Santa Monica Sites

The magnificent Santa Monica City Hall, built in 1938-39, was largely financed by the Public Works Administration (PWA). Designed by architects Donald B. Parkinson and Joseph M. Estep, the building is a fine example of Moderne/Deco architecture. It is a long, low building with squared corners and a flat roof, two wings and a raised central section with a low, louvered tower. It has minimal decoration on the facade (e.g., bas-relief columns between the windows on the two wings), but noteworthy use of stepped edges to a protruding core and strikingly beautiful tile work around the front doors. The grand entry lobby...

Two large petrachrome murals by Stanton Macdonald-Wright flank the entrance to Santa Monica City Hall. Each one is two-stories high and wraps around a corner of the lobby. The murals would have been funded by the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP), since Macdonald-Wright was supervisor for the FAP's Southern California division from 1935 to 1943. Macdonald-Wright pioneered the petrachrome method, whereby a mural is painted with a liquid mixture of materials including crushed tile, marble and granite. The mural on the south side of the lobby is entitled "Recreation in Santa Monica" and represents popular spectator sports of the time, such as...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) renovated Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA, after it was damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Improvements included the construction of two Streamline Moderne–style buildings for $63,072 in WPA funds as well as tennis courts.

In 1936, the Works Project Administration (WPA) completed construction of a new Streamline Moderne–style campus for Grant Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. The school was designed by architects Donald Parkinson and Joe Estep, who would go on to design Santa Monica City Hall. Grant's original Virginia Avenue campus was one of four Santa Monica schools demolished after suffering severe damage in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. System-wide renovations cost $3 million dollars.

In 1935, the Works Project Administration (WPA) completed construction of a new Streamline Moderne–style campus for John Adams Junior High School (today's John Adams Middle School) in Santa Monica, CA. The original 1913 John Adams campus at Los Amigos Park was one of four Santa Monica schools demolished after suffering severe damage in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. System-wide renovations cost $3 million dollars.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed extensive structural bracing work on Lincoln Junior High School (today's Lincoln Middle School) in Santa Monica, CA.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) renovated McKinley Elementary school in Santa Monica, CA, under at least two separate projects.

Sculpted by Stefan De Vriedt in 1936, this four-foot cast stone sculpture of two children reading was funded by the WPA Federal Arts Project (FAP). Titled "Storybook Land," it is located in McKinley Elementary School's inner courtyard in Santa Monica, CA.

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) built a new runway for the Santa Monica Municipal Airport in 1940-41. It was one of many WPA airport projects completed in the run-up to the Second World War. Santa Monica was, at the time, a key locale for aircraft development and production. "Designed especially for the heavier and faster craft of today, the new WPA-built runway, from which the famed B-19 took off on her maiden flight, was a certified national defense project sponsored by the city of Santa Monica. Begun December 30, 1940, the runway project more recently was classified as an 'expedite'...

In 1934, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) installed exercise equipment on Ocean Front Walk in Santa Monica, CA, immediately south of the Santa Monica Pier. Known today as Original Muscle Beach, the recreation area—which includes ropes, bars, swings, etc.—is considered the "birthplace of the physical fitness boom of the twentieth century." According to the City of Santa Monica's travel and tourism website, "What began as a venue for people in Santa Monica to watch acrobats, gymnasts, wrestlers, and stunt performers practice their fantastical acts for films being shot during the Great Depression (to distract people’s attention from their own financial crises),...

Federal aid funded the construction of the 3.5 mile stretch of the Roosevelt Highway—now known as the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and State Route 1—along the Santa Monica, CA, coastline. The funds apparently came from the Public Works Administration (PWA), though the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) was probably involved. The California State Division of Highways would have been responsible for planning and construction using private contractors. In order to build this section of highway, the state of California stepped in to purchase the land at the foot of the bluffs that front the beach so that work could be done...

An 18-foot art deco sculpture, "Santa Monica" by Eugene Morahan, is located in Palisades Park at the foot of Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, CA. It was created in 1934 with funding from the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP).

In 1939, the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, i.e., the Public Works Administration (PWA), funded the construction of a bridge connecting Ocean and Colorado Avenues with the famous Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA. "The bridge was constructed to alleviate traffic congestion that occurred as a result of economic development of the City, the local building boom and subsequent local population boom, and the ongoing popularity of the attractions on the Pier" (see Santa Monica Pier Bridge Replacement Project, pp. 2.7-15, 16). The Pier Bridge is a simple reinforced concrete roadway, supported by multiple pediments, spanning the Pacific Coast Highway...

The elegant New Deal post office in Santa Monica, CA, was constructed in 1937-38 with Treasury Department funds. It was sold off by the US Postal Service in 2012 (the fate of many classic post offices in the 21st century). Efforts to stop the privatization of the old post office failed, but the building was landmarked and the facade and lobby were saved. "In December 2013, 1248 5th Street LLC purchased the Santa Monica Post Office as creative office space for Skyspace Productions. Prior to the purchase, Santa Monica City Council agreed to accept a preservation covenant for the post office's exterior...

In 1937, Stanton Macdonald-Wright (assisted by Albert King) completed a tile mosaic wall panel for a drinking fountain at the old Santa Monica Public Library in Santa Monica, CA. He received funding from the Federal Art Project (FAP). The mosaic panel was presumably lost during the demolition of the old library (located at 503 Santa Monica Boulevard) in 1974. However, Macdonald-Wright painted a mural, “Invention and Imagination" (1935), in the library's reading room that has subsequently been reinstalled at the new Santa Monica Public Library, one block away. Macdonald-Wright was supervisor for the Southern California division of the FAP from 1935 to 1943....

An enormous mural cycle by Stanton Macdonald-Wright, entitled  "Invention and Imagination," hangs in the Santa Monica Public Library.  It consists of 30 panels painted on plywood and covers a total of 2,000 square feet.  The mural cycle was created under the auspices of the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) in 1934 and completed in 1935. In the original installation in the old Santa Monica Public Library at 503 Santa Monica Boulevard, the murals covered all the wall space in the reading room. When that library was torn down in 1965, the mural panels were put in storage at the Smithsonian...

The Works Progress Administration's (WPA) modernization of Santa Monica High School between 1935 and 1938 represented the largest reconstruction project undertaken by the Santa Monica City School District following the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The WPA remodeled and retrofitted the school's two-story Academic & Administration Building (later the History Building), Manual Arts & Commerce Building, Fine Arts & Household Science Building, Library/Student Center, and Girls’ Gymnasium. Their "'earthquake-resistive construction' designed to withstand shocks greater than those felt in Long Beach. Bearing walls were reinforced with steel and coated on the exterior with stucco. Gabled roofs were replaced with shock-proof,...

Barnum Hall Theater was one of three new buildings constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at Santa Monica High School between 1935 and 1938 as part of the largest reconstruction project undertaken by the Santa Monica City School District following the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. "The high quality of design of the new auditorium building suggested not only the importance of this facility to the growing high school, but also the degree of civic pride associated with this new community amenity. Designed by noted Los Angeles architectural firm Marsh, Smith & Powell, it displays the smooth surfaces, curved...

Originally painted for Santa Monica High School's library in 1935—likely under the auspices of the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP)—Conrad Buff's mural "Westward II" was being stored in Barnum Hall as of 2018.

In 1937, Grace Clements adorned a 30-foot curved bench at Santa Monica High School with petrachrome mosaics depicting ocean life. Created under the auspices of the WPA Federal Arts Project (FAP), "Senior Bench" is located in a landscaped area south of the Greek Amphitheater. Clements used the petrachrome method "whereby tinted cement mortar mixed with crushed rock, glass, or tile is applied to the mural surface, with different colored sections delineated by strips of brass. Once hardened, the cement is polished to create a bold, striking appearance. This method was developed by Santa Monica artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright while he was serving...

This 4' by 3' cast stone relief entitled "Comedy, Tragedy, Music" was produced by Olinka Hrdy in 1937 with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. It is located on the primary (east) façade of Barnum Hall and depicts stylized Greek comedy and tragedy masks as well as musical instruments. According to a 2018 Historic Resources Group report, "some sources credit this piece to Ella Buchanan and Stefan de Vriendt, but this appears to be erroneous" (p. 24).

A 5x5-foot carved wood bas-relief depicting four "Workers" is located in the library over the circulation desk. It was produced in 1937 with Federal Art Project (FAP) funds. The artist is unknown. "Research suggests that the art piece was salvaged around 1970, when the library was relocated from the English Building to the Language Building and the original library space was converted to classrooms" (HRG Report, p. 89).

Artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright designed two murals for Barnum Hall Theater at Santa Monica High School. The works were funded by the Federal Arts Project (FAP). In 1938, Macdonald-Wright completed a mural titled "Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla" upon Barnum Hall's asbestos stage curtain. The following year, he completed an 8x8-foot mosaic titled "Landing of the Vikings in Vinland" in the theater's foyer. 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). His other New Deal–funded...

Several New Deal art works grace the Santa Monica high school campus, including a 7-foot-high cast stone sculpture titled "The Viking." Located on the patio between the Art and History buildings, the sculpture was created by John Palo-Kangas in 1937 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). "The sculpture is set upon a rectangular concrete basin which has been capped. The backdrop for the sculpture is composed of patterned blocks with a stylized wave design"—blocks which "also appear in the foyer of Barnum Hall and around the main entrance of the History Building" (HRG Report, p. 24).