Olathe Sites

Still an integral part of the Kansas School for the Deaf campus, this building, originally built as a dormitory, was constructed as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The core of the building is now known as the Stanley D. Roth Administration Building, and is flanked by residences on either side. Based on a 2023 visit, the building bears no cornerstone or PWA plaque. It is across the street from the Museum of Deaf History, Arts and Culture. Short and Stanley-Brown: This new dormitory for the State School for the Deaf replaces old buildings constructed more than 60 years ago which were...

Olathe's municipal website identifies a pool located at the site of the present Mill Creek Pool as a New Deal project: "A swimming pool was built under the Works Progress Administration in 1934. It was located in the City Park at Poplar and Woodland." However, as the WPA didn't come into being until 1935, it is probable that the New Deal organization in question was in fact a precursor agency: the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). More research into this question is needed. Furthermore, it is unclear to Living New Deal whether the original structure has been replaced.

The Shelter House/Chapel was constructed with native limestone in 1937 as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) project and renovated in 1984. The one-story, asymmetrical Mission-style chapel now houses the cemetery office. Oriented west, the building features an L-shaped footprint. The facade, located on the west elevation, has a parapet roof with a bell tower capped with brick trim. Two angel sculptures sit on each side of the bell tower. Two replacement doors are centered at this elevation. An opening with a replacement window also is located at the main elevation near the southwest corner of the chapel. An...

Olathe's historic former Colonial-style post office was built in 1938 as a New Deal project. The building cost $90,000 to construct. Postal operations relocated within downtown Olathe in 1981; the building has housed Olathe's city hall. When the municipal building relocated ca. 2012-15 it became Gurdwara Nanak Darbar Sahib, a Sikh house of worship. A New Deal mural created for the building has since been relocated.

The 1940 New Deal mural, "The Mail Must Go Through," was created by Albert T. Reid. Commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, the 6' x 13' oil-on-canvas work was originally installed in the former Olathe post office on South Cherry Street. Per on-site plaque: "The mural depicts the harrowing undertaking of delivering the mail in the time of the stagecoach. The solitary driver pushes his horses from his seat on the stagecoach as snow and wind pummel them and slow their progress. Artist Albert T. Reid skillfully illustrates the spirit of determination and perseverance which is the keystone of...