“The construction of this hospital plant was begun in 1929 but work was discontinued in 1931 due to financial difficulties. It was resumed in 1935 with the aid of the P.W.A. and when completed covered most of a site of… read more
Bedford Dwellings was the first of Pittsburgh Housing Authority’s construction of low-cost housing. Dr. B. J. Hovde, the administrator, announced the contract would be awarded to Ring Construction Company with the low bid for the 420 units at $1,173,000. The… read more
"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… read more
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 [X]2109.
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.”
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.
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… read more
"The Highland Park Highway Bridge, illustrated at the top of this page, crosses the Allegheny River, replaces a bridge built in 1902, and eliminates four railroad grade crossings. The main spans consist of a steel-deck cantilever structure with north and… read more
“In Highland Park, WPA workers built stone steps throughout the park and modernized the main zoo building.”
"The Pittsburgh-Homestead high-level bridge, which spans the Monongahela River, replaces the obsolete Brown's highway bridge and eliminates two railroad grade crossings and a circuitous approach. The total length of the bridge and its approaches is 4,200 feet and the bridge… read more
Pittsburgh’s historic, Art Deco-style Lemington Elementary School building was built in 1937 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $176,693 grant for the project, whose total cost was $428,894. “Portions of the exterior are ornamented with terra… read more
McKnight Road, which connects McCandless and Pittsburgh, was constructed as a New Deal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
The Moore Recreation Center, including a swimming pool, bath house, and possibly a playground, were constructed in 1939-40 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $124,700 grant for project, whose total cost was $272,577. “The grand opening of the swimming… read more
Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds enabled “the modernization of the North Side Municipal Market in Pittsburgh …” The exact location and building status is presently unknown to Living New Deal.
Construction of the PennDOT Maintenance Office building on Fox Chapel Road in Pittsburgh was undertaken as part of a sizable a New Deal project; the then-Department of Highways and Public Works Administration (PWA) provided the funds for the building’s construction in 1937-8, along… read more
“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… read more
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… read more
Pittsburgh’s historic Prospect Junior High and Elementary School building dates to 1931. However, an addition to the building was built in 1936-8 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $154,980 grant for the project, whose total cost was… read more
“In 1941, WPA workers built the visitors’ center, a fountain and stone entrance walls at Riverview Park on the North Side, a project spearheaded by Griswold. Out-of-work Pittsburghers also made drainage repairs, paved roads and improved entrances in Riverview Park,… read more
A project: “traffic separation for Saw Mill Run and West Liberty Ave.,” entailing the construction of a bridge on Saw Mill Run Blvd., was undertaken in Pittsburgh as part of a New Deal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
11 WPA bridges exist on the Lake Trail. Just above Panther Hollow Lake, two small streams emerge from the bifurcated Hollow. Nearly a dozen small bridges cross the two streams. One of these branches extends northward to the Tufa Bridge… read more
A project involving “some alterations and equipment for the Spring Hill elementary school” was undertaken in 1936 as part of a New Deal project, sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $24,083 grant for the project, whose total cost was… read more
The Squirrel Hill Station post office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1938 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses a New Deal mural in its lobby, is still in use today.
The post office contains a 1942 Section of Fine Arts mural entitled “History of Squirrel Hill.” The oil on canvas mural was painted by Alan Thompson.
The fresco “Steel Industry” by Howard Norton Cook is located in Pittsburgh’s historic U.S. Courthouse and Post Office. It was sponsored by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts. The work was installed in the building in 1936. Its… read more
The mural “Modern Justice,” located at Pittsburgh’s historic U.S. Courthouse and Post Office, was sponsored by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts. The work was painted by Kindred McLeary in 1937. However, the work has since been painted… read more
The oil-on-canvas mural “Pittsburgh Panorama” by Stuyvesant Van Veen is located in Pittsburgh’s historic U.S. Courthouse and Post Office. It was sponsored by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts in 1937.
Architects Raymond Marlier, Edward B. Lee, William Boyd, and Bernard Prack designed the 3 public housing units constructed 1938-1940 in the Hill District. The USHA loaned 90% of the cost of the 3 projects. Terrace Village No. 1 was the… read more
Pittsburgh’s historic Washington Trade School / Washington Education Center building was built in 1936-7 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $211,689 grant for the project, whose total cost was $484,114. “The Charles W. Bier-designed structure opened on… read more
Check out our latest map and guide to the work of the New Deal in Washington, D.C. It includes 500 New Deal sites in the District alone, highlighting 34 notable sites, and includes an inset map of the area around the National Mall which can be used for self-guided walking tours.
Take a look at our previous guides, equally comprehensive, covering key New Deal sites in San Francisco and New York City.
