Center (formerly Junior High School), which opened in 1925, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1934-35. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the severe 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  One hundred and thirty schools would benefit from the system-wide loan and grant, with 2,500 men to be employed in rehabilitation work over 21 months. Upon receiving news of the PWA allocation, Board of Education member Arthur Eckman told the Los Angeles Times, “I am sure that every member of the...

In 1937, Saul Rabino painted a mural, "Moses—Hebrew Prophets," for the Jewish Home for the Aged in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. He received funding from the Federal Art Project (FAP). Inspired by the Los Angeles County Poor Farm in Downey, CA, the Hebrew Sheltering Association opened its Home for the Aged  in August 1915. The Home provided "housing to around forty full-time residents ranging from seventy to ninety-three years old, as well as daily kosher meals, clothing, and free religious services at Congregation Tiferes Israel (located just across the street on East First) to all of those...