• Applegate Park - Merced CA
    "n 1937, the Merced City Council applied for a Works Progress Administration project to construct a new park -- a park that would cost about $41,000 total, with the city providing $9,800 and the federal government $30,800. Included in the new park would be seven acres of lawn, more than a mile of water pipe, demolition of the grandstand and bleachers in the old park's athletic field, a new fence, pens for animals and birds, duck pond, and deer shed, along with trees, shrubs, flowers and landscaping... The project required 590 man-months of labor, according to G.E. Winton, the city engineer at...
  • John Muir Elementary School - Merced CA
    John Muir Elementary School, the largest school in Merced at the time, was improved with WPA funds. There is also still a WPA stamp on the sidewalk in front of the school.
  • Lake Yosemite - Merced CA
    "Lake Yosemite, despite its vast shores and native sands is entirely man-made, right down to the splendid beach you might call your summer home away from home. The water, of course, rests in an artificial reservoir that once provided the city of Merced with its drinking water, but now serves as the lifeblood of this area's ag industry. What might come as a surprise is the fact that the sand for the main beach at Lake Yosemite was hauled from the Merced River in Cressey by a team of Works Progress Administration workers. The local WPA program also created restroom facilities, new piers,...
  • Merced County Fair - Merced CA
    "Improve Merced County Fairgrounds near Merced, in Merced County, by grading and leveling grounds, preparing and planting lawn, planting trees, repairing race track, and performing incidental and appurtenant work. In addition to projects specifically approved. County-owned property." WPA Project No.465-3-2-642, Approval Date May 23, 1938, $3,573, Average Employed 78, Total funds $3,673.
  • Merced County Welfare Building (former) - Merced CA
    This building is still standing. Since its days as a welfare building, it has housed the Merced Municipal Court and a community theater. One wing is now occupied by the court traffic division and the other by the county sheriff's department. The central section of the building is now the county law library. The building is now known by locals as the Adobe. "The building was designed in the Mission Revival Style and constructed of locally made adobe blocks at a cost of $30,000.00. The central auditorium is flanked by two wings, mimicking the look of a Spanish Era California Mission....
  • Merced Irrigation District - Merced CA
    WPA workers cleaned Merced Irrigation District canals.
  • Merced Municipal Airport/Macready Field - Merced CA
    Both the original Merced Municipal Airport and the newer airport at this site were built with WPA funds. The earlier airport "was located off Highway 99 at the intersection of Snelling Road near the Santa Fe Railroad, three miles northwest of the city of Merced. Dedicated on 3 April 1932, the City of Merced had sought to expand its 66-acre site to 123.25 acres utilizing Works Project Administration (WPA) funds and in May 1936 had begun the task of expanding the property, grading and drainage of the field, construction of one 8-hangar unit and a cobble stone administration building." - https://www.militarymuseum.org/NewMercedAuxField.html "In 1940,...
  • Post Office - Merced CA
    The historic main post office and Federal Building in Merced, California was constructed during the Great Depression with Treasury Department funds. Now known as T.V. Bell station, the facility houses two examples of New Deal artwork. Construction of the building is sometimes mis-attributed to the WPA.
  • Post Office: Forbes Mural - Merced CA
    The historic post office and Federal Building in Merced, California houses multiple examples of New Deal artwork, among which is "Jedediah Smith Crossing the Merced River" a 6' x 8' tempera-on-plaster mural. The work, by Helen Forbes, was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
  • Post Office: Puccinelli Mural - Merced CA
    The historic post office and Federal Building in Merced, California houses multiple examples of New Deal artwork, among which is "Vacheros," a 6' x 8' tempera-on-canvas mural. The work, by Dorothy Puccinelli, was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.