Minnesota Sites

"Mary Ostby is the Executive Director of the Benton County Historical Society. She says the hall was built in 1938 and commissioned by the Works Progress Administration as a way for residents to learn new work skills after the depression."

Constructed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) in 1934 as the village hall, this striking stone building is now privately owned.

The historic former Proctor Village Hall was constructed by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 1940.

A report in 1936 states: "Completion of nine-hole course begun three vears ago now under-taken following WPA allotment of $23,940."

Duluth, Minnesota's Wade Municipal Stadium was constructed with federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) funds/labor between 1940 and 1941. The 4,200-seat stadium is still in use today.

"The building was constructed in 1940 under the New Deal program known as the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and was used for town dances, church socials, wedding receptions and speeches by political figures such as Hubert Humphrey. The original village hall burned down in the summer of 1938. The WPA received plans for a new building that December. Bids were let in May of 1939, and by Labor Day in 1940, Waverly residents celebrated their brand new hall with baseball games, dances, and a carnival."  (https://www.waymarking.com)

One of architect Clarence “Cap” Wigington’s distinctive St. Paul structures, the West Minnehaha Recreation Center was built between 1937 and 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Wigington was the first black municipal architect in the country, and many of his designs were brought to completion by New Deal funding and local laborers. See the Harriet Island Pavilion (now Clarence W. Wigington Pavilion) and Hamline Playground Building for other examples of his WPA-era work in St. Paul. The West Minnehaha Recreation Center, known as “West Minne” by locals, was built of Platteville limestone and has received many additions and renovations since...

The Works Progress Administration built the Westport School in Westport MN. The structure has a simple, Moderne exterior. Most windows have since been bricked up. Minnesota Historical Society has a photo from initial construction from the Works Progress Administration Collection. That collection "provides numerous views of WPA projects around the state of Minnesota" along with very old photographs (clearly not the case for the relevant imafge here). The town peaked in population in 1940 (104) and since declined to half that amount by 2010, with its post office shutting down in 1966.

The federal Works Progress Administration constructed a fieldhouse at what is now Wheeler Athletic Complex, in (West) Duluth, Minnesota.

Along with a dam, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed a shelter and bathhouse in Whitewater State Park. The design of these quartzite  structures “reflects the area’s German heritage.”  

This sports arena was constructed in 1938 by the WPA. "When opened, the facility accommodated the local hockey program and meeting spaces for community groups. The arena continued in that fashion for many years, but by mid-century, growth in the hockey program required use of all spaces for the sport alone and eventually the construction of the new arena to the east."   (https://www.akayconsulting.com) The arena's final season was held in winter of 2009. The building was demolished in 2011.