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  • Boston & Maine Locomotive No. 3713 (“The Constitution”) – Scranton PA
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) lent $100,000 to the Boston & Maine Railroad company to purchase locomotive #3713, known as "The Constitution," built and delivered in 1934. On May 11, 1934, The Boston Globe reported a $2.5 million equipment purchase by the Boston & Maine Railroad: “The purchases include 21 suburban passenger coaches and 10 air-conditioned de luxe coaches, five Pacific-type passenger locomotives, five mountain-type freight and passenger locomotives, two Diesel electric locomotives, and two Diesel electric switching engines… Money for the purchases was provided by a loan from the Public Works Administration, on which the railroad pays 4 percent interest.” The...
  • Buckshot Spring - Colebrook PA
    The structure at Buckland Spring, between Colebrook and Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania along Rt. 117, was constructed as a federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1938. ""From the back wall of this structure, there were two separate pipes from which flowed cold, pure spring water. People from a wide area would come to this site in large numbers with their glass gallon jugs and other containers to collect and take home this spring water," said Bowman of Mt. Gretna." (ldnews.com)
  • Burgwin Elementary School - Pittsburgh PA
    "The construction of the Burgwin School, in a residential district adjacent to a mill and commercial district, made possible the elimination of the old Hazelwood School built in 1875, and of the Glenwood School built in 1882, both of which were obsolete. The building is 3 stories in height and H-shaped in plan with over-all dimensions 96 by 279 feet. It accommodates 920 pupils in 22 classrooms and a kindergarten. In addition, it has 2 nature-study rooms, rooms for the study of art and music, a library, 2 playrooms separated by folding doors which can be folded back...
  • Burrowes Building (PSU) - State College PA
    Pennsylvania State University's Burrowes Building was one of a dozen buildings constructed on the campus during the Great Depression as part of a massive construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The building, which has since been added to, is still in use today.
  • Buttermilk Hollow Road - Pittsburgh PA
    Buttermilk Hollow Road was built as part of a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $299,852 grant for the project, whose total cost was $475,186. PWA Docket No. PA 2109.
  • California University of Pennsylvania - California PA
    Located in the small town of California, Pennsylvania, “Cal U” is a public university that was founded in 1852. The main campus consists of 38 buildings situated on 92 acres of land. Then known as the State Teachers College, California University of Pennsylvania benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $188,000 grant for the project, whose final cost was $540,686. Construction occurred between February and December 1938. (PWA Docket No. 1844.) A physical education and industrial arts building were constructed on the campus. The present status of...
  • Cameron Parkway Bridge - Harrisburg PA
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a rail footbridge carrying lower Cameron Parkway across Spring Creek in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
  • Canonsburg Town Park Swimming Pool - Canonsburg PA
    Multiple New Deal agencies worked to construct a municipal pool for Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1934—1936. The prospect of a pool had been discussed for years, though no progress was made until assistance from New Deal work relief programs was made available. The pool facility was constructed in stages on what had then been a ravine, in the municipal park. Initial construction, which involved the Civil Works Administration (CWA), would be limited to leveling the site, installing storm sewers to "enclose" the ravine, and constructing the 100-foot-by-200-foot pool and filtration plant—not the bathhouse or sidewalks. Work was to be done "by hand...
  • Carl Mackley Houses - Philadelphia PA
    Philadelphia's first public housing project, the Carl Mackley Houses (also known as Juniata Park Housing), was financed by the Housing Division of the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA supplied a $1,030,000 loan for the project, whose eventual total cost was $905,379. Construction occurred between February 1934 and June 1935.
  • Carlton Ave. Retaining Wall - Bethlehem PA
    "Stone retaining walls that line streets and highways throughout the region -- along Route 611 in Easton, Spruce Street in Tamaqua and Carlton Avenue in Bethlehem -- were WPA projects." This approximately 350-foot-long retaining wall begins on Carlton Avenue halfway between W 8th and W 9th Streets, then curves to the west on W 9th St. to Hess St. The wall is identified by an inscribed stone at its north end (on Carlton Ave.): "Erected by W. P. A. 1935"
  • Cathedral of Learning (Continuing Work) - Pittsburgh PA
    In 1933-4 federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) "workers in Pittsburgh had helped move the forty-two-story Cathedral of Learning at the heart of the University of Pittsburgh closer to completion." Excerpt from Alberts, Robert C. Pitt, (1986): "December 23, 1933. The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) announced it was giving a $300,000 labor grant for work on the Cathedral. Pitt contributed $520,000 in materials. Until the program ended on April 30,1934 a force of 1,259 previously unemployed stonemasons, iron workers, plumbers, engineers, and carpenters worked at the site twenty-four hours a week. There were unforeseen complications when it was discovered that the...
  • Center for Hospitality Management (ESU) - East Stroudsburg PA
    Originally constructed as a training school, what is now the Center for Hospitality Management at East Stroudsburg University was one of four buildings constructed as a New Deal project. Work was sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
  • Central High School - Philadelphia PA
    The present Central High School building in Philadelphia was constructed as a New Deal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1,084,950 grant for the project, which was undertaken in 1937-1938. PWA Docket No. PA 1549. C.W. Short and R. Stanley-Brown: The first Central High School in Philadelphia was built in 1838 and was the oldest high school in the United States outside of New England. It was replaced in 1844 and in 1900. This project replaces that erected in 1900. The building provides an extensive administration suite including a doctor's office, an infirmary, 28 classrooms, a lunch room for 1,000, a faculty...
  • Central Manor Elementary School - Manor Township PA
    "This little building provides elementary school facilities for the township of Manor, which is an agricultural district lying along the Susquehanna River. It is one story in height with a partial basement and provides four classrooms. The project included the construction of an approach drive and the landscaping of the site. The building is nonfireproof. The exterior walls are red brick, the trim, porches, shutters, cupola, and gable sheathing are wood, and the roof is slate. The floors of all rooms are maple and those of the corridors are asphalt tile. The project was...
  • Charles Street Sewer - York PA
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted a sewer project on Charles Street in York, Pennsylvania.
  • City Hall - Pottsville PA
    Pottsville, Pennsylvania's historic city hall was constructed between April 1936 and March 1937 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided an $82,636 grant for the project, whose total cost was $205,060. The building, which bears a 1936 cornerstone at its southeast corner, is still in service. PWA Docket No. PA W1280
  • City Hall (former) - Easton PA
    Architect John Reilly designed plans to rebuild the Easton City Hall, March 7, 1933, following damage by fire in December 1932. City Council approved application to Civil Works Administration December 1933. Construction began in January 1934. Work on CWA funded projects was suspended in late February, but resumed on the city hall project April 3, 1934 when the men were called back to work. Work was temporarily halted, and again resumed in May when the city hall project was ordered to proceed at 100 percent capacity. By August, progress was reported behind schedule because only a small amount of funds...
  • City Hall Beautification - Philadelphia PA
    "Beautification of City Hall itself was begun in the autumn of 1936, when a large crew of WPA workers started the gigantic task of cleaning the million square feet of stone composing the building's exterior. Twenty tons of pipe and 25,000 feet of lumber were used in the scaffolding, erected to a height of 150 feet. Fifty thousand gallons of specially prepared paste were used in one of the largest cleaning jobs ever attempted."
  • City Hall Improvements - Reading PA
    Reading, Pennsylvania's City Hall was built in 1904 as a high school and became the city hall in 1928. The WPA helped to clean and paint the building during the New Deal.
  • City Park Fireman's Memorial Bandshell - Reading PA
    Reading, Pennsylvania's historic City Park Fireman's Memorial Bandshell was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. "The City Park Fireman's Memorial Bandshell was dedicated on Labor Day in 1939. The Bandshell, located at Hill Road & Constitution Blvd in Reading, is home to the Ashley for the Arts Bandshell Concert Series held annually. In 2011 the Bandshell was renovated at a cost of a about one million dollars." PWA Docket No. X2137 Prior to the bandshells construction, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project was undertaken, to raze "the front of the old Berks jail and...
  • Civic Center Blvd. Widening - Philadelphia PA
    "Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects employed thousands of local workers on municipal projects that would improve the lives of city residents. The construction workers shown here in 1936 were widening Vintage Avenue (later renamed Civic Center Boulevard) in West Philadelphia. Because Vintage Avenue was elevated, the construction seen here was for a retaining wall to support the road addition."
  • Clairton Boulevard Bridge - Pittsburgh PA
    A project: "grade separation (clover leaf) on Lebanon Church Road," entailing the construction of a bridge carrying Clairton Blvd., was undertaken in Pittsburgh as part of a New Deal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The structure bears a PWA plaque.
  • Clarion University - Clarion PA
    Then known as Clarion State Teachers College, Clarion University benefited during the Great Depression from a large construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $120,278 grant for the project, whose final cost was $338,391. Construction occurred between February 1938 and January 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1819.) Ten buildings were constructed on the campus, including a dormitory, laundry, and power plant addition. The present status of these structures is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Clarksville Street Sanitary Sewer - Greenville PA
    The federal Civil Works Administration constructed a sanitary sewer along Clarksville Street in Greenville, Pennsylvania between 1933 and 1934. The road continues to be a major artery in the town.
  • Clinton County Courthouse Addition - Lock Haven PA
    Lock Haven, Pennsylvania's historic Clinton County Courthouse was built in 1867. It was expanded during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $44,730 grant for the project, whose total cost was $115,651. Construction occurred between May 1936 and May 1937. PWA Docket No. PA W1094
  • Colton Point State Park - Wellsboro PA
    "On the west rim of Pine Creek Gorge, the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, the 368-acre Colton Point State Park resonates with the rustic charm of the Civilian Conservation Corps era of the 1930s. The rugged overlooks offer great views of the canyon."   (www.dcnr.state.pa.us/)
  • Community Building - Stoneboro PA
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) sponsored construction of the Stoneboro Community Building, providing a $17,397 grant for the eventual $40,374 total project cost. PWA Docket No. PA 2059.
  • Connelly Boulevard Improvements - Sharon PA
    The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked to develop what is now known as Connelly Blvd. in Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1934. Then known as Pine Hollow Blvd., work involved "cutting, draining, filling and paving of the boulevard route, from South Dock street to Smith avenue." The project was described at the time of its proposal. Validation is preferred to confirm that project was undertaken, and possibly continued under FERA.
  • Cook Forest State Park - Cooksburg PA
    The Cook Forest Association was formed in the 1920s to protect old growth pines from logging. In 1927, Cook Forest became a state park and would later become designated a Natural National Landmark. "On March 31, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The purpose of the CCC was to provide employment and restore our nation’s natural resources. In 1934, CCC Camp SP-2 was built in the present-day River Cabins area along River Road. A typical CCC camp had barracks, a mess hall, bathhouses and other structures. This camp housed 200 enrollees and staff until 1937 when it...
  • Cook Forest State Park: Log Cabin Inn Environmental Education Center - Cooksburg PA
    The Log Cabin Inn was originally built and used by the Civilian Conservation Corps as living quarters. Later it was used as a restaurant. Today the park uses the building as a museum and education center. The Log Cabin Inn near to several popular trails, the Memorial Fountain and the Forest Cathedral Natural Area.
  • Corbet Street Widening - Tarentum PA
    A street improvement project was undertaken in downtown Tarentum as part of a New Deal project, sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). According to the Pittsburgh Press the project involved "widening Corbet Street between Third and Fourth Avenues." PWA Docket No. PA 1252
  • Cougar Stadium (former) - Charleroi PA
    Charleroi Stadium, or Cougar Stadium, was built in 1937 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $36,818 grant for the school construction project in Bradford, whose total cost was $84,311. "By any name, it has been home to Charleroi Area High School athletic teams since it opened on Sept. 10, 1937. That long and memorable chapter in the community's history will end Oct. 22 when Charleroi plays host to Freedom High School in a WPIAL inter-conference game. The Charleroi Area School Board decided earlier this year to close the stadium at the end of the 2010 football season...
  • Courthouse Sculptures - Erie PA
    According to the website of the General Services Administration "Young American Man and Young American Woman act as sentinels to the main courtrooms of the 1937 Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Erie, Pennsylvania. These two sculptures express the admirable qualities possessed by the young men and women of depression-era America. Kreis communicated the upstanding nature of the figures through his use of monumental, simple forms, and by leaving out any unessential or frivolous details. Further evidence of their moral rectitude is cleverly expressed by the inclusion of the man's faithful dog, which regards his human companion with complete devotion....
  • Crooked Creek Lake and Dam - Ford City PA
    Crooked Creek Lake and Dam were created as part of a multi-site flood control program to protect the city of Pittsburgh and Ohio Valley. Work on the project began in 1937 on Crooked Creek near its confluence with the Allegheny River. The earth dam was designed by Captain B.F. Chadwick of the Army Corps of Engineers and constructed by George M. Brewster and Son, Inc of Bogota, New Jersey. The project cost over $4 million and was completed in 1940. The Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the lake and dam have prevented over $713 million in flood damage since...
  • Curry Hollow Road - Pleasant Hills PA
    Curry Hollow Road was constructed in 1938-9 as part of a New Deal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). PWA Docket No. PA 2106 The Pittsburgh Press: "Another grant of $203,453 has been made for Curry Hollow Highway, connecting Route 51 and Broughton, which will relieve traffic on Route 51, and eliminate Iwo railroad crossings. Total cost is estimated at $458,118." The total final cost was listed in PWA documents as $333,022.
  • Daniel Boone Homestead Development - Birdsboro PA
    The Daniel Boone Homestead is a 579-acre park with multiple historic structures including the birthplace of famed pioneer Daniel Boone. The site is owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The National Youth Administration (NYA) played a key role in the development of the site. Over 100 NYA workers graded the landscape, built roads, trails, fences, and campsites, installed picnic tables and planted trees. They excavated the Daniel Boone Lake, constructed the Wayside Lodge, and a few of the most skilled workers assisted in the restoration of the homestead. Architect G. Edwin Brumbaugh and landscape architect Markley...
  • DeNike Center (ESU) - East Stroudsburg PA
    Originally constructed as a dining hall, what is now the DeNike Center for Human Services at East Stroudsburg University was one of four buildings constructed as a New Deal project. Work was sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
  • Differential Analyzer (Mechanical Computer) - Philadelphia PA
    In 1934-1935, the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania built a differential analyzer, an early type of computer. Designed by Oscar Schuck, it was the second of its kind – the first differential analyzer was constructed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1931. Funds and skilled labor (for example, electricians and instrument makers) came from the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). A government report from Pennsylvania described the differential analyzer: “The machine weighs 3-1/2 tons. It is approximately 30 feet long, 10 feet wide and 5 feet high. It contains...
  • East 10th Street Improvements - Bloomsburg PA
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted improvement work on East 10th Street in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
  • East End Ave. Improvements - Pittsburgh PA
    Among a set of 26 WPA projects approved for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in Sept. 1935 was the "grading, paving and curbing of East End avenue" in eastern Pittsburgh. The Federal government allocated $1,818 for the project and local sponsors contributed $1,827.
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