Los Angeles Sites

One of 4 bridge projects in Los Angeles financed from funds set aside by the Federal Government to be used on grade separation projects. On these projects the State acted as an agent for the Federal Government, contracting and supervising the construction." "Another grade separation on Soto Street is between Pico Street and Washington Boulevard where the heavy vehicular traffic along Soto Street has been carried under two structures which support the Omaha to Los Angeles main line and the Pasadena tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad. AUTO TRAFFIC DETOURED This subway provides for clear width of fifty-six feet of roadway with five...

South Park 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...

A 1939 report on WPA work in Southern California described the construction of Stocker Avenue: "Work Projects No. 1638 and 7240, sponsored by Los Angeles County, was constructed to provide outlet facilities to Crenshaw Boulevard for the residents of the Baldwin Hills District, lying between Crenshaw Boulevard and La Brea Boulevard and is a link in the route from this district to Inglewood and the beaches. The work consisted of grading and surfacing with rock and oil approximately 612,000 square feet of roadway and installing a drain consisting of 300 lineal feet of concrete pipe, ranging from 30" to 54" in diameter,...

The  New Deal Federal Public Works program contributed to the construction of this Los Angeles viaduct. In June 1934, California Highway and Public Works magazine reported the following: "A concrete viaduct that replaced a dilapidated 29 year old wooden and steel bridge. Difficulties were encountered due to construction taking place without interfering with the heavy traffic by vehicle and Pacific Electric trolley on Sunset in particular. In addition to the traffic interference, there were pole lines carrying a maze of trolleys cables and wires. There were conduits, sewers and gas lines. All of this service had to be maintained. The temporary...

In January 1935, California Highway and Public Works magazine reported that 3.2 miles of street had been resurfaced from Figueroa St to Hillhurst Avenue by a Federal Public Works project costing $65,000.

A WPA wall located along along the West side of Sunset Boulevard, near North Benton Way. Several WPA plaques adorn the wall, including some that have been recently incorporated into graffiti-murals.

An Annual Report from 1932-33 of the Los Angeles Board of Park Commissioners described early New Deal work in the park: "This is one of the most important parks in Los Angeles to picnickers. Practically all State Societies and other large groups hold their picnics here as there are ample facilities in the way of accommodating crowds, speaker platforms, and a public address system. In the Arroyo, east of the park, 15,840 lineal feet of new roads were constructed, with the help of Reconstruction Finance corporation and County Welfare workmen, which caused the removal of 73,500 cubic yards of dirt. Rip-rap...

The PWA built this large concrete bridge over Figueroa St.

President of the City Council Pomeroy Powers, persuaded the city in 1904 to construct a park along Alvarado Terrace. Originally called Summerland Park, the park was soon renamed Terrace Park. The park included a fish pond, rosebeds, an underground tool shed, and a full-time gardener. The park was later remodeled with only grass and trees. There is a small strip of brick-paved street at the north end of the park known as "Powers Place" that holds the distinction as the "shortest street in Los Angeles." The park and brick-paved street were declared a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM #210) in February 1979....

'This building is one unit of the docket covering general harbor development and improvement at Los Angeles. It has an area of 4,800 square feet and houses a 300,000-pound capacity Southwark Emery universal testing machine, as well as complete physics and chemistry testing laboratories for testing all types of materials used in construction.' (cost: $65,500)

Thomas A. Edison Middle School (formerly Junior High School), which opened in 1926, 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...

Thomas Jefferson High School was one of many schools in Los Angeles, CA, that benefited from refurbishment funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) following the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. 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. Jefferson High School's 45-unit Streamline Moderne campus, designed by architect Stiles O. Clement, was completed in 1935. According the Los...

In 1937, Ross Dickinson painted "History of the Recorded Word" in the Thomas Jefferson High School library (Los Angeles, CA) with Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Arts Project funding. The mural is comprised of four panels, each 10' by 5.5'. The panels depict the history of printing, with subjects including hieroglyphs, manuscripts, and modern printing. After six months of research, Dickinson painted the mural in five weeks. According to the Los Angeles Sentinel (one of the most influential African-American newspapers in the Western United States), "Dickinson was employed as an art teacher at the Art Center School of Los Angeles and needed...

Artist Ross Dickinson designed two tile mosaics for Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. He received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). The mosaics "give glimpses of Indian pueblo life, one showing the influence of the crafts taught by the mission fathers" (Wells, p. 23). According to a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal, "The greatest single patron of Federal art among the schools of the Los Angeles system is Thomas Start King Junior High School, whose principal is Dr. Alice Ball Struthers. The possessions of that school could well serve as a model and be...

This sculpture by Djey el Djey, entitled "The Vanquished Race" (or "The Vanishing Race"), was commissioned by the WPA's Federal Arts Project (FAP) in 1936. It is located at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. "Mr. Djey el Djey is an earnest young man, justly proud of this, his first real successful piece," noted a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal. "'Vanquished Race' was of such merit that it was featured as the cover picture of an issue of the no New York magazine Art Digest. It was also reproduced in the London 'Studio' line with...

Artist P. G. Napolitano painted a pair of murals, titled "Spirit of the Fiesta," at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. The two 9' by 12' panels—featuring a male and female figure—are located above the north court balcony. Napolitano 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...

Artist James Redmond painted a small mural, titled "California Horsemen," at Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. He received funding from the Federal Arts Project (FAP). Redmond reportedly preferred "California Horsemen" to the large mural he painted at Banning High School in Los Angeles, CA (Wells, p. 21). His other New Deal–funded works in the region include a post office mural in Compton, CA. According to a 1937 article in the Los Angeles School Journal, "The greatest single patron of Federal art among the schools of the Los Angeles system is Thomas Start King Junior High School, whose principal...

Twentieth Street Elementary School, which opened in 1902, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. It does not appear that any PWA buildings survived another round of reconstruction in the 1980s. 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...

Twenty-Fourth Street Elementary School, which opened in 1904, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. The school appears to have been rebuilt yet again in the 1950s or 60s, although the PWA auditorium may remain—confirmation is needed. 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...

Built between 1937 and 1940, the U.S. Courthouse was the third federal building constructed in Los Angeles, CA. At the time of its completion, it was the largest federal building in the western United States. According to the U.S. General Services Administration's registry of historic buildings, "Gilbert Stanley Underwood was selected to design the building as consulting architect to the Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department. The actual plans were prepared by the Supervising Architect's Office. Underwood was acclaimed for his public architecture. His work includes lodges in National Parks, over two dozen post offices, a number of...

This oil on canvas by Edward Biberman entitled "Los Angeles - Prehistoric and Spanish Colonial" (1938) was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts at the time of the building's construction. It was removed from the building when the post office moved out in 1965, but was restored in 2003. A second mural by Biberman, "Creative Man" is still in storage.

This limestone sculpture, "Law" (1941), depicting a young woman with a tablet stands across the lobby from James Hansen's "Young Lincoln." The informational plaque near the sculpture reads: "The Fine Arts Section of the U.S. Department of the Treasury commissioned this 8' sculpture by Archibald Garner (1904-1969) in 1939, based on an open and anonymous competition available to all sculptors west of the Mississippi for the decoration of the Los Angeles Post Office and Courthouse lobby. The sculpture was installed in 1941 and is carved from one block of Indiana limestone, primarily by hand. Inscribed on the tablet which the figure...

This limestone sculpture, "Young Lincoln" (1941), by James Hansen depicts a young, shirtless, pensive Lincoln holding a book. It stands across the lobby from Garner's sculpture of "Law." The informational plaque describes the statue: "The Fine Arts Section of the U.S. Department of the Treasury commissioned this 8' sculpture Young Lincoln by James Hansen (1917-) in 1939 based on an open and anonymous competition available to all sculptors west of the Mississippi for the decoration of the Los Angeles Post Office and Courthouse lobby. 'Young Lincoln' was exhibited in the Works Progress Administration Building of the 1939 New York World's Fair...

Lucien Labaudt painted two large-scale paintings for what was then the Los Angeles Post Office and Courthouse, "Life on the Old Spanish and American Ranchos" (1939), and "Aerodynamism" (1941). Both were removed when the post office moved out of the building in 1965, but were restored to the courthouse in 1993. "Aerodynamism" is a 256 square foot oil on canvas on the ceiling. It was restored and reinstalled in 1993. The 8' x 14' "Life on the Old Spanish and American Ranchos" is in the Spring Street lobby. It was restored and reinstalled in 1993. The informational plaque for the painting describes...

These cast stone eagle facades decorating the outside of the courthouse were carved by Henry Lion in 1938 with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The WPA improved the campus grounds in the 1930s.

In February 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) granted Los Angeles, CA, $304,000 to begin street realignment and improvements necessary for the construction of a new railroad station. The project in its entirety was expected to employ 350 to 400 men. In 1926, Los Angeles voters were given the opportunity to choose between the construction of a network of elevated railways or a new railroad station. They chose the latter by a 61.3 to 38.7 percent margin. Union Station—which would consolidate the city's existing Central and La Grande Stations—was to be located at the historic Los Angeles Plaza. However, preservationist Christine...

Artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright designed a series of tile mosaics for University High School (now University High School Charter) in Los Angeles, CA. The work was funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). The mosaics would "fill lunettes (arched window spaces which have no windows) and will treat of music, art, and literature " (Wells, p. 24). Macdonald-Wright was supervisor for the Southern California division of the FAP from 1935 to 1943. He is considered "an important proponent of the nonrepresentational styles of art on the New Deal projects" (Kalfatovic, p. 370). Macdonald-Wright's other New Deal–funded works in the region include murals at the...

University High School Charter, which opened in 1922, was renovated with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) between 1934 and 1935. The school's architectural style is distinctive, recalling Spain's Alhambra or the Romanesque of Northern Italy. 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...

"FOUR grade separation projects recently completely in Los Angeles are at Mission Road, Soto Street and Valley Boulevard, Soto St between Pico Street and Washington Boulevard, and at Firestone Boulevard. These projects have been financed from funds set aside by the Federal Government to be used on grade separation projects. On these projects the State acted as an agent for the Federal Government, contracting and supervising the construction. The projects were intended to relieve labor and carried the condition that" as far as practical, labor was to come from the relief rolls and that labor be confined to one hundred...

"The sculptural enhancement of the entry of Van Ness Elementary School is reminiscent of the Gothic style. ArchitectsNoerenbergand Johnson were responsible for the design of the 1923 building."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed six sets of pergolas—known as "pagodas"—along Ocean Front Walk on Venice Beach (Los Angeles, CA). The pagodas were restored/reconstructed in 2000. The City of Los Angeles' Venice Beach Ocean Front Walk Refurbishment Plan noted that they would "be restored in either wood or recycled wood plastic materials suitable to retain historic character and appearance of the pagodas could also allow for durability and easy, long-term maintenance . The five sets of pagodas that do exist will be fully restored. In reviewing the historic photos for Venice Beach, it is clear that the original design of...

Venice High School, which opened in 1911, was rebuilt with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) after the original neoclassical campus suffered extensive damage in the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. The architectural firm of Austin and Ashley designed the new Moderne-style buildings, which were erected between 1935 and 1937. In January 1934, the PWA allocated $9,380,000 to the Los Angeles Unified School District for the rehabilitation of schools damaged in the 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...

Grace Rivet Clements and Helen Lundeberg painted two 18' by 33' frescoes for Venice High School (Los Angeles, CA) in 1941: “History of Southern California” and “History of Early California.”  The frescoes were funded by the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP) and the artists were assisted by Aurel J. Leitner, Edwin T. Emery, Miriam Farrington, and Serena Swanson.  The two murals are located in the school library. Sylvia Moore writes that the frescoes "narrate the history of California in unrelated vignettes that seem to float across the walls of the library. On the east wall is the History of Early California,...

The Vignes Street bridge is a large concrete viaduct carrying railroad traffic to Los Angeles's Union Station.  It was funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, i.e., Public Works Administration (PWA), during the Great Depression and completed in 1938. The bridge is still in use today.

Vine Street Elementary School, which opened in 1909, 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...

Virgil Middle School (formerly Junior High School), which opened in 1914, 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...

In 1939, Bessie Pierce Heller (assisted by Grace Measham) painted a mural, "The Map Makers of the World," for Virgil Middle School in Los Angeles, CA. The mural, a two-panel encaustic fresco located in the school library, received funding from the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). The south wall features Leif Erickson landing on Vineland, Marco Polo at the court of Kublai Khan, and Columbus landing on the Bahamas. The north wall features Magellan passing through stormy straits, Captain Cook exploring the South Sea Islands, and Admiral Byrd in Antarctica. The mural is signed “Federal Art Project W.P.A. ‘39” on the...

Under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), artist Rex Sorensen created a pair of wooden relief sculptures. One depicts a woman, boy, cougar and deer with a tree in the background; the other depicts a man bent over a deer. Now located in the library at Virgil Middle School in Los Angeles, CA, the rear of each relief is inscribed with the artist's name and "WPA Federal Art Project."

Virginia Road 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...