1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 26
  • La Villita Cos House Restoration - San Antonio TX
    It is generally believed that General Martin Perfecto de Cos, a brother-in-law of Mexico’s President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, surrendered to the Texan commander, General Edward Burleson, after the five-day Siege of Bexar in December 1835 at the Villita Street building known today as the Cos House. This structure is considered to be the oldest building in the "Little Village" since it pre-dates the 1835 surrender. The building was restored through the efforts of NYA workers as part of the La Villita restoration project.
  • La Villita Restoration - San Antonio TX
    "La Villita, in the heart of San Antonio, was once the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian village. The first huts in the community were probably erected about 1722... The Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo colonial history of the section is preserved in the name of the streets and houses of La Villita: Guadalupe Street, Bolivar Hall, Juarez Plaza, Cos House, Canada House, and McAllister Corner. La Villita was restored as a result of a city ordinance of October 12, 1939, and is owned by the city and operated as a craft and recreational center. The National Youth Administration assisted in...
  • Lake Brownwood State Park Improvements - Brownwood TX
    Pecan Bayou flooded the city of Brownwood in late September of 1900 causing considerable damage to the business district and washing away the train track that served the city. The citizens of Brown County looked for a way to control Pecan Bayou. They voted in 1926 to create the Brown County Water Improvement District. The water district acquired seven tracts of land for the purpose of building a dam on Pecan Bayou. The water district completed the dam in 1932 just before another flood swept down the Bayou quickly filling the reservoir. The Texas State Parks Board acquired 538 acres of...
  • Lake Cisco-Area Park Improvements - Cisco TX
    Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as completed in a Abilene Daily Reporter article from June 14, 1936 was "park Improvements" in Cisco, Texas. "Lake Improvements consisted of clearing the creek channel below the dam and swimming pool, lining the channel with rock, terracing banks of the creek, and building walks, drives, and a small bridge. Twenty-five men were employed for six months. Total expenditure was $5,000." Living New Deal believes this to be a reference to Lake Cisco.
  • Lake Clark Dam - Ennis TX
    The works Progress Administration created Lake Clark by building an 1800-foot compacted earth filled dam on Little Mustang Creek west of Ennis, Texas. The project number was 65-1-66-165.
  • Lake Cliff Park Improvements - Dallas TX
    The site, originally developed in 1906 as an amusement park, was acquired by the City of Dallas in 1914. The park encompasses 44 acres and a large lake. Works Progress Administration (WPA) sponsored improvements included construction of a stone picnic shelter in 1938, roque court, retaining wall, paving, picnic units, a bridge, and extensive landscaping. Perhaps the most visible WPA features are the rose garden and pavilions, constructed 1940-1943. The pavilions and shelter were restored in 2009.
  • Lake Corpus Christi State Park - Mathis TX
    Lake Corpus Christi State Park is situated along Lake Corpus Christi southwest of Mathis, Texas. The land was leased from the City of Corpus Christi in 1934 and the 356-acre park was opened the same year. The park is currently administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Lake Corpus Christi State Park was developed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 886. In 1934, the company formed Camp Kleberg, named for local Congressman Richard Mifflin Kleberg, a supporter of early New Deal programs including the CCC. The enrollees worked at Lake Corpus Christi until their transfer to Palmetto State Park in...
  • Lake Fort Phantom Hill Dam - Abilene TX
    New Deal funds aided in the construction a dam north of Abilene on Elm Creek, resulting in the creation of Lake Fort Phantom Hill. The lake continues to be "the city’s main water source." Sources do not indicate exactly which New Deal program(s) provided the funding and/or labor for this project.
  • Lake Halbert Dam Repairs - Corsicana TX
    The Works Progress Administration rebuilt the dam impounding Lake Halbert, near Corsicana, Texas, in a project completed in 1936. The work involved "extensive rock riprapping."
  • Lake Sealy - Santa Anna TX
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built Lake Sealy in 1940 under official project number 665-66-2-391. The WPA constructed a 750 foot earthen dam to impound the lake, covering the lakeside of the dam with riprap and sodding the back side. The lake currently provides no water or revenue for the City of Santa Anna which owns it. The lake was used for recreational fishing and then leased to a private landowner.
  • Lake Sweetwater Recreation Area - Sweetwater TX
    In the summer of 1933, the City of Sweetwater offered land on Lake Sweetwater to the State of Texas in exchange for the state developing a park. Development started with the Civil Works Administration in the winter of 1933 with construction of a refectory at the site. In fall 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1823(V) arrived to continue work. The company was a mix of white and black enrollees. Six months later the unit became the state's only all black company. As a result, politicians demanded the removal of the camp, and the company moved to Lake Abilene State Park. While...
  • Lake Worth Improvements - Fort Worth TX
    In addition to Mosque Point, the CCC completed many other projects at Lake Worth. The pictured National Park Service document lists the many projects built by the CCC from 1934-1937, including: foot and auto bridges, several shelters, picnic and campground facilities, roads, foot trails, landscaping, tree planting, drinking fountains, toilets, water lines, fire protection amenities and more.
  • Lake Worth, Mosque Point Shelter - Fort Worth TX
    Lake Worth's Mosque Point shelter was designed by Hare and Hare of Kansas City, MO and built by CCC Co. 1816. The plan shown here was developed by Hare & Hare in 1930. That was the year that H&H completed a park master plan for the Board of Park Commissioners. The shelter was actually built in 1934. It was rehabbed following a fire to its present form in 1988. Originally it was a gable roof but was changed to a hipped roof covered with metal instead of the usual wood shingles. The CCC also completed many other projects at Lake Worth. The pictured...
  • Lakeview Road Improvements - San Angelo TX
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted modest street improvement work in the Lakeview section of San Angelo, Texas.
  • 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.
  • Lamar High School - Houston TX
    A Public Works Administration package of school construction grants of $3,821,000 helped build Lamar High School in Southwest Houston, along with other schools in the city. The Moderne style school was completed in December 1937. There is a large bas-relief map of Texas carved over one entrance.
  • Lamb County Library (Old Post Office) - Littlefield TX
    The historic Lamb County Library building in Littlefield, Texas was constructed as the city's post office in 1940 with federal Treasury Department funds.
  • Lamb County Library Sculptures - Littlefield TX
    The historic Lamb County Library building in Littlefield, Texas houses an example of New Deal artwork: "West Texas," a set of two New Deal tymstone sculptures completed by William McVey in 1948.
  • Lamesa Farm Workers Community - Los Ybanez TX
    The state historical marker at the site reads: By the 1920s, Dawson County’s rapidly expanding cotton economy was outgrowing its labor supply. Like other areas of the country, Lamesa began to rely on migrant laborers from Mexico to increase the available pool of seasonal workers. One effort to federally regulate migrant labor was the creation of farm labor communities to ensure a dependable source of labor for farmers and to provide safe and sanitary living facilities for migrant workers and their families. The Lamesa Farm Workers Community, present day Los Ybanez, operated from 1942 until 1980. In 1941, the Farm Security Administration...
  • Lampasas City Hall Mural - Lampasas TX
    This 1939 mural "Afternoon on a Texas Ranch" by Ethel Edwards was a winner of the Treasury Section's 48-State Post Office Mural Competition. It was originally located in the Lampasas post office constructed in 1938, but was moved to the city hall when the post office moved to a new location.
  • Lampasas State Park (former) - Lampasas TX
    In 1933, the Lampasas Chamber of Commerce raised $2,500 to buy 154 acres of land along Sulphur Creek and presented the land to the State of Texas as a site for a state park. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 896 arrived the same year, set up Camp Miriam (in honor of Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, the Governor of Texas) and began development of the park. The CCC cleared brush and cactus, built gravel roads, a native stone entrance, a concession house, a low water dam, native stone picnic tables, barbecue pits, native stone cabins, a baseball field, and a polo field....
  • Landa Park Improvements - New Braunfels TX
    Merchant Joseph Landa purchased the property that bears his name in 1859 to build gristmills powered by water from the Comal River. During the 1890s, the Landa property became known as Landa's Pasture and was a popular picnic spot. Landa's Park was established by Joseph's son, Harry Landa, in 1898. Excursion trains from San Antonio and Austin brought tourists to Landa's Park, which was hailed as one of the most popular resorts in the Southwest. In 1927, Harry Landa, sold the property to Jarrett Investment Company, which operated the park until it defaulted on its loan due to financial losses...
  • Lavon School - Lavon TX
    The first school in the community of Lavon was a two-story brick building. In 1910, the Little Creek school, which was organized in 1885, closed and transferred to the Lavon School District No. 135. Between 1938 and 1940, the school building for the Lavon Independent School District was built through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt with the passage of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, the WPA was to be an extension of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration Work Program which funded projects at the state and local level. The goal of the program...
  • Lawn School Gymnasium - Lawn TX
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of a school gymnasium in Lawn TX. Excerpt from Abilene Reporter-News (1939): "Lawn Gymnasium To Be Dedicated The newly-completed Lawn gymnasium will be dedicated Friday night. according to H. 0. Keese, school board president, who was in Abilene yesterday. The gymnasium, a brick-tile structure, has been completed by Bonike Brothers of Abilene, contractors, for a total cost of $16,000. Funds were provided by a PWA grant of $7,400 and a $10,000 bond voted at Lawn. Remainder of the money will be used in repairing the old school building. W. B. Williams is superintendent of the Lawn school. School board...
  • Lee Park and Arlington Hall - Dallas TX
    Arlington Hall is a two-thirds-size replica of Arlington House, General Robert E. Lee’s Virginia home. The City of Dallas and the Works Progress Administration completed the building in 1939. For years, it served as a popular spot for community events and weddings, but wear and tear and lack of funding led to the building’s decay. The Lee Park and Arlington Hall Conservancy, formed in 1995, raised more than $2.5 million in private funds to restore and expand Arlington Hall in 2003. Arlington Hall continues to serve the city as an event center.
  • Lee Park: General Lee Statue Base - Dallas TX
    "General Lee and Young Soldier" is a sculpture by Alexander Phimister Proctor that stands in Lee Park in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Southern Memorial Association gave the statue to the City of Dallas in 1936. The Dallas Park Board provided a location for the statue and the Works Progress Administration built the base the statue stands on. A plaque on the base denotes it as W.P.A. Project No. 4051. The statue was removed in September 2017.
  • Leonhardt Lagoon - Fair Park - Dallas TX
    The Leonhardt Lagoon was constructed with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds in 1936. The lagoon named after philanthropist Dorothea Leonhardt and was built at the site of the Texas Centennial Exposition. "The man-made lagoon lies south of the Midway. It was constructed with funds from the WPA to serve as a peaceful, beautiful place to take a break from the bustle of the exposition exhibits. As part of the overall design, George Dahl placed it at the center of the civic section. Leonhardt Lagoon was surrounded by a science museum, an art museum, an aquarium, and a band shell. In 1981, Pat...
  • Liberia Park Pool and Recreation Center Improvements - Beaumont TX
    Through proceeds of a bond issued in 1925, the City of Beaumont acquired 2.75 acres of land to construct a segregated swimming pool and park for black residents. The modern Bintz pool, 45 x 90 feet, was equipped with dressing rooms, a concourse for spectators, and other accessories supporting residential access. When officially opened in 1927, the park was named “Liberia” after the African Republic. Playgrounds, a softball diamond, a basketball court, a boxing ring, a concrete tennis court, and picnic and handicraft benches were used by approximately 250,000 people annually. The establishment of New Deal programs during the depression supported...
  • Liberty Hall (former) Seat Covers - El Paso TX
    Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as completed in an El Paso Times article from June 7, 1936 was "Manufacture of Liberty Hall seat covers. $1528." "The El Paso County Courthouse and its accompanying Liberty Hall was a monumental Classical Revival structure built in 1915" and located at 500 East San Antonio Avenue. The building was demolished in 1988.
  • Library (former Post Office) - Stephenville TX
    The historic Stephenville Public Library building was originally constructed as the city's post office. The building, which was funded by the Treasury Department, was built in 1935. The architects of record were Mark Lemmon and Louis A Simon.
  • Library (former) - Eagle Pass TX
    Eagle Pass Public Library website: "According with the Eagle Pass News Guide published on February 27, 1997, at 1927 a group of women, who were studying art, music, literature, decided Eagle Pass should have a public library. On April 15, 1939, with the help of WPA labor, Maverick County erected a small building on Quarry St., housing 7,000 books." The exact location of the WPA building and its status are unknown to Living New Deal. The library is now housed at the old post office building at the corner of Main and Monroe Streets.
  • Library (former) Expansion - Tyler TX
    The Carnegie Public Library in Tyler opened October 3, 1904. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie provided a $15,000 donation to construct the building. With two large rooms on the first floor and an auditorium called Carnegie Hall on the second, the library was designed to hold 12,000 books and be operated by one librarian. An expansion in 1936 doubled its size, courtesy of a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant. The addition carefully reproduced the elements of construction on both the exterior and interior. This was made possible by a $25, 000 WPA grant. At the same time, modern lighting and Venetian blinds...
  • Lillian Peek Home Economics Building - Mineral Wells TX
    The first free-standing house built for home economics education was constructed in Mineral Wells, Texas following site selection by state supervisor of home economics Lillian Peek in 1933. It was completed by federal labor using native stone, and was occupied by students in February 21, 1934.* The building style was "semi-Georgian" (Shubert, 2013) and included a foods laboratory (kitchen with 6 units), clothing laboratory (sewing machines), living and dining room (with rustic faux fireplace), terrace, bedroom, and bath room. The cottage cost $11,200 for construction with additional costs for furnishing. Along with an amphitheater originally constructed in 1937, the building...
  • Lily B. Clayton School Addition - Fort Worth TX
    "This structure is one unit of a large rehabilitation and building program begun by the Fort Worth Independent School District in 1934. The addition provides six classrooms, a library, a kindergarten, a cafeteria, and an auditorium seating 400. The construction is reinforced concrete with wood roof framing. Exterior walls are faced with buff brick and trimmed with artificial stone of a similar color. With the addition, the school will accommodate 480 pupils. It was completed in February 1938 at a construction cost of $110,313 and a project cost of $115,644."   (Short and Stanley-Brown) The school grounds were landscaped by the WPA.  
  • Lincoln Heights Courts - San Antonio TX
    San Antonio's Board of Commissioners created the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) on June 17, 1937. 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) like SAHA to improve living conditions for low-income families. SAHA made applications to the USHA for funds and the USHA agreed to provide financing for five projects; Alazan Courts, Apache Courts, Lincoln Heights Courts, Wheatley Courts and Victoria Courts. San Antonio enforced segregation in...
  • Lincoln High School - Dallas TX
    Lincoln High School in Dallas, Texas was constructed in large part with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Text from the state historical marker reads: In 1937, the Dallas school board appointed a building committee to find land for a new high school for African Americans. The committee chose eleven acres at this location. Lincoln High School was one of the largest campuses in the city, with twenty classrooms, chemistry and physics laboratories, auditorium, cafeteria, and library in the main building. A federal Public Works Administration grant paid for nearly half of the construction cost. In January 1939, Lincoln High School opened...
  • Lincoln Park - Fort Worth TX
    In 1941, the WPA constructed a wall along Marine Creek in Lincoln Park as a part of a joint WPA project improving this and nearby Marine Park. Lincoln Park was one of the city parks reserved for African Americans in the early 20th century.
  • 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.
  • Little Chapel in the Woods (TWU) - Denton TX
    Pictured here is a postcard of the Little Chapel in the Woods on the Campus of Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX. It was built by the NYA and designed by O'Neil Ford and Arch Swank (O'Neil Ford is a big name in Texas architecture). Students at the college designed many of the interior features. Mrs. Roosevelt attended its dedication on November 1, 1939. The chapel's website summarizes its construction: "The students and faculty of Texas Woman's University actively participated in both raising the funds for and designing all the artwork in the Chapel. Throughout 1938 and 1939, more than 300 TWU...
  • Llano County Public Library (former) - Llano TX
    The Works Progress Administration and the Llano Women's Culture Club teamed together to build a library on the southwest corner of the courthouse square in Llano, Texas in 1939. The WPA provided 70% of the resources for the one-story native flagstone veneered building, and the literary club provided the other 30%. The building is currently used as the Llano County Clerk's office.
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 26