Colorado Sites

Interstate 70 travels through Glenwood Canyon, east of Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  The highway follows the route of the first road through the canyon, constructed under the Federal Bureau of Public Roads during the New Deal.

"Although included by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. in his Mountain Park System Plan of 1914, the land was not acquired until 1935. The park served as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp from 1937 to 1941. Surviving buildings and foundations date from this period."

This collection of buildings includes an elementary school, a gymnasium and a high school. The three buildings are located on a row along State St. and still serve as the primary educational facilities for the community. "Three stone buildings, a gymnasium flanked by an elementary and a high school, represent the work of several New Deal relief programs. Constructed over an eight-year period, the buildings provided employment in Kim during much of the Great Depression. Construction on the gymnasium began in December 1933 as a Civil Works Administration project. It was completed in the spring of 1935 after being transferred to...

An elementary school and high school, plus a gymnasium, were constructed by the New Deal for the rural settlement of Kim, Colorado.  The work was undertaken by three different New Deal agencies over a period of 8 years, 1933 to 1941.  History Colorado provides more details: "Three stone buildings, a gymnasium flanked by an elementary and a high school, represent the work of several New Deal relief programs administered in eastern Colorado.  Constructed over an eight-year period, the buildings provided employment in Kim during much of the Great Depression.   Construction on the gymnasium began in December 1933 as a Civil Works...

In the 1936-37, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) build the stone observatory (later visitor's center) at Land's End on the western tip of Grand Mesa. It was built in the Rustic Style popular in the early 20th century, of heavy basalt stone from the mesa and rough timbers. Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, around 500 square miles in area and 10,500 high.  It is entirely within the Grand Mesa National Forest. The observatory was shuttered when we visited, but not permanently closed, we hope.

The Land's End road up the western end of Grand Mesa was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933-34.  The main builders were 200 veterans enrolled in the CCC, who worked out of a CCC seasonal tent camp at the foot of the mountain; so, the project was long known as "the Veterans' Road". The road climbs up 9 miles up switchbacks to the rim of the mesa.  The hardest section, from Wild Road picnic area to the top, was completed by U.S. Forest Service employees in 1934-35. The road is still in use.

From History Colorado:  "The library is an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style as executed by Temple Hoyne Buell, a prominent Denver architect, developer, and philanthropist. The library was constructed in 1939 on the campus of the State Normal School for Western State College (now Western State College) with the aid of Public Works Administration funds. In 1964, a newer three-story building was attached to the northeast corner of the original library by way of a one-story corridor."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a caretaker’s cottage in Lincoln Park in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Lincoln School in Grand Junction CO. The two-story, brick building replaced a structurally-unsound school. The new Lincoln School building included fire safety features such as fire-resistsant, concrete construction corridors and stairways. The WPA crews also manufactured the brick used in the masonry walls of the school. The exact location and condition of the school are unknown to the Living New Deal.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built this octagonal stone shelter The shelter was designed by Denver architect J.J.B. Benedict in the popular parks rustic style of the time, using native stone and timber to blend with the natural setting.  Little Park was added to the Denver Mountain Park system in 1917.  We do not know exactly what year the shelter was built.

The Works Progress Administration completed improvement work for Lookout Mountain Road near Lookout Mountain, CO.

"Constructed in 1940, the Colorado Department of Highways designed the 123-foot long timber stringer bridge that includes six 20-foot long spans.  As one of the largest vehicular structures built by the Great Depression era Works Progress Administration, the intact bridge is noteworthy for its multiple spans and stone masonry abutments." The bridge carries State Highway 69 over Maitland Arroyo.

The Manitou Experimental Forest (MEF) is part of the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, located in Pike National Forest. "Built between 1937 and 1939, this collection of six architecturally significant sandstone buildings represents some of the finest Depression-era construction in Colorado. As one of only two experimental forest stations in the state, the property is also significant in the areas of conservation and agriculture. The WPA constructed the buildings as part of the Farm Security Administration’s Fountain Creek Southeast Project."   (www,historycolorado.org)

"Built by Works Progress Administration volunteers in 1933, the Meadow Park Shelter House offered park-goers shady respite before the floods left it in ruins. The emergency grant allows this beloved shelter to remain and be enjoyed."   (https://www.historycolorado.org) The facility was restored and remodeled in 1997 and is listed on the state historic register. Unfortunately, a recent note on the town website explains: "Sadly, the 2013 September flood waters completely destroyed most of the original structure, leaving basically only the chimney still standing. Plans for a new shelter are still pending."   (https://www.townoflyons.com)

The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) assisted in the financing of two bridges over Monument Creek in Colorado Springs's Monument Valley Park. "The two other major construction projects in the park during the 1930s were the replacement of the Uintah Street and Mesa Road bridges which had been washed out by the Memorial Day flood. The city received a Public Works Administration (PWA) loan and grant totaling $99,133 to cover the cost of the bridges. Each Art Deco style bridge was a 242-foot, three span, concrete and steel structure with concrete abutments and two concrete piers in the streambed.  Given the widening...

Mesa Verde National Park was signed into existence by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. Its goal is "to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world." Occupying roughly 80 square miles in southwestern Colorado, the park features "numerous ruins of homes and villages built by the Ancient Pueblo peoples, sometimes called the Anasazi. There are over 4,000 archaeological sites and over 600 cliff dwellings of the Pueblo people at the site." (Wikipedia) During the New Deal period, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted extensive work throughout the park. "The contributions of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to the Historic Landmark were...

The Lake Clara bridge, boat house, band shell and retaining wall were all built by WPA workers of native limestone and are still standing. The bandshell was completed in 1938.

"In 1939 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) fenced the Cemetery and installed the first rock gateway and cement markers to identify individual lots."

Cortez, Colorado's historic Montezuma County Courthouse was constructed during the Great Depression. The project was enabled by federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a grant of $29,235 toward the project, whose eventual total cost was $64,966. Construction occurred between October 1936 and July 1937. The building, which has since been added to, is still in use today. PWA Docket No. CO 1082

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a county jail in Montrose, CO. The two-story structure was built of store quarried locally. The federal expenditure was $18,514. Local sponsors contributed an additional $9,348. While not still in use the building, which bears a 1936 inscription and a plaque crediting the WPA with its construction, still stands. The plaque reads: Erected through the cooperation of federal, state and local governments by Works Progress Administration Dedicated to the enrichment of human lives A record of permanent achievement

Monument Valley Park is a two mile stretch of public park land along Monument Creek. It was originally created in 1904-1907. Multiple New Deal agencies contributed to the park's development and improvement during the 1930s. Flood control was a huge component of Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) work. "The park was a major focus of Works Progress Administration efforts in the city following the Memorial Day flood of 1935.  Projects such as cleaning flood debris from the park grounds, rechannelizing and riprapping Monument Creek, restoring the buildings and structures that survived the cataclysm, and erecting a variety of stone monuments and structures...

Moraine Park, a large valley in the southeastern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, was  purchased in 1931 by the National Park Service, which cleared the area of most of its former private resort structures. In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a thorough remodeling of the building to convert it into Rocky Mountain National park’s primary museum. In 1935-36, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was called upon to build an amphitheater, designed by the National Park Service, next to the museum. It an seat 500 people. (Brock, p 43). It was added to the national register listing for Moraine Park...

Moraine Park, a large valley in the southeastern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, is home to the Moraine Park Museum.  The building was formerly a private lodge built in 1923.  Both Moraine Park (a glacial valley) and Moraine Lodge were purchased in 1931 by the National Park Service, which cleared the area of most of its former private resort structures. In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a thorough remodeling of the building to convert it into Rocky Mountain National park’s primary museum. The exterior of the museum building has been preserved in its original form as a typical rustic...

"In the midst of the Great Depression, the county commissioners took advantage of a federal construction grant from the Public Works Administration to match county funds toward the erection of a new courthouse to replace a 1907 building. The 1936 courthouse is a good example of the Art Deco style and an important work by the major Colorado architect Eugene G. Groves. During the lean Depression years, Groves stayed busy completing commissions on several PWA-funded projects."

Multiple New Deal agencies worked to develop and otherwise improve Pueblo, Colorado's historic Mountain View Cemetery during the 1930s. "Major improvements to the Mountain View Cemetery began with 1933-1934, CWA Projects. The CWA crews enclosed the ornamental iron fence on Beulah, Sprague and Northern Avenues within a cobblestone wall, built four large arched entrances on Northern Avenue and cobblestone walls around the cemetery and orphanage properties. This work was done in conjunction with other CWA and WPA, street, sidewalk and sewer improvement projects. They also remodeled the Sexton’s home and provided a small addition that served as the cemetery office. WPA crews...

The Mount Morrision Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp was constructed in 1935-36 and used until 1941.  The young men stationed there were the labor force that built the magnificent Red Rocks Amphitheatre and improved Red Rocks Park. The camp is still intact and serves as the maintenance yard for Red Rocks Park. Fourteen of the original fifteen CCC buildings remain. The camp is part of the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre Historic District, listed on the national register in 1990 and declared a National Historic Site in 2015.    

This building was constructed by the WPA in 1940.

"Constructed in 1933-1934 as a Civil Works Administration project, the two-story building, of painted concrete housed the police station, fire department, and town clerk. Community dinners, school activities, and various other family gatherings took place in the building. No longer used as a town hall, the building is in use as the Northern Drylands Museum (2008.)"

"On September 2, 1935, the Town of Hugo submitted a Works Progress Administration project proposal for the construction of a 'concrete swimming pool together with bathhouse, landscaping and grading and other necessary work to complete a City Park.' Actual construction began a year later. Work halted twice, once so the WPA crew could finish the Hugo gymnasium/auditorium project and again in July 1937 for the crew to mix and spread poison bait in the regional battle against grasshoppers. The still unfinished facility opened to the public on Saturday, June 18, 1938. The bathhouse is a good example of WPA Art...

The Works Progress Administration built a municipal swimming pool in Fort Morgan CO. The five-acre pool was built in a swamp area. The condition of the original, WPA-built facility is unknown to the Living New Deal.

New Deal funding helped build a nursery in the city of Pueblo, CO. The structure was 13,260 sq ft and was built of native stone. The nursery was built for working mothers and it served approximately 200 children. The federal expenditure was $31,610.  

The Overland Trail Museum was built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration to commemorate the Overland Trail, allegedly America's "heaviest traveled road" from 1862 to 1868. The original building "was made of native rock and designed after the early trading forts. In the past 65 years much has been added, not only to the structure, but to the collections which have been donated by local citizens." ("Overland Trail Museum.")

The Works Progress Administration built an overpass that eliminated a grade crossing in Pueblo, Pueblo County CO.

"Palmer High School is located at 301 North Nevada Avenue in Colorado Springs. The present building was built by the Works Progress Administration under Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940. Originally named Colorado Springs High School, Palmer High School was re-named in 1959 after the city's founder, General William Jackson Palmer."

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant that covered about half the cost of building a new high school in Paonia CO in 1938-39.  The school closed when a new high school was constructed in the neighboring town of Hotchkiss to serve Paonia and surrounding small towns in Delta County. The old high school building is two-stories, with a set-back second story, clad in sand/buff brick.  The style is stripped-down Moderne, with the only decoration a horizontal banding at the upper window line and abstract bas-relief over what was presumably the original entrance.  The crummy roof-line trim is from a...

"Constructed by the Public Works Administration (PWA), the Phillips County Courthouse represents President Roosevelt’s New Deal legislative agenda to bring America out of the Great Depression. The courthouse is the only surviving PWA project in Phillips County and the most intact of all the county’s New Deal projects. The brick building with terra cotta trim is an example of the Moderne style applied to a government building constructed with PWA funds and designed by a prominent Denver architect, Eugene Groves. The building is associated with the governing of Phillips County, serving continuously as the courthouse since 1936."   (www.historycolorado.org)

"Constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938, the Pleasant Valley School presents an important visual record of the federal relief programs administered in Colorado’s eastern plains during the Great Depression. Though the dire economic conditions of the Depression affected all of Colorado, drought and dust storms hit the agricultural-based economy of the Eastern Plains especially hard. President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal legislative agenda to rescue the United States from the Great Depression included the creation of an unprecedented number of policies, programs, and agencies to provide relief, employment, conserve natural resources, and assist in construction of public works—all with...

The downtown post office and federal building was constructed by the federal Treasury Department in 1937.   The style is Neoclassical Moderne, clad in sandstone-colored brick, with three central vertical elements for the entrance and windows on the facade, faced with white marble. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.  

Built in 1937 with federal funding. The historic downtown post office in Englewood was completed in 1938 with funds provided by the Treasury Department. It is also the site of Boardman Robinson’s 1940 mural, “Colorado Stock Sale,” painted with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and viewable in the lobby.

The historic post office in Florence, Colorado was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which bears a standard cornerstone for the era, also houses an example of New Deal artwork. The facility is still in service. "Constructed in 1936, the building is a particularly well-crafted example of Art Deco-flavored Neo-Classicism. It is the only local example of this motif and is a symbolic legacy of the federal government’s role in aiding communities during the Depression." (www.historycolorado.org)