Pennsylvania Sites

The historic former armory at West College St. and North Central St. in Canonsburg was constructed in 1938 as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The building presently serves as a youth center. Short and Stanley-Brown: "This armory is the headquarters of Company H, One Hundred and Third Medical Regiment of the Pennsylvania National Guard. The building is also extensively used for public meetings and entertainments. The structure is two stories and a mezzanine in height. The first floor contains two offices, officers' recreation and locker room, the company property room, a garage, recreation and locker room for enlisted men, a kitchen, and...

The Pennsylvania Railroad 4800 locomotive, nicknamed “Old Rivets,” was built in 1934-1935 and started service in early 1935.  It was an electric “GG-1” class locomotive and cost about $250,000 to build (about $5.2 million in 2021 dollars). It was also the first of its kind and the only one that had a riveted body, hence the nickname “Old Rivets”.  After that, the builders switched from riveting to welding this type of locomotive. Old Rivets was financed by a loan from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA financed at least 56 more of these GG-1 class trains. (Ultimately, 139 GG-1’s were produced...

"During 1935 and 1936 the Federal Government spent $100,000 in WPA  funds for permanent improvements" at the Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Erie.

Then known as the Pennsylvania State College, Pennsylvania State University benefited during the Great Depression from a massive construction project enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $1,446,000 grant for the project, whose final cost was $4,189,100. Construction occurred between February 1938 and August 1939. (PWA Docket No. 1874.) Twelve buildings were constructed on the campus, including numerous academic buildings. PSU.edu: "Charles Klauder had continued to revise his campus master plan as new buildings were added on the ground. A major revision came in 1937 in anticipation of major federal funding for public works. To meet long-delayed needs of...

"America's First Superhighway" is a toll highway running through much of Pennsylvania, and it was created with the assistance of the WPA, the PWA and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. "When it opened in 1940, the Pennsylvania Turnpike made history as the first limited access superhighway in the nation. Constructed across and through 160 miles of rugged ridges and narrow valleys, the Turnpike was both an engineering marvel and precursor of the national interstate highway system. What is often overlooked, however, is that had New Deal programs not financed the work, the Turnpike would not have been built until many years later,...

"In nearby reaches of the creek trout fishing is popular. During the season scores of fishermen in hip boots wade the stream, casting for the elusive trout in water once teeming with catfish. To improve trout breeding a number of retards of twigs and stone have been installed by the WPA, with runways or deflectors, which quicken the flow of water in sluggish places. These devices not only serve to aerate the water, but provide shelter in times of flood."

A project involving construction of an athletic field at Perry High School (now Perry Traditional Academy) was undertaken in 1936 as part of a New Deal project, sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $17,994 grant for the project, whose total cost was $41,283. PWA Docket No. PA 1151

"After three years of renovations carried out by the Works Progress Administration, the Atwater Kent Museum was formally dedicated on April 19, 1941."

"The WPA's good works in Philadelphia included ... construction of the Municipal (later Philadelphia International) Airport ..."

The iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art was improved and developed by Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor during the Great Depression. "The WPA had permitted extraordinary construction and growth at the museum, while even allowing it to save money." Philadelphia Museum Bulletin: Everywhere, behind the scenes, the Museum is filled with workmen. Steelworkers, smiths, masons, plasterers, painters and men of the dozens of other building crafts ply their trades behind doors through which, as these open and close, we catch a glimpse of strange and delicate shapes—vast pillars of carved stone from India, tall red columns from China, gilded French panels of...

"The Philadelphia National Cemetery was established at its current site in 1885 in order to consolidate Civil War burials located in seven regional private cemeteries. The cemetery's first rostrum or speaker's stand for ceremonial use was built in 1888. The existing rostrum was built in 1938-39 as part of a Works Progress Administration project that funded a number of improvements to the cemetery's grounds and facilities. It takes the form of a semicircular Tuscan-order temple."

The black granite sculpture "Python," which can be found to the right-front of the entrance to the Philadelphia Zoo's Reptile House, was created by Aaron Ben-Shmuel and was completed and dedicated in 1940. "The sculpture is approximately 18 inches x 31 inches x 34 inches with the base being approximately 12 inches in height."

Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor constructed a picnic pavilion in Greenville, Pennsylvania's Riverside Park in 1938. The exact coordinates octagonal structure within the park are unknown to Living New Deal. According to the Record-Argus the Greenville Motor Club supplied the materials used to build the pavilion and a plaque on the pavilion credits the club.  

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $331,000 in loans to the Pittsburgh & West Virginia (P&WV) Railway, for the purchase of three new locomotives, and an additional $47,000 for the “Purchase and installation of steel rail, track fastenings, etc.” (Interstate Commerce Commission). The P&WV operated from about 1916-1964 and was headquartered in the Wabash Railroad Station and Building, Pittsburgh, PA, 1916-1946. Its trains operated on routes from Connellsville, Pennsylvania, to Pittsburgh, to Wheeling, West Virginia. The P&WV was one of over 30 railroads that received New Deal funding assistance, which helped usher in an exciting era of new and bigger...

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $331,000 in loans to the Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway, for the purchase of three new locomotives. The engines were Class J-1, numbered 1100-1102, and had somewhat unusual 2-6-6-4 wheel configurations. Howard Worley, Jr. and William Poellot, Jr. describe the details and impact of the new locomotives: “In October the first of the new articulated type freight locomotives, #1100, arrived at Rook after traveling under its own power over the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from the Eddystone plant of the Baldwin Locomotive Works near Philadelphia… it was the largest size engine...

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $331,000 in loans to the Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway, for the purchase of three new locomotives. The engines were Class J-1, numbered 1100-1102, and had somewhat unusual 2-6-6-4 wheel configurations. Howard Worley, Jr. and William Poellot, Jr. describe the details and impact of the new locomotives: “In October the first of the new articulated type freight locomotives, #1100, arrived at Rook after traveling under its own power over the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from the Eddystone plant of the Baldwin Locomotive Works near Philadelphia… it was the largest size engine on...

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $331,000 in loans to the Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway, for the purchase of three new locomotives. The engines were Class J-1, numbered 1100-1102, and had somewhat unusual 2-6-6-4 wheel configurations. Howard Worley, Jr. and William Poellot, Jr. describe the details and impact of the new locomotives: “In October the first of the new articulated type freight locomotives, #1100, arrived at Rook after traveling under its own power over the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from the Eddystone plant of the Baldwin Locomotive Works near Philadelphia… it was the largest size engine on...

The large stone amphitheater located in Riverside Park was constructed in 1934 as a Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) project. Sources conflict as to which agency built the structure. A stone marker erected at the site in 1990 claims it was built in 1934 by the WPA, but this is questionable as the Works Progress Administration wasn’t officially established until 1935. Several articles in the Record-Argus mention the “Relief Works Division” in connection to the project, in all likelihood referring to FERA.

This structure, which carries State Route 2016 across Pond Creek, is a 12-foot stone arch bridge constructed by the Pennsylvania Department of Highways with funding and labor from the WPA. From the notes: This structure is an excellent example of a WPA-sponsored project because of its well-preserved condition and undisturbed setting, where it spans Pond Creek on a rural road just outside of Lackawanna State Forest. The parapet walls of this skew stone arch bridge display careful rustic craftsmanship and an interesting mix of identifying marks. Designed by a state highway department, constructed with local labor, and paid for by...

Allentown's main post office building was constructed in 1933-4 with Treasury Department funds. Deco details abound, and the building houses a substantial set of murals commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. "Built in 1933-1934, the Allentown Post Office's Art Deco design adds a touch of distinction to a rather simple building. On the interior is a series of murals produced in 1937-1938 by New York artist Gifford Reynolds Beal (1879-1956). Each deals with a theme from Allentown history."

The post office in Ardmore was constructed in 1937 with Treasury Department funds.

The historic post office building in Athens, Pennsylvania was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds in 1940. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

The historic Bangor post office was constructed in 1939 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service. As of 2018 the lobby retains distinctive lighting fixtures, believed by Living New Deal to be original to the building.

The historic New Deal post office in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds in 1937. The post office is still in use today.

The historic post office building in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds in 1933. The building is still in service.

The post office in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which opened in 1936, is still in use today. A Section of Fine Arts-funded walnut wood relief titled "Pennsylvania Farming" was carved by Roy King and installed in the lobby in 1937.

The Boyertown post office was constructed in 1938 with the assistance of funds provided by the federal government. It is also the site of Moissaye Marans's three sculptures--"Transfer of Skill," "Education," and "Barnyard"--completed in 1941 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The historic Bridgeville post office was constructed in 1938 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building is still in service.

The historic post office building in Brownsville, Pennsylvania was constructed with federal Treasury funds between 1935 and 1936. The building, which houses a New Deal mural inside, is still in use today.

The historic post office in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1933 with federal Treasury Department funds. It is still in use today.

The historic post office in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds ca. 1941. It is still in use today.

The historic post office in California, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1938 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

The historic Canonsburg post office was constructed in 1935 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

The historic post office in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service today.

Constructed by the Treasury Department in 1936.

Constructed by the Treasury and opened for business in 1936.

The historic post office in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania was constructed with Treasury Department funds. The building, which opened in 1936, houses an example of New Deal artwork. Unfortunately the building's cornerstone can no longer be photographed, as it has been obstructed by its ADA ramp.

The post office in Columbia was completed in 1935 with funds provided by the federal government. It is also the site of Bruce Mitchell's 1938 mural, "Columbia Bridge," painted for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and viewable in the lobby.

The post office in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania was constructed with federal funds. The building, which opened in 1941, is still in use today.

The historic Coudersport post office was constructed ca. 1935 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building is still in service.