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  • Library - Horton KS
    The historic Horton Public Library building in Horton, Kansas was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA supplied a $10,273 grant for the project, whose total cost was $22,838. Construction occurred between Aug. and Dec. 1938. PWA Docket No. Kan. 1348
  • Library - Sabetha KS
    The library in Sabetha, Kansas was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The PWA supplied a $21,375 grant for the project, whose total cost was $43,665. Construction occurred between Dec. 1936 and Jun. 1937. The building bears no cornerstone and no dedication plaque was on-site as of 2023. However, the building does bear multiple original fixtures. Per The Belleville Telescop, the library was also home to one of a number of Works Progress Administration (WPA)-established local county museums. The entire top floor of the new library in Sabetha was utilized for one of these WPA museums. PWA Docket No. 1186
  • Library (former) - Gridley KS
    The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a library on Main Street in Gridley, Kansas. The library is now in a newer facility. The location and status of the WPA library is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Lincoln City Park - Lincoln KS
    The National Youth Administration (NYA) built park facilities in Lincoln City Park in Lincoln KS. West of the entrance is a bandstand built by the NYA in 1938, and restrooms built by the NYA in 1937.
  • Main Street Water Lines - Parsons KS
    Oakwood Cemetery in Parsons, Kansas was improved by work undertaken by the Civil Works Administration (CWA). "Plans of the commissioners call for employing ... 64 on laying new water lines on West Main preparing for the new pavement ... They will start digging ditches along the side of the street. The old water lines were laid in the center of the street and they will be removed when the old pavement is torn up."
  • Manter Dam (not completed) - Manter KS
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) spent three years developing a dam and attendant reservoir west of Manter, Kansas that was never completed, also known as the "Stanton County lake." Local farmers had also intended to use overflow waters from the dam for irrigation purposes. The dam was intended to impound the waters of Bear Creek. The project underwent setbacks, including a flood that deposited nine feet of silt into what was supposed to be the lake's bed, and even a laborers' strike, which protested the use of machinery that was reducing the man-hours available for the job. According to Rural Kansas,...
  • Marvel Park Improvements - Parsons KS
    Marvel Park in Parsons, Kansas was improved by work undertaken by the Civil Works Administration (CWA). The Parsons Sun: "There is no doubt about what the project is doing for the city's park system. As this particular project nears completion it is evident that Marvel park is being made much more attractive because of it and of primary importance is the fact that this Improvement paves the way for the connecting of Marvel and Forest parks, a dream that has been In the minds of civic leaders for years. Some day, perhaps, the two parks will he joined into one,...
  • Marysville High School - Marysville KS
    "The Marysville High School/Junior High School Complex is located in a residential neighborhood two blocks south of the historic Marshall County Courthouse and approximately two blocks southwest of Marysville’s business district. The complex occupies 12 acres; three buildings (the high school, junior high school, and transportation building), one structure (the stadium), and two objects (the stone gate piers) contribute to the historic significance of the property. The stadium and playing field were constructed near the center of the property in 1937, followed by the Art Deco high school designed by Louis H. Spencer at the northeast corner of the property...
  • Massachusetts St. Improvements - Lawrence KS
    Works Progress Administration workers repaired the 700 block of Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, Kansas.    
  • McDanield Learning Center - Bonner Springs KS
    Bonner Springs, Kansas received a new school in 1935, constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The facility, located at 110 S Nettleton Ave., is now known as McDanield Learning Center. The building features a 1934 cornerstone and distinctive brickwork. Above the main entrance is an inscription: Dedicated to Character. The PWA provided a $22,500 grant for the project, whose total cost was $83,435. Construction started in May 1934 and was completed in May 1935. PWA Docket No. 3229.
  • McKinley Grade School/Offices - Newton KS
    McKinley Grade School was constructed in 1938 using PWA funds. It is now used as the administrative offices for the school district. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the McKinley Residential Historic District. The architect was Lorentz Schmidt of Wichita, KS. The brick column/pier pictured below is located at the corner of E. 1st Street and N. Pine. The submitter recalls there used to be a second one located at the east end of the school's front yard, also facing 1st Street.
  • Mennonite Settler Statue - Newton KS
    "The Mennonite Settler is a 17-foot limestone statue in Newton, Kansas, honoring Mennonite farmers and their wheat heritage. The statue was crafted in 1942 by Topeka artist Max Nixon out of native Kansas limestone. It depicts a bearded Mennonite farmer with hat in hand, in an attitude of prayer. The sculpture rests on a mosaic tile base with the inscription "Commemorating entry into Kansas from Russia of Turkey Red Hard Wheat by Mennonites 1874." The statue commemorates the introduction from Russia of Turkey Red hard winter wheat by Mennonite settlers, which helped make Kansas the "breadbasket of America." The statue was...
  • Military Science Building - Lawrence KS
    The Work projects Administration (WPA) worked to construct the Military Science Building at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. "Construction began in spring 1941 on this project and was completed by legislative appropriations after the WPA was disbanded." The building is still in use. WPA Project No. 165-1-82-153. Cost: $83,732. Sponsor: War Department
  • Mill Creek Pool - Olathe KS
    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.
  • Moon Creek Bridge - Americus KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a 27-foot span carrying a road over Moon Creek near Americus, Kansas. "The Moon creek bridge, 1 1/2 miles west and a half mile north of the Ruggles schoolhouse, has been completed." The exact location of the former school (and, thus, this bridge project) is presently unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Morton County Bridge - Richfield KS
    A substantial, 96-foot-long bridge in rural southwest Kansas, located six miles west and four miles north of Richfield, was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). Officially completed in 1939, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, the bridge carries Road 9 over the "North Fork of the North Fork of the Cimarron River." A large wooden display with a write-up of the project's significance accompany the bridge at a modest pull-off location at its southeast corner. NRHP: "Its significance as a stone arch bridge is supplemented by the fact it also represents the operations of the Works Progress Administration...
  • Mulberry City Park - Mulberry KS
    "Two limestone bbq pits and remnants of two metal picnic tables and benches are the only constructed elements in the east end of the park. A modern baseball field and two concrete block outhouses are located in the west half. A strip mine pit has been reclaimed as a small lake at the east end of the park. The picnic facilities are in poor condition, but the bbq pits match the style of other WPA construction in Kansas. Only the picnic facilities at the east end of the park appear old enough to have been constructed during the 1930s. Records indicate...
  • Municipal Auditorium - Topeka KS
    The Public Works Administration provided $7 million in funds to construction this auditorium with room for city offices. The building was renovated in 1991 and is now the Topeka Performing Arts Center.
  • Municipal Beach Swimming Pool - Wichita KS
    Wichita Municipal Beach Swimming Pool was built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The pool replaced an earlier municipal pool built in 1923. The new pool cost $50,000 to construct. At 240 feet long and 125 feet wide, the pool sloped from a depth of two to nine feet. It also contained 38 underwater flood lights of 1000 watts each. In addition to the main deck, there were two smaller pools nearby designed for children. The Municipal Beach Swimming Pool was the crown jewel of the Wichita parks and recreation system. It opened to a deluge of residents during...
  • Municipal Building - Cottonwood Falls KS
    The building was initially built as a municipal building, but it was first rented by the state of Kansas to the National Guard for use as an armory for the headquarters of the 1st Battalion of the 137th Infantry of the National Guard. Subsequent uses were as a skating rink, several retail stores, and office space for Chase County during the county courthouse renovation. Presently, the front of the building houses offices for the city of Cottonwood Falls as well as meeting space. The large space behind the offices has been used as the home of Prairie Past Times since...
  • Municipal Pool - Marysville KS
    The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a pool in Marysville, Kansas, which opened in spring 1940. The location and status of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • New York Elementary School - Lawrence KS
    "This school provides 6 standard classrooms, 3 special classrooms, a kindergarten, a library, administrative offices, and a combination assembly hall and gymnasium with a stage. All of the classrooms are equipped for 38 students except on of the special classrooms, which is equipped for 20. The building is constructed with a reinforced concrete foundation, frame, floor slab, and ceiling slab. The exterior walls are red brick backed with concrete blocks, which form the finished wall on the inside. The pitched roof is frame construction and is covered with asbestos shingles. The volume of the structure is...
  • Norcatur City Hall - Norcatur KS
    The Works Progress Administration built the Norcatur City Hall in Norcatur KS. According to the Kansas Historical Society, "In 1935, Norcatur residents voted 213 to three in favor of matching a federal grant of $26,000 to erect a new city hall. Despite construction delays and the frequent turnover of project managers, the Norcatur City Hall was completed in August 1937 under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal-era work relief program. Civic buildings erected as part of this program typically featured expressions of Classical or Moderne architecture. The Norcatur City Hall reflects a vernacular interpretation of the Streamlined...
  • North Lake Park (Lake Garnett) - Garnett KS
    From 1934-1936 the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed North Lake Park, including Lake Garnett. "The project included a 48-acre (840 acre-feet) man-made lake with dam and spillway, a road, and the planting of over 300 cedar trees, lilac bushes, rose bushes and shrubs." Other construction included roads, plantings, two shelter houses, restrooms, a football stadium, and a swimming pool.
  • Oakdale Park Facilities - Salina KS
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed comfort stations (restrooms)  and, Living New Deal believes, picnic areas in Oakdale Park. According to a Salina Parks and Recreation Master Plan Overview, the city is looking to replace the comfort stations, as the "current 1930's WPA restrooms are not ADA, and are deteriorating."
  • Oakley High School Stadium - Oakley KS
    "The construction of Oakley High School Stadium in 1938 was financed through the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) and has hosted football games and track meets since its completion in 1939. Lewis Mershon was the lead builder and used a team of unskilled WPA laborers made up of financially struggling local farmers. The limestone and concrete stadium faces a standard 100-yard football field with natural grass surface encircled by a 400-meter track and includes two locker rooms, restrooms, a tornado shelter, and outdoor bleacher seating. It exhibits symmetry, vertical and horizontal lines, and rounded features, all of which gives...
  • Oakwood Cemetery Retaining Wall - Parsons KS
    Oakwood Cemetery in Parsons, Kansas was improved by work undertaken by the Civil Works Administration (CWA). "Plans of the commissioners call for employing ... 42 on work in Oakwood cemetery, mainly building a retaining wall."
  • Olathe Memorial Cemetery Shelter House / Chapel - Olathe KS
    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...
  • Old Morton County Courthouse - Richfield KS
    The Works Progress Administration built the Morton County Courthouse in 1936 in Richfield KS. County maintenance building (later temporary courthouse).
  • Otter Creek Bridge - Cedar Vale KS
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a through-truss bridge over Otter Creek, 4.2 mi. north of Cedarvale along Rd. 2 in Chautauqua County, Kansas. The bridge is still in service.
  • Paradise Water Tower - Paradise KS
    "The Paradise Water Tower, of Paradise, Kansas, is a historic Works Progress Administration project of 1938. It is located east of the intersection of Waldo and Main Sts. in Paradise. The tower was designed in the WPA Rustic style and features an Art Deco limestone entrance surround. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. It is a 17-foot diameter rusticated limestone tower that rises 35 feet and can hold up to 58,000 gallons of water."
  • Peabody City Park - Peabody KS
    Wikipedia: "In 1938, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the football stadium limestone bleachers, west and north walls, picnic tables, fire pits, and various items in the park."
  • Pester Creek Bridge - Americus KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a span carrying a road (possibly Locust Street) over Pester Creek in Americus, Kansas. "Pester creek also is being spanned at the western edge of Americus."
  • Peter Pan Park Structures - Emporia KS
    Many of the structures in Emporia's Peter Pan Park--including benches, trellises, walls, and a monkey island (!)--were constructed with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
  • Phillipsburg City Park Bridges - Phillipsburg KS
    Two stone arch bridges were built by the Works Progress Administration in Phillipsburg City Park. One is a pedestrian bridge and the other bridge is used for automotive traffic. Built in 1936, these historic stone stone bridges are located on U.S. Hwy 36.
  • Phillipsburg Community Building - Phillipsburg KS
    The Works Progress Administration built the Phillipsburg Community Building in 1936-1937. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: "Through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Kansas realized many new public buildings and recreational facilities, including 58 community buildings like the one in Phillipsburg. The construction of the Phillipsburg Community Building in 1936 and 1937 employed about 150 area residents during the two-year project. Local newspapers promoted this as one of the largest community buildings in northwest Kansas, and it would consist of a large auditorium with bleachers, stage, dressing room, toilet and shower facilities, a library, and city hall office. Local architect Owassa...
  • Pittsburg High School (former) Stadium and Field - Pittsburg KS
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the following: Playing field, north and south seating. Former Pittsburg High School is currently (2014) Pittsburg Middle School.
  • Pittsburg State University Lake - Pittsburg KS
    "The kidney-shaped lake is surrounded by a grassy lawn dotted with mature trees and shrubs. A gravel path encircles the lake. Two modern bridges with metal railings cross the lake near its center... The current bridge is a modern addition to the lake as is the picnic shelter. Research suggests that this was a CWA project completed in 1934."
  • Pittsburg Street Department Building - Pittsburg KS
    "Brick structure resting on a concrete foundation has a front-gable roof with a stepped parapet. Original window and door openings are framed by header bricks. Some of the 1/1 windows are square while others are rectangular. A cast stone plaque at the top of the parapet gives the date of construction...The original front entry has been bricked in. Other window openings have been bricked in, reduced in size, or enlarged. This project was constructed using WPA funds. An appropriation of $2,850 was made in September 1935."
  • Plum Street Paving - Hutchinson KS
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted "bituminous mat paving" on North Plum Street in Hutchinson, Kansas, between 17th and 30th Avenues.
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