San Francisco Sites

"It started out in 1933 as the Crocker Amazon Reservoir site, 55 acres at Geneva Avenue and Moscow Street belonging to the Public Utilities Commission. In 1934, the Recreation Commission requested and received permission to develop the property for recreational purposes, and truck farmers, who had been working the land, were paid for their leases. The Recreation Commission leased 42 acres for $150 per month. From 1934-1937, workers from the WPA (Works Progress Administration) developed the playground, grading the baseball diamonds and installing a sprinkler system." - https://www.parkscan.org/parks?parkId=205 '(42 Acres) Geneva Avenue and Moscow Street. ... Excavation and placing in embankment 21,000...

Rehabilitated and completed most of museum building, ventilation and heating.--Healy, p. 71. Unfortunately, this building was severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It was eventually demolished and replaced with the new structure which opened in 2005.

Built 16 sets of horseshoe courts for local use.--Healy, p. 67. The park was the property of the San Francisco Unified School District and is the current site of the Zaida T. Rodriguez Child Development Center

(10.48 Acres) 26th and Douglass Streets. Excavated and removed 5,700 cubic yards of loose rock, constructed a rubble masonry wall and faced 12,000 square feet of slope with rubble masonry; installed 3,500 pipe feet of irrigation system and 475 feet of drainage system; erected 1,550 lineal feet of chain link fence, a standard convenience station; spread loam and planted 130,000 ice plants; built ball field and irrigation system. This is an example of what a city can do with worthless, abandoned quarry.--Healy, p. 62.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a major rebuild of the former Patrick Henry Elementary School (now the Downtown High School) in San Francisco, California. In December 1933, the San Francisco Board of Education decided to remodel the 3-story, wooden Patrick Henry Elementary School for seismic reasons and the work was carried out in 1935-36, replacing much of the old school with an elegant Moderne structure. In the 1950s, the rest of the old school was torn down and rebuilt to match the 1930s additions. According to Verplanck & Graves (p. 109): "The remodel, designed by architects Gardner A. Dailey and Wilbur...

The WPA worked on Duboce St. between Market and Mission.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved and paved Duncan Street during the Great Depression. Work consisted of 8,000 cubic yards earth and rock excavation and placing 1,000 cubic yards of red rock for surfacing from Hoffman to Kenyon Avenues. This street was conditioned like Brunswick and Silver Avenues to make them useable.--Healy, p. 47. Hoffman Avenue, which presently ends north of Duncan Avenue, had extended straight through Duncan Avenue. Kenyon Avenue is unknown to Living New Deal.

These sidewalks still bear WPA stamps from 1940.

The WPA worked on Excelsior Playground in San Francisco.

7th and Harrison Streets. General improvements and landscaping.--Healy, p. 66. The park was eventually demolished in the 1940s to make room for the Bayshore Freeway.

"This large structure covering an entire city block was built by the Public Buildings Branch of the Procurement Division to house various Federal offices in San Francisco. It houses the Navy Department, Veterans' Bureau, War Department, Interior Department, the Weather Bureau, Forest Service, Public Roads Administration, Civil Service Commission, and the Employment Compensation Commission. The building is fireproof, constructed entirely of steel and reinforced concrete with the exterior walls faced with stone, and is designed to resist earthquake shocks. The lobbies have marble floors and walls, and the corridors have tile floors, marble base, and plaster walls. The project was...

The WPA worked on Fell St. between Van Ness Ave. and Baker St.

Landscaping of 40 acres in Fort Mason, San Francisco, San Francisco county. Planting trees and shrubs, seeding lawns. This project is a continuation of work begun under Federal Parks Project.--Mooser, p. 95.

Take up and relay approximately 800 lineal feet of railroad track serving Fort Mason, including new ties and ballast.--Mooser, p. 95.

Clear and level an area of 1 1/2 acres for the enlisted personnel of Fort Miley to use as a drill field and baseball diamond. This will involve moving 900 cubic yards of dirt. Erect a backstop of pipe and woven wire. Erect a spectators' grandstand--Mooser, p. 87.

Excavation for basement under barracks buildings Nos. 11 and 12, make apertures in concrete walls and install doors and windows. Install reinforced concrete floor.--Mooser, p. 95.

Construct a basement in Building No. 13 at Fort Scott. This consists of cutting holes for 6 windows and one door, removing 150 cubic yards of dirt and completely finishing the interior. Construct a log cabin complete 50' x 24' x 13'. Construct a glass porch 40' x 18' to the present Officers Club building. Construct a circular band stand 28' in diameter. Construct two sea going targets for artillery fire 25' x 12' x 19'. Tear down four war time Officers Quarters -- remove nails, salvage lumber, and beautify locality.--Mooser, p. 85.

Landscaping and removing fire hazards on 403 acre military reserve adjacent to Fort Scott, San Francisco. Tree trimming and clearing under brush, constructing fire breaks, removing fallen logs and debris, thereby removing a serious fire hazard. And planting ice plant to stop wind erosion of sand dunes.--Mooser, p. 89.

Leveling lower half of Fort Scott Parade Grounds; moving 30,000 cubic yards; plant field with grass. Lower end of field will be a ball diamond with backstop and grandstand.--Mooser, p. 87.

Widen 15,600 linear feet of existing roads from 10 feet to 30 feet; this will involve paving 34,700 square yards with emulsified asphalt. Surface 3,200 linear feet of existing roads; this will involve paving 10,600 square yards with emulsified asphalt. Construct 14,000 linear feet of safety fences to be made of 6' x 6' redwood posts 8' on centers with 2' x 6' railings.--Mooser, p. 88.

Fort Winfield Scott served as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) training and supply facility. Between 1933 and 1939, Fort Mason, which was under Fort Scott’s command, was the supply center for the several hundred CCC camps on the Pacific Coast. Fort Winfield Scott was also the first stop for CCC rookies. Here, they received their enrollment certificates and standard-issue equipment, and did their first drills, before moving on to camps throughout California. Included in this entry are primary source materials from artist Leon Bibel, who was enrolled and discharged from the CCC at Fort Winfield Scott. The materials include Bibel’s CCC...

This PWA-built school has 12 classrooms.

Rehabilitated an abandoned building, for use by W.P.A. workers on white collared projects.--Healy, p. 65.

350 seats, concrete.

Concrete, 2-story addition, 2 rooms.

The October 3, 1938 Daily Pacific Builder reported that PWA funds $47,562 has been allotted for the construction of addition to what was then the Franklin Middle School.

The WPA worked on Franklin St. between Market St. and Bay St.

Built clubhouse as a neighborhood improvement, containing clubroom with fireplace, kitchen and office, directors and caretakers.

The WPA worked on Fulton St. between Franklin and Masonic.

The WPA worked on Funston Playground in San Francisco.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved the safety conditions for traffic and students at Galileo High School by constructing a pedestrian underpass under Bay Street. Built reinforced concrete tunnel connecting school and field; removed old 20 inch sewer and installed new 20 inch cast iron sewer; placed the asphalt pavement, tile, brick and plaster ornamental iron and electric work. The underpass provided a safe passage way from the school to the field and eliminated a bad hazard.--Healy, p.72.

A reinforced concrete one story building at 19th Ave. between Taraval and Santiago Streets, designed to conform to the general character of neighborhood, to be used for storage of equipment and service tools of Street Cleaning Division.--Healy, p. 49.

This improvement extended from Mission Street east to county line near Bayshore Boulevard, involving excavation and fill for sub base for roadway, sewer construction including catch basins, manholes, culverts, and appurtenances, removal of tracks, ties, poles, conduits and fixtures, moving water mains, fire hydrants etc., replacing all publicly owned utilities. This project developed another connection link in the State Highway System providing an entrance to Bay Shore Highway and the Livestock Pavilion from the outer Mission District.--Healy, p. 48.

George Washington High School in San Francisco was built with the help of Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. It was completed in 1937.   "This building was constructed to reduce overcrowded conditions in other senior high schools. It has 39 classrooms, boys' and girls' gymnasiums, a large auditorium with stage, a small music hall with platform and sloping floor, numerous special service rooms for sewing, cooking, bookkeeping, and other subjects." (Short and Stanley-Brown, p 240) The high school was part of a larger funding 'docket' from the PWA covering 12 elementary and high-school buildings in San Francisco.  The construction cost of Washington...

Auditorium: 1,850 seats including balcony. Concrete, terra cotta trim. Choral room, band practice room, instrument storage. Athletic field: football field, track, ROTC drill area (boys); basketball, tennis courts, volleyball (girls).

  Victor Arnautoff's fresco entitled "Life of Washington" consists of thirteen panels and totals 1600 square feet. It was produced with the assistance of FAP funds.  

This project was originally assigned to Beniamino Bufano, but was awarded to Johnson instead when the WPA fired Bufano. This 1942 frieze entitled "Athletics" covers the back wall of the football field and still stands today. Supposedly, “WPA officials objected to the political content in Bufano’s design and assigned Johnson to take over the project. According to Richard McKinzie, Bufano was fired when WPA officials learned that he had used the Marxist labor leader, Harry Bridges, as a model for the frieze.” The circumstances surrounding this conflict ended a long friendship between the two artists. -Found SF

This 5'6" x 27' fresco mural "Advancement of Learning Through the Printing Press" by Lucien Labaudt was completed in 1936 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project.