Rhode Island Sites

Valley Falls is a densely packed village in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Although for years much of Cumberland was rural, Valley Falls played a key part in the Industrial revolution. The sidewalk at the northwest corner of the intersection of Myrtle and Mill Streets is marked by a "Works Progress Administration 1935 - 1937" shield stamp. The site is located near Happy Hollow Pond.

The W.P.A. constructed sidewalks in Warren, R.I.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed many new sidewalks in Woonsocket, including that along the north side of South Main Street at Smithfield Road. A WPA marker can be found embedded in the sidewalk at that location.

An attractive, two-story Colonial Revival schoolhouse. Built by the PWA in 1936, it was designed by Walter F. Fontaine & Sons of Woonsocket. No longer used as a school, it now houses the administration offices of the school department.

Now demolished, this PWA building originally housed the school's administration offices and classrooms for industrial education. A long, low Colonial Revival building. The architect is unknown at this time.

A two-story, T-shaped Colonial Revival building, with a cross-gable roof and a cupola. Built by the PWA in 1936-38 to house an auditorium, gymnasium, and swimming pool. Like most of the Sockanosset buildings, this building has been demolished for the Chapel View "Lifestyle Center", a mixed use development. Sockanosset was the state's reform school for boys. The architect of this building was Albert Harkness of Providence.

This stone cottage was one of a few such buildings at the Sockanosset Training School, and stood until the late 2000s, when the site was redeveloped. The building appears in the FERA record group (135-SAR), but was not among those built by the PWA, as it appears in an 1895 photograph linked below. It is presumably present in the archive because of some repair work at the time of the other work at the site.

The Works Progress Administration built a garage for the State Armory of Mounted Commands in Providence. The location and status of this project is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

A street improvement project in Pawtucket, Rhode Island was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $31,000 loan and $11,463 grant for the project, whose total cost was $42,611; construction occurred between May 1934 and October 1935. PWA Docket No. RI 3492.

Under the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), "numerous new streets were laid out while others were rebuilt."

By 1940, the tracks of the former Warwick Railroad had been removed from the center of Suburban Parkway in Oakland Beach. As a WPA project, this center strip was landscaped.

Woonsocket, RI: A Centennial History, states: The Woonsocket Call of September 28, 1935, reported that "work was started on the first five WPA projects in Woonsocket, giving employment to 300 men." Logee and Larch Streets and Rhodes Avenue were graded; Thomas Street was paved; and Cass Park athletic fields were completed.

Johnston, Rhode Island's Town Hall was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project between October 1938 and October 1939. The PWA supplied a $27,000 grant; the total cost of the project was $55,501. (PWA Docket No. RI 1170)

This was and remains Smithfield's first permanent town hall building. It is one of the most prominent buildings in Georgiaville, the part of town the building is in. A local historical society report describes the structure: "Smithfield Town Hall 1939: A large, red brick, Colonial Revival GE structure with a 2-story, 5-bay, central pavilion containing a central pedimented entry and fronted by a 2-story pedimented portico. At the sides are 1-story, 2-bay ells, with hipped roofs, set back from the facade of the main block. Other noteworthy architectural details indude a cupola and 12-over-12-paned windows, those in the sides with round heads....

James V. Turner Reservoir in East Providence, Rhode Island (with spillover into Seekonk, Massachusetts) was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. "Turner Reservoir was created in 1935 with the building of the Turner Dam, which the City of East Providence used for their drinking supply until the 1960s. Turner Reservoir is now open to the public for recreation." (ExploreRI.org) The PWA supplied a $178,000 loan and $66,781 grant; the total cost of the project was $245,608. Work occurred between May 1934 and June 1935. (PWA Docket No. RI 2003)

Murals were covered over in the 1960s and rediscovered in 2010. Medium: oil on canvas Size: 6 murals Restoration Info: The murals were rediscovered during restoration funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2010.

A series of stone barns arranged around a central Colonial Revival building. Designed by Edwin E. Cull, of Providence. Demolished in the early 2000s. The site is now a large parking lot.

Several New Deal murals were painted for URI's Green Hall (the library and administration building), but they have since been lost.

Edwards Hall contains six murals painted by Gino Conti, located in Edwards Hall, the main auditorium of the University of Rhode Island. The murals were created in 1941 under the WPA's Federal Art Project. They were covered over with sheetrock during a renovation during the 1960s. Until that sheetrock was removed in 2010 in preparation for another renovation, they were thought to have been destroyed. Restoration of the murals was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and re-unveiled at Edwards Hall on October 3, 2011. The Providence Journal of March 16, 1941 stated, “Of the two largest panels, one...

A large building, built as a women's dormitory. This was the first major building on campus built of a material that wasn't Westerly Granite, in this case brick. This Federal Revival dormitory was designed by Providence architect Albert Harkness, who would go on to be one of Rhode Island's first modernist architect. The building was named for and dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt. It is one of the three buildings constructed by the PWA on campus.

A substantial building, built to house the library and administration offices of what was then Rhode Island State College. It was that school's first full-scale library. The architects were Jackson, Robertson & Adams of Providence, then the state's most prominent architects. This building is a conservative, well-proportioned Colonial Revival structure. Like most of the school's buildings, it was built of Westerly Granite. This is one of three buildings on campus built under the auspices of the PWA. It is the school's most well-known building, and is on the URI Logo.

A large, Colonial Revival building, built to house the Home Economics department of what was then known as Rhode Island State College. It is built of Westerly Granite, then the dominant building material on campus. The building, designed by Monahan & Meikle of Pawtucket, was built between 1936 and 1937. It is one of three buildings built by the PWA on campus.

In Newport, Rhode Island "the WPA built sidewalks and most of the stone walls, grandstands, concession buildings and other facilities in Newport’s public parks. Vernon Park, Freebody Park and Cardines Field are the most visible examples." At Vernon Park the WPA built an astounding stone "playground slide, complete with firehouse and chimney," at the park's northeast corner (on Vernon Ave.). It possibly also built the stone walls around the park's tennis courts.

The WPA built these two stone memorials in 1936. Whether they were both originally at this site is unclear, but they are now both on the lawn of the American Legion hall. The listed date is for the smaller of the two monuments.

A waterworks-improvement construction project in Smithfield, Rhode Island was undertaken with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $50,420 grant; the total cost of the project was $202,906. Work occurred between September 1936 and July 1937. (PWA Docket No. RI 7160)

A waterworks-improvement construction project in Westerly, Rhode Island was undertaken with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $50,850 grant; the total cost of the project was $104,979. Work occurred between April and December 1937. (PWA Docket No. RI 1125)

A water tank construction project in Exeter, Rhode Island was undertaken with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $8,054 grant; the total cost of the project was $28,565. Work occurred between August 1935 and May 1936. The exact location and status of the old water tank is unknown to Living New Deal. It is probable that the water tower is no longer extant. (PWA Docket No. RI 5894)

A waterworks construction project in Kingston, Rhode Island was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Construction occurred between January and April 1935. PWA Docket No. RI 4298.

A waterworks construction project in Warwick, Rhode Island was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $45,352 loan and $12,951 grant for the project, whose total cost was $59,268; construction occurred between May and October 1934. PWA Docket No. RI 979.

A large-scale waterworks improvement construction project was undertaken in Newport, Rhode Island with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $133,947 grant for the project, whose total cost was $224,049. Construction occurred between December 1938 and December 1939. PWA Docket No. RI X1188.

Westerly High School was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. Construction occurred between February 1936 and October 1937. The PWA supplied a $201,807 grant; the total cost of the project was $449,156. The New Deal structure has since been added to. (PWA Docket No. RI 1075)

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted a massive improvement and development project at what was then a municipal airport (now Westerly State Airport), in Westerly, Rhode Island. Description: "Excavate, grade, surface runways install lighting and drainage at the Westerly Airport." WPA Project No. 165‐1‐16‐135; $1,149,411. Sponsor: State of Rhode Island