Indianapolis Sites

Annexes to the original federal building and courthouse dating to 1905 were completed in 1938. The entire structure was renamed for the late politician Birch Bayh in 2003. From the visitor's guide to the complex: "Originally half its current size, the Court House was expanded in 1938, with the east and west wings of the building extended and connected by a new north corridor. After the expansion, the building filled the entire block, rose to five stories on the north side, and incorporated two portals at the northeast and northwest corners to allow access for postal vehicles." Thus, the New Deal construction...

The Birch Bayh Federal Building annex (the rear portion of the building, toward E. New York St.) features two vehicular entrances—one at the northeast and one at the northwest corner of the building. They are capped by identical limestone friezes, titled "Distribution of the Mail." Visitors' Guide: "In 1939, Herron School of Art instructor David K. Rubins carved the limestone spandrels and keystones over the driveway entrance arches on the 1938 North Addition. He carved them in place. Mr. Rubins is also known for creating the statue of Young Abe Lincoln, which sits on the Indiana State House lawn, and the bronze cherub...

"Mail, Transportation and Delivery" and "Early Present Day Indianapolis Life" are two sets of murals painted by Grant Christian in 1935-6 with funding from the Treasury Relief Art Project. The artwork, which is not accessible to the general public, consists of multiple vertical panels. The medium is oil on canvas. U.S. Courts Visitors' Guide: "In 1935, Grant Christian, a 24-year old graduate of the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, won a competition run by the Treasury Relief Art Project, a Depression-era program, to produce murals for the Court House. Located in the southwest corner of the third floor, the panels on...

The historic Broad Ripple Station post office in Indianapolis was constructed in 1940-41 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

"Suburban Street" is a 1942 Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Suburban Street" by Alan Tompkins. The size of the mural is 11'9" x 5'2" and the medium is oil on canvas. The work is installed in Indianapolis's historic Broad Ripple Station post office.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a community building near Washington Park in Indianapolis, Indiana. The building is located at the northeast corner of 30th St. and Lasalle St., and appears to be part of a church property.

The Works Progress Administration built the historic former Inland Naval Armory, also known as the Heslar Naval Armory. According to historian Glory-June Greiff, " the stunning WPA-built Naval Armory, the work of architect Ben H. Bacon, has graced the bank of the non-navigable White River since before its dedication in October 1938.  At the time of that first publication, the glorious Art Moderne building still somewhat served its original function and was gloriously intact outside and in, including the over-the-top nautical decor of the Officers’ Mess.  The interior was originally fitted with a simulated navigation bridge and many other accoutrements of a naval...

In 1938, through the Works Progress Administration (WPA)—presumably by way of its Federal Arts Project (FAP), the mess hall and gymnasium of the now-former Heslar Naval Armory in Indianapolis "were decorated with 12-by-15-foot (3.7 by 4.6 m) murals depicting famous naval battles and events."

Multiple New Deal agencies: the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) and the Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) contributed to the development of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Projects included the Coliseum, WPA Barns, and a WPA Tunnel.

"Architect Merritt Harrison considered this building his finest creation. PWA (Public Works Administration) funds made it possible for the Fair Board to build this structure, which was to be a “Livestock Pavilion.” Harrison used tan brick and Indiana limestone on the exterior. The style is Art Deco. When you go inside, notice the ticket booth grilles--cast brass in the form of ears of corn. On the outside, notice how most of the corners are rounded or stepped back, a hallmark of the Deco style. Like the track, the Coliseum has been used for many events. It was the best and largest...

"Built by WPA as an example of an ideal modern farmhouse and later used as an officer’s club during WW II. Built of concrete block, the house includes an attached garage, wiring, plumbing, and other modern conveniences."

"This building was originally constructed by the WPA in 1936 as an exhibition hall. From this area behind the Home and Family Arts Building you can see the upper floor living quarters for seasonal fair workers. Also, this open parking lot used to house the DNR's wooden display buildings from 1915-1950."

"The State Fair Board has recently restored a number of these wooden buildings. They were all built with WPA funds. The WPA was one of several of FDR’s New Deal alphabet soup programs designed to help jobless workers during the Great Depression. The WPA provided funds for various public work projects around the state, and a good many here at the Fair Grounds. These barns were built to replace some of the older horse barns on the Fair grounds. Many of the buildings on the fairgrounds during the 1890s were temporary buildings, or were moved from the Camp Morton site....

"Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the tunnel provided a way for automobiles to park in the infield."

Federal funds, via the Public Works Administration (P.W.A.), enabled $195,000 of construction work of the then-in-progress World War Memorial. P.W.A. Docket No. IN 2200

What was then Indianapolis Municipal Airport, now Indianapolis International Airport, was completed as part of a massive New Deal project, with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It is sometimes difficult, from sources, to differentiate work done at this facility and work conducted at the now-demolished Stout Field. Some of these references may instead apply to that airport, another site of extensive WPA work. WPA Project No. 165‐1‐52‐108. Total funds: $1,212,000. Sponsor: War Department. In 1937 it was written that the WPA "built new runways at the airport, helped to install three instrument approach systems, established a radio...

This Art Moderne-style building, designed by the architectural firm of McGuire & Shook, was constructed through a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant of $98,000 in 1936. The school has been repurposed as a living complex: Roberts School Flats. Per their website: "Roberts School Flats boasts an impressive and relatively unknown past. Built in 1936, it was funded with grant money from the post-Depression era Public Works Administration’s New Deal and generous donations from its namesake, local philanthropist, James E. Roberts and his wife, Henrietta. Roberts School Flats is truly a surviving piece of Indianapolis history. Once on Indiana Landmark’s 10 Most Endangered...

The $3.2 million Lockefield Gardens, a public housing project, was funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The project was completed in 1938, abandoned during the mid-1970s and "redeveloped in the 1980s with new apartment buildings and rehabilitated units." "Due to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, the Public Works Administration started funding fifty low-cost public housing projects in twenty states from what were previously slum areas. Indianapolis was chosen to have one of these renovations; it would be the first major public housing within Indiana's capital city. This land originally had 363 residences, of which only one was seen as "habitable"....

What was then Stout Field was developed as part of a massive New Deal project, with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It is sometimes difficult, from sources, to differentiate work done at this facility and work conducted at what is now Indianapolis International Airport. Some of these references may instead apply to that airport, another site of extensive WPA work. Per The Indianapolis Star, "More than 600 WPA workers also prepared Stout Field for entry into World War II by upgrading the facility that had originally opened in 1927. The control tower and hangar were designed...

The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) supplied an "unprecedented" $3,120,000 loan to Charles W. Chase to "expand further the Indianapolis system and buy even more state-of-the-art cars." These efforts helped increase patronage of the street car system by 25%, and "apparently reversed a trend everybody said was inevitable." P.W.A. Docket No. IN 5582

Stuart Hall was constructed in 1939-40 with New Deal funding, presumably from the Public Works Administration (PWA) (then under the Federal Works Administration).  The building, which is named after Arsenal Tech's first principal, stands in the center of the 75-acre Arsenal Technical High School campus. Stuart Hall is a long, four-story brick building with a central bell tower that holds a carillon. It is meant to echo the look of the original Civil War arsenal building on campus, but in the Moderne (Deco) style popular in the 1930s, done by Pierre & Wright architects. The bell tower has three narrow windows...