1 2
  • Austin High School (former) Annex - Austin TX
    The main building of the old Austin High School was erected in 1916 and was originally the John Allan Junior High School. The existing Austin High School campus, built in 1900, became overcrowded, and in 1924, the decision was made to swap the students in Austin High with Allan Junior High. This happened after the Thanksgiving holiday in 1925. In 1939, the school district added an annex of twenty-four classrooms to the Austin High School building using partial funding from the Public Works Administration. The two-story addition was separated from the main building by a courtyard and connected with a covered...
  • Austin Municipal Airport (demolished) Runways - Austin TX
    The runways of Austin Municipal Airport, later known as Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, were Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects conducted in the late 1930s/early 1940s. The municipal airport was replaced by the Austin-Bergstrom Air Force Base in 1999, which became the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Robert Mueller Airport, which was then decommissioned, has since been redeveloped for mixed-use purposes, including housing and stores. The airport officially opened in 1930 with one small building, gravel runways, and a gas pump. There were only a few flights during this time because of how small it was. This WPA project was one of many to...
  • Austin-Travis County Tuberculosis Sanatorium (former) - Austin TX
    From the PWA docket no.TEX-2070-F: On October 6, 1938, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution accepting financing from the Public Works Administration for a tuberculosis sanatorium including necessary equipment. The grant would pay for 45% of the cost of the project, not to exceed $24,750. The city located the project on sixteen acres of land in far East Austin. On December 1, 1938, the city council accepted a bid of $44,600 from contractor Will O'Connell of San Angelo for construction on the sanatorium building. On February 2, 1940, the city council declared the contracts with O'Connell and most of the...
  • Bailey Park - Austin TX
    In November 1935, the Works Progress Administration authorized $8243.00 for the construction and improvements at a new two acre playground, which would become Bailey Park. The improvements included two tennis courts, a baseball diamond, wading pool, light, water and sewer facilities and a shelter house. The City of Austin added $4751.30 for the project.
  • Barton Springs Sunken Garden - Austin TX
    The federal National Youth Administration (NYA) built circular walls surrounding Barton Springs and created a terraced sunken garden. The site can be found along Barton Creek in Zilker Metropolitan Park, just off the Lady Bird Lake Bike Trail. There are two sets of steps leading down into the garden.
  • Becker Elementary School and Addition - Austin TX
    On October 31, 1935, the City of Austin accepted a grant from the Public Works Administration not to exceed $286,363 to cover 45% of the costs of building new schools, and making additions and repairs to existing schools. The voters of Austin also passed a $350,000 bond package to cover the city’s share of the costs. Becker Elementary School was one of the new schools built. The student population increased rapidly to the point that there was a need for Becker Elementary School to be expanded. In 1939, the city approved an addition to the school, using part of an additional...
  • Camp Mabry Improvements - Austin TX
    Camp Mabry, named after Brigadier General Woodford H. Mabry, the Adjutant General of Texas from January 23, 1891 to May 4, 1898, is the headquarters of the Texas Military Forces. The original 90 acres was donated to the State of Texas in 1892. The first construction at the camp included a mess shed and a parade grandstand. By 1911, Camp Mabry had expanded to more than 385 acres. During World War I the United States Army used the camp as a training site and built several barracks and administration buildings. Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects under the sponsorship of the Adjutant...
  • Central Fire Station - Austin TX
    "This building is part of a project which also included the addition of two new wings of approximately 16,500 square feet to the existing city hall, its renovation, the wrecking of an old fire station, and the construction of concrete walks and drives. The fire station occupies one fourth of a city block and is provided with wide entrances on two streets. It is two stories in height and contains space on the ground floor for fire trucks and equipment, a recreation room, and offices for the fire chief, fire marshal, and the radio broadcasting unit. The second...
  • Chalmers Court - Austin TX
    On September 1, 1937, President Roosevelt signed the United States Housing Act of 1937. This created the United States Housing Authority (USHA) and provided $500 million for subsidies to be paid from the U.S. government to local public housing agencies (LHAs) to improve living conditions for low-income families. The Austin City Council established the Austin Housing Authority on December 27, 1937. The housing authority made an application to the USHA for $500,000 to build 186 units of public housing at three sites. Austin’s housing agency became the first in the country to receive funding and to start construction on its USHA...
  • City Hall - Austin TX
    On September 30, 1937, the City of Austin accepted a grant from the Public Works Administration not to exceed $112,500 to aid in the construction of a city hall and central fire station. The new city hall was a renovation of the existing 1906 city hall with new extensions added. The architectural firm of Page and Southerland designed the new building in the Art Moderne style. The city let the general contract for construction to the Schwarzer-Barron Company on November 22, 1937 for a bid of $145,594. The city council held its first meeting in the building on November 23,...
  • City Market House (demolished) - Austin TX
    The City of Austin built a farmers' market in downtown Austin partially funded by a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant. A bond issue for the market was approved on May 18, 1928, but other city priorities and then the deteriorating financial situation in the country from the Great Depression prevented moving forward with the project. The city submitted an application for a grant of 30% of the cost of the market, and the PWA returned with a grant not to exceed $11,800 in October 1934. The city let a contract the same month for $48,000 to W.J. Schwarzer of Austin...
  • Deep Eddy Pool Improvements - Austin TX
    The spring-fed Deep Eddy Swimming Pool was originally built in 1916 as part of a private resort on the banks of the Colorado River called "Deep Eddy Bathing Beach." The City of Austin purchased the resort on May 31, 1935 to use as a park. Early June 1935 saw heavy rains and flooding in Central Texas with peak discharge along the Colorado River at Austin occurring on June 15. This flood destroyed all the buildings at the resort and filled the pool with debris. The city quickly took advantage of New Deal funds for work relief projects. The Works Progress Administration...
  • Emma Long Metropolitan Park - Austin TX
    In the early 1930s, the City of Austin acquired about 1008 acres of ash and juniper woodland west of the city with a mile of lake front on Lake Austin. In December 1939, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1805 arrived at the site to develop the tract of land into a municipal park. The company's primary work included seeding and sodding grass, planting trees, and protecting the bank of the lake from erosion. They also cleared brush, built roads and developed permanent improvements to the site such as a bathhouse and concession stand. These wooden structures later burned and were replaced...
  • Glen Rose Dinosaur Tracks Display - Austin TX
    This small building on the grounds of the Texas Memorial Museum at the University of Texas was built by the WPA to house specimens from the Glen Rose Dinosaur Trackway. The tracks were removed and the building closed in 2004, after experts discovered that roof leakage, improper ventilation, and mold growth were damaging the tracks.  
  • Govalle Wastewater Treatment Plant - Austin TX
    In 1934, the Public Works Administration approved a $500,000 grant and loan package for the construction of a sewage disposal plant for the City of Austin. The city purchased 31 acres of land along the Colorado River for the site of the new plant, which was to be a revolutionary facility designed for a relatively new treatment process using activated sludge. The city hired the architecture and engineering consulting firm of Hawley, Freese and Nichols to design the 6 million gallon a day plant. Brown and Root, Inc. received the contract to build the plant in November 1935. In May...
  • House Park - Austin TX
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the House Park football stadium in Austin. House Park was built between 1938 and 1939 and has served as the home stadium for several Austin Independent School District high schools. The project was part of a larger grant made by the PWA to the City of Austin on October 31, 1938. The grant, up $613,127 under PWA Docket No. Texas-2134-F., was to cover 45% of the costs of construction of school facilities, school repairs and additions, athletic facilities, and land acquisitions. The architects of record were Giesecke & Harris and the contractors were J. R. Blackmore & Sons.
  • International–Great Northern Railroad Underpass - Austin TX
    On January 9, 1936, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution to request the Texas State Highway Commission to seek federal funds to separate the grade of Enfield Road from the International–Great Northern Railroad tracks. The Highway Commission with assistance from the United States Bureau of Public Roads built an underpass to take Enfield Road beneath the train tracks.
  • Lamar Boulevard Bridge over Shoal Creek - Austin TX
    The Lamar Boulevard Bridge over Shoal Creek is a reinforced concrete bridge built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) under project number 65-1-66-2822 in downtown Austin. The bridge has a 40 foot wide roadway and is 145.5 foot long on the downstream side and 187.83 foot long on the upstream side. The project employed an average of 70 workers. The WPA cost was $33,133 and the sponsor cost was $27,649. The bridge is still in use and is configured with four lanes - two northbound and two southbound.
  • Lions Municipal Golf Course Improvements - Austin TX
    Lions Municipal Golf Course was constructed in 1924 for the Lions Club and has been operated by the City of Austin, Texas since 1937. The course was Austin's first public golf course and is historically notable for being the first golf course south of the Mason-Dixon Line to racially integrate. The Works Progress Administration approved a project for the installation of a sprinkling system on the greens and fairways of the golf course and other general improvements to the grounds. The project involved the expenditure of $9,538.70 of federal funds and $11,539.00 of city funds.
  • Mansfield Dam - Austin TX
    "Mansfield Dam (formerly Marshall Ford Dam) is a dam located across a canyon at Marshall Ford on the Colorado River, 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Austin, Texas. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred on February 19, 1937 with United States Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes attending. The dam was a joint project by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and the United States Bureau of Reclamation, with the company Brown and Root the prime contractor. The dam was completed in 1941. Originally called Marshall Ford Dam, the name was changed in 1941 in honor of United States Representative J.J. Mansfield."...
  • Mathews Elementary School Renovations - Austin TX
    On October 31, 1935, the City of Austin accepted a grant from the Public Works Administration not to exceed $286,363 to cover 45% of the costs of building new schools, and making additions and repairs to existing schools. The voters of Austin also passed a $350,000 bond package to cover the city’s share of the costs. Mathews Elementary School, built in 1916, was one of the schools that received repairs under the package. The renovations designed by Giesecke and Harris included a new roof and painting the exterior of the building. The Texas Historical Commission designated the school a Recorded Texas...
  • Montopolis Bridge - Austin TX
    The Montopolis Bridge is a historic Parker through truss bridge across the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. On June 15, 1935, the City of Austin suffered a devastating flood along the Colorado River. The original Montopolis bridge, built by Travis County in the late 1880s, was one of five bridges washed away by the flood. The Texas Highway Department designed the current bridge and requested federal emergency relief funds from the Bureau of Public Roads to rebuild it. Work on the bridge began on February 15, 1937. The bridge was completed on February 11, 1938 by Vincennes Steel Corporation under contract...
  • Robert E. Lee Elementary School - Austin TX
    On October 31, 1938, the Public Works Administration offered the City of Austin a grant not to exceed $613,127 to cover 45% of the costs of school buildings, a stadium and field house, a central heating system, an underpass, an arcade and additions and alterations to existing school buildings, including necessary equipment and acquisition of necessary land under PWA Docket No. Texas-2134-F. Robert E. Lee Elementary School was one of the new schools built with this grant. In May 2016, the Austin School Board changed the name of the school to Russell Lee Elementary in response to community concerns about honoring...
  • Rosewood Courts - Austin TX
    On September 1, 1937, President Roosevelt signed the United States Housing Act of 1937. This created the United States Housing Authority (USHA) and provided $500 million for subsidies to be paid from the U.S. government to local public housing agencies (LHAs) to improve living conditions for low-income families. The Austin City Council established the Austin Housing Authority on December 27, 1937. The housing authority made an application to the USHA for $500,000 to build 186 units of public housing at three sites. Austin’s housing agency became the first in the country to receive funding and to start construction on its USHA...
  • Rosewood Park Improvements - Austin TX
    Rosewood Park is a 13.9-acre neighborhood park in East Austin. The land for Rosewood Park was purchased by the City of Austin in 1929 and developed as the first African-American park in Austin. The Civil Works Administration helped make improvements to the park which included stone entry columns, a bandstand, and a sports field flanked by stone retaining walls.
  • Santa Rita Courts - Austin TX
    On September 1, 1937, President Roosevelt signed the United States Housing Act of 1937. This created the United States Housing Authority (USHA) and provided $500 million for subsidies to be paid from the U.S. government to local public housing agencies (LHAs) to improve living conditions for low-income families. The Austin City Council established the Austin Housing Authority on December 27, 1937. The housing authority made an application to the USHA for $500,000 to build 186 units of public housing at three sites. Austin’s housing agency became the first in the country to receive funding and to start construction on its USHA...
  • Tom Miller Dam - Austin TX
    On April 7, 1900, the Austin Dam, built in the 1890s across the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, failed catastrophically during a flood killing 47 people. The dam was rebuilt starting in 1909, but was destroyed again by flooding in 1915. The City of Austin was unable to raise funds to repair the dam until 1938 when Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson persuaded the Public Works Administration to finance rebuilding the dam at a cost of $2,300,000. The dam was renamed Tom Miller Dam for a former Austin mayor. Tom Miller Dam was built between 1938 and 1949 atop the remains of...
  • U.S. Courthouse (former) - Austin TX
    Like other public buildings from the 1930s, the design and construction of the Austin U.S. Courthouse were part of the federal construction programs enacted to reduce unemployment during the Great Depression. Most notable among the programs was the Public Works Administration that provided thousands of jobs and funding for public service projects; one of the recipients was the Austin U.S. Courthouse. In June 1934, U.S. Congressman J. P. Buchanan requested an appropriation of $415,000 for the construction of a U.S. courthouse in Austin. Groundbreaking took place on September 16, 1935. The building was formally dedicated and opened to the public on...
  • University of Texas at Austin: Andrews Dormitory - Austin TX
    The student body of the University of Texas increased from 6,000 in 1920 to 10,000 in 1930, necessitating an extensive building program for the university. The university added Andrews Dormitory for women and Roberts Dormitory for men in 1936. The Public Works Administration provided a grant of $114,000 and a loan of $354,000 for these two buildings of which $239,000 went to build Andrews. The university named Andrews Dormitory for Jessie Andrews, the first woman to graduate from UT (1886). Andrews was the third dormitory built for women on-campus. It opened in September 1936 to house approximately 118 students. The building...
  • University of Texas at Austin: Carothers Dormitory - Austin TX
    "The student body of the University of Texas increased from 6,000 in 1920 to 10,000 in 1930, necessitating an extensive building program for the university. Carothers Dormitory for girls was one of the first buildings constructed. It is three stories and a basement in height and provides 61 double bedrooms, living room, dining room, matron's suite, staff bedrooms, and the necessary kitchens and service rooms. The building is semi-fireproof, the exterior walls being brick trimmed with stone and stucco. It was completed in March 1937 at a construction cost of $250,572 and a project cost of $264,923."
  • University of Texas at Austin: Hill Hall - Austin TX
    Beginning in 1939, the university housed its athletes in Hill Hall. The five story building (including basement) is of Spanish Renaissance style with red roof and tan bricks. The Public Works Administration provided a grant of $46,636 and a loan of $57,000 to cover the cost of construction. When originally opened the building housed 84 men. Hill Hall is named for Dr. Homer Barksdale Hill of Austin who volunteered to treat UT athletes from 1893 until his death on July 18, 1923. As its athletic programs grew, the university added Moore Hall in 1955, just south of Hill Hall and connected to...
  • University of Texas at Austin: Main Building and Library - Austin TX
    The University of Texas opened on September 15, 1883 with the completion of its Victorian style main building. The university was funded by a combination of state appropriations and annual distributions from the Permanent University Fund (PUF), an endowment of 2.1 million acres of land in West Texas. Initially, the PUF provided minimal income from leasing the land for grazing cattle, but when the first oil was discovered on the land on May 28, 1923, the university was set to receive a windfall. However, it was not until 1930, that all the details were worked out on how the money...
  • University of Texas at Austin: Prather Dormitory - Austin TX
    Due in part to the growing number of men returning to college after World War I, the student body of the University of Texas at Austin increased from 6,000 in 1920 to 10,000 in 1930, necessitating an extensive building program for the university. Plans for Prather Dormitory for men were approved by the Board of Regents in September 1935. The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the building with a grant of $110,454 and loan of $135,000. The cornerstone of the building marks the building as "Project No. 9229-Y of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works." Now called Prather Residence...
  • University of Texas at Austin: Roberts Dormitory - Austin TX
    The student body of the University of Texas increased from 6,000 in 1920 to 10,000 in 1930, necessitating an extensive building program for the university. The university added Andrews Dormitory for women and Roberts Dormitory for men in 1936. The Public Works Administration provided a grant of $114,000 and a loan of $354,000 for these two buildings of which $220,000 went to build Roberts. The university named Roberts Dormitory in honor of Oran Milo Roberts who served as Governor of Texas from 1878 to 1883. The building is of Spanish Renaissance style architecture with cream bricks and a red tile roof...
  • University of Texas at Austin: Texas Memorial Museum - Austin TX
    As part of the planning for the 1936 Texas Centennial, academics, citizens and other politicians desired to create a state museum for Texas. They wanted the museum to contribute to the conservation of the historic treasures of Texas and also to the educational system of the state. The American Legion Texas Centennial Committee, The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Congressman James "Buck" Buchanan worked together to secure $300,000 from the Public Works Administration for the Texas Memorial Museum. In addition, the Legislature of the State of Texas appropriated $225,000 for furnishing and equipping the museum and for gathering and...
  • Upper and Lower Shoal Creek Bridges - Austin TX
    The Civil Works Administration built two bridges in 1934 to carry Shoal Creek Boulevard over Shoal Creek. The Upper Shoal Creek Bridge structure consists of a shallow concrete arch between concrete piers. The Lower Shoal Creek Bridge structure consists of flat concrete slabs between concrete piers. The two lane bridges are open to traffic and are contributing structures to the Old West Austin Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 2003.
  • West 24th St. Bridge Improvements - Austin TX
    On October 27, 1938, the City of Austin accepted an aid package from the Public Works Administration for the construction of bridges and extensions of storm sewers not to exceed $132,300. One of the projects the city used the money for was to widen the bridge on West 24th Street over Shoal Creek. The original concrete bridge was built in 1928. By the mid-1930s, the narrow bridge was no longer adequate for the cars traveling between downtown and the new suburbs west of Shoal Creek. In order to widen the original bridge, the abutments and piers were extended to support new...
  • West 29th St. Bridge - Austin TX
    On October 27, 1938, the City of Austin accepted an aid package from the Public Works Administration for the construction of bridges and extensions of storm sewers not to exceed $132,300. One of the projects the city used the money for was to build a bridge on West 29th Street over Shoal Creek. On December 27, 1938, the city accepted a bid of $48,983.44 from Yarbrough Construction Company for the job. The job was accepted as completed on June 29, 1939. The city installed a brass plate on the bridge to acknowledge the contribution of the PWA, but the plaque...
  • West 34th St. Bridge - Austin TX
    On October 27, 1938, the City of Austin accepted an aid package from the Public Works Administration for the construction of bridges and extensions of storm sewers not to exceed $132,300. One of the projects the city used the money for was to build a bridge on West 34th Street over Shoal Creek. On December 22, 1938, the city accepted a bid of $19,411.63 from Rex D. Kitchens for the job. The city accepted the job as completed on April 20, 1939.
  • Westenfield Park Improvements - Austin TX
    Westenfield Corporation initially developed Westenfield Park in 1932, and the City of Austin operated the swimming pool that year. The City of Austin acquired the park in 1937. The Austin Recreation Department worked with the National Youth Administration in the same year to build the original playground and do work on the swimming pool. The swimming pool was replaced in 2013-2014 due to cracks, leaks and plumbing problems in the 80-year old pool. The playground equipment has also been updated.
1 2