Texas Sites

Charles E. Nash Elementary School was originally constructed in 1927 and received a small addition in 1936. It's likely that the addition was completed as the result of New Deal funding, but that has not been verified. It has been verified that the grounds were landscaped through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Among the improvements were these terraces and stairs on the north side of the grounds constructed circa 1936. The improvements were designed by Hare & Hare of Kansas City, Mo.

Cherokee County completed its current courthouse in 1941 with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration. The courthouse is a three-story center block on basement with two-story wings on either side. The Moderne style structure, designed by the firm of Gill & Bennett, is built of native red and white limestone and features Art Deco details.

The historic Childress County Courthouse in downtown Childress, Texas was built with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a grant of $101,250 toward the project, whose total cost was $223,635. Construction occurred between November 1938 and November 1939. The New Deal building replaced a 1891 courthouse. PWA Docket No. TX W1472.

The historic Childress County Heritage Museum was originally constructed as the Childress post office in 1935.

Construction of the Childress High School Gymnasium building was enabled by Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1939. The building is a two-story rectangular plan, front-gabled Italian Renaissance style building with two flat-roofed wings. Additional architectural details can be found at the NRHP reference below.

The University of North Texas's Chilton Hall was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. provided roughly $209,000 for the construction of it and Terrill Hall. "Chilton Hall was the first dormitory to be built to house men. It was opened in 1938. Located on the west side of Avenue C, the structure originally faced the tennis courts that were located behind the Orchestra Hall (now the location of the Music Building). During World War II, the dormitory housed the Army Air Corps soldiers who were sent to a glider training center in Denton. This structure was renovated...

A plaque on the ruins of a wall in the community of Choate, near the city of Kenedy, Texas, indicate the Works Progress Administration constructed the building between 1938 and 1939. Another plaque listing board members and the superintendent and principal indicate the building was a school. Written tradition confirms the building was a school that closed in the mid-1960s. The property is now owned by the Choate Baptist Church. The church had the interior of the building burned and cleared out circa 2000. The ruins are used as a fellowship center.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a small vehicle and pedestrian bridge over a creek in Handley, TX. The bridge has a WPA plaque. Handley is now a suburb of Fort Worth Texas.

A Works Progress Administration (WPA) dam enlargement project was undertaken to increase the municipal water reserves of Crowell, Texas in an effort completed in 1936. "The capacity of city lake was more than doubled by a WPA project completed last spring. The dam of the lake was raised three and one-half feet and the spillway three feet."

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,...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the municipal building in De Leon, Texas. The building has housed various municipal functions over the years, including  the City Hall, Fire Station, Auditorium, and Library. Official project No. 665-66-2-16. File card text: City Hall; City hall and fire station, including Auditorium; reinforced concrete foundation, brick construction, steel trusses in auditorium; also contains library. Two story brick building is still City Hall. But the building now houses a police station instead of a fire station. Plaque on building reads: Works Progress Administration 1938-1939.

"During the Depression, plans for constructing the City Hall were temporarily sidetracked. In 1933, however, the City applied for a federal Public Works Administration grant to help finance the construction of a new City Hall. Straw votes on building a new City Hall were taken in 1933, 1934 and 1935, In 1934 voters rejected a proposition to build the City Hall, but also voted that if one were to be built, it should be put on the Civic Center site rather than at Market Square. On August 8, 1937, the City Hall W.P.A. grant was approved... In October 1937 the...

"Before completion of the new municipal building, the town was making use of a temporary sheet-iron structure in which not only the fire apparatus but the permanent municipal records were kept. The new building is two stories in height with hollow-tile walls and partitions. Its stucco exterior, the arcaded entrance, and the tile roof give it the Spanish character which is native to the region. The first floor contains offices, a meeting room for State officials, garage for two fire trucks, firemen's quarters, and a hall for the use of civic organizations. The second floor is...

The $125,000 cost of Tyler City Hall was financed in part by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The city dedicated the Art Deco styled building on August 3, 1939. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 2007.

Taylor, Texas's former City Hall, "an 11,000-square-foot building on Main Street between Fourth and Fifth streets", was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1935. The rectangular building, featuring Art Deco details, was used for municipal purposes until 2005. Despite $58,000 in efforts at that time to "repair the roof, clean, paint and put in new windows," the building fell into disrepair and the property was later fenced off. The building was demolished between 2013 and 2015, per Google Street View imagery. The former property is now part of the north side of Heritage Square Park.

The old Fort Worth City Hall (now used as the Public Safety and Courts Building) was constructed by the PWA in 1938: "Fort Worth, like many other communities, utilized federal relief funds to upgrade its civic infrastructure during the Depression. In the case of the 1938 City Hall, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided approximately forty-five per cent of the $500,000 construction cost, and the balance was funded by a city bond issue...The 1893 Victorian city hall was demolished so that the site could be used for this building, and construction began in December 1937... The Classical or "PWA" Moderne building is...

The Works Progress Administration built a new City Hall for Hearne in 1941. The former Hearne City Hall is located on the corner of 3rd and Cedar Streets. Built of native rock with white trim the building houses the city hall, fire station, and city council chamber. The council chamber was furnished with mahogany seats for those who wished to attend the meetings. The building was equipped with fluorescent lighting. This was the first building specifically built for a city hall since Hearne was incorporated in 1871. The contractor for the work was Lawrence Brady of Hearne. (The fire station bays have...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Karnes City City Hall and Auditorium between 1938-1941. The one-story, brick building was designed in Art Deco Style typical of that era and WPA-built structures. The City Hall is at the front, and the auditorium is behind it, featuring an entrance flanked by columns. The City Hall entrance is covered with an awning above which is a "City Hall" hall sign built out of metal. The top plaque reads: Work Projects Administration 1938-1940. The bottom plaque reads: City Hall / Built 1941 / J.O. Faith, Mayor / S. G. Kendrick / H.W. Isensee / Commissioners / Alvin...

Between 1938 in 1940 the Works Progress Administration awarded a marching grant to the City of Holland for a Municipal Builing and Community Center. Today, while City Hall has moved into a connercial building across the street, the Kuhlmann Civic Center in downtown Holland TX still serves the folks of this small town

In 1902 Mineola's city hall burned. For over 20 year they operated out of rental property. In 1929 the city bought this property and in 1929 the city started to build a combination fire house/city hall. The fire house was completed in 1931 but then the city ran out of money. According to a newspaper article, in August of 1940 the city applied for WPA funds to complete the city hall. Other sources say the city hall was completed in 1939.

Building is a fine representation of the Moderne style most frequently used in public building projects of the 1930s. (NRHP Nomination Form) The construction of this city hall created many jobs for the unemployed in Weatherford during the hard times of the Great Depression. Weatherford citizens passed a bond election to provide funds for a new city hall and fire station in 1933, and construction began immediately on this structure, built on land designated early in the century for city hall and fire department use. Dedication ceremonies for the new facility were held on January 16, 1934. The art deco brick...

WPA funds in the amount of $4,711 were appropriated for the construction of the City Hall in 1940.  The cost of the building was estimated at $8,100.  The building is two stories, of natural stone, and contains a garage for two fire trucks.  The second floor was utilized as an auditorium and city offices were on the first floor. The building currently serves as the Fire Station Museum.

Built in 1896, the Rockdale City Hall was remodeled by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 1940. The structure currently houses Rockdale Police Department. WPA Project #12892 Milam County. WPA crews "remodeled building roof, plastered partitions, installed hardwood floors, and stuccoed outside." Historical Marker: Altered in the 1930s resulting in the loss of a tall bell tower.

The WPA approved $8,089 toward the construction of the $18,000 city market. The building was constructed of native stone, 80x120 feet, with 18 foot walls, concrete floor, and metal roof. The purpose was to provide space for the fall fair, storage space for peanuts, and a public market for farmers' produce. The building is currently used for community events.

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...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) began work on the development of a city park, swimming pool, and golf course in January 1939. Bath houses, seats, wading pool, bandstand, rock veneer golf house with showers, and picnic tables of rock veneer and concrete were also constructed. The WPA provided a grant of approximately $45,000 and the city voted $12,000 in bonds to construct the swimming pool and municipal park. Engineer Cecil Hauk drew plans for the project. Frank H. Spicer of the WPA was in charge. The project was estimated to take ten months and initially employed 54 men. The park...

A social club formed by German immigrants called the Bellville Turnverein Gut Heil built a 12-sided social hall in 1897 on about 15 acres of land in Bellville, Texas. The City of Bellville purchased the land and pavilion in 1937. The city hosted a design competition among students from Texas A&M University to design a park. The Works Progress Adminstration assisted the city in updating the pavilion and building new facilities. The pavilion was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1996.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded the construction of a city park in Haskell, Texas. A story published in the Abilene Reporter-News in 1937 provides details about the project: "WPA Builds City Park At Haskell HASKELL, Jan. 25 -- (AC)-- Completion was being made today of the city park and swimming pool constructed by the Works Progress Administration. The eight-acre park site has been grade, trees and shrubbery planted, the entire park enclosed with a native stone, hedge and wire fence. A swimming pool, bath house and amphitheater have been erected. Channel of a small stream has been opened and lined with rock and...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built park facilities in the Hearne City Park. The WPA contributed $44,000 for materials and labor, and the City of Hearne spent 22,000. First unit of the park completed was the swimming pool and bath house. (Bath house has the only WPA plaque). Also constructed was a rock entrance, a clubhouse, picnic tables and barbecue pits. There was a sunken garden (apparently now gone, as I didn't find it). They also built a nine-hole golf course with water lines to keep the grass watered. All the structures are built of native rock. The club house has...

After the discovery of oil here in the 1930s, this site was transformed into a makeshift tent city by thousands of people displaced by a deepening national depression. In an effort to control growth, city officials chose this site as the focus of an ambitious public works program in 1934. The park project, which included extensive rock work, was influenced by the planning and foresight of other Federal "New Deal" projects underway in Kilgore at the time (Kilgore Public Library and Kilgore College Administration Building). The park project was finished about 1936.

The Works Progress Administration built a city park and amphitheater in Memphis TX. The amphitheater has seating for around 2000 people and excellent acoustics. The semi-circular concrete stand is perfectly paced to fit the contours of a high bluff it faces and serves equally well for singing events, plays, band concerts, and other entertainments. Picnic facilities included in the park project converted a tree lined park into a popular recreation center.

Civic League Park sits on land donated by Uriah Gilliam Taylor to the San Angelo Civic League in 1904. The San Angelo City Council accepted the property as a park in 1907, and Taylor signed the deed over to the city in 1911. During the Depression, Works Progress Administration laborers improved the park based on the designs of Albert Nealy Carlin, the city’s first superintendent of parks. These improvements include a bridge and the rock work around the park. Civic League Park is still in use and is the site of one of the world's foremost waterlily collections.

Civilian Conservation Camp SP-55-TX is the main encampment that was the headquarters for the CCC's Dallas operations. A historical marker can be found at the location of the camp. Excerpt from Steven Butler's From Water Supply to Urban Oasis: A History of White Rock Lake Park (Richardson, Texas: Poor Scholar Publications, 2004: "The Dallas-area camp, designated SP-55-TX, was originally intended for Bachman Lake but in mid-July 1935 the National Park Service decided to place it at White Rock instead, "in order to get sanitary sewage and other facilities more suited to the project." On July 10, 1935, work on the barracks and other...

Built in 1912, the two-story, native stone Clairette School building survives as a community center and polling place. In 1939, Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a separate gymnasium building and a star shaped fountain in front of the 1912 building. The rock work on the flagpole, the water tank, and the retaining wall appear to be the same vintage as the fountain, but there is no reference to them being WPA projects.

The park was built by CCC Co. 3804 who were at the park from the spring of 1935 to Aug 1940. According to "Parks for Texas," CCC work includes the dam and lake, a limestone residence and maintenance area, entrance portals, and fireplace units. Additional work was completed by the WPA in 1941, including a bathhouse and concession building, plus a water and sewer system.

The City of Clifton offered the State of Texas 80 acres of land along the Bosque River for a state park. The state never accepted the donation, and the area remained a city park. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 878 arrived in June 1933 to begin work on the park. The CCC built picnic and fireplace units, a semicircular seating area, entry portals, concession building and latrine all out of limestone. The CCC left their camp in Clifton in January 1934.

The Clifton School is an Art Deco style building constructed in 1940. The structure is brick with pre-cast white stone ornamentation (made on the job site). The entrance has two stories, the second story being reserved for administrative space. Two one-story wings extend from the entrance. The school had a total of 32 rooms (eighteen of which were classrooms) and had wood floors. The interior cafeteria food service was part of the WPA lunch project. The school was demolished in 2019.

The National Youth Administration (NYA) completed landscaping work in Cobb Park Landscaping - Abilene TX. NYA Park Project To Begin Thursday: A National Youth Administration park Improvement project for the city of Abilene will begin Thursday, it was learned here yesterday. Ben Jackson, district NYA supervisor, has instructed local Works Progress administration officials to assign 40 youths to the project. It will consist of building two tennis courts and planting of shrubs md other greenery. Most of It Is to be in Cobb park.

$76,116 WPA Project Slated for Coleman. Improvements to the extend of $76,116 will be made on Coleman city schools and campuses during the next 12 months, according to an announcement made today. Of that amount the WPA is expected to expend $58,097. It will require 112 men a total of a year to complete the work outlined In a project. The area WPA office has given its approval to the project and other approval is expected within a short time. Improvements to the campus athletic fields, and buildings; rubble masonry walls, concrete curbs and gutters and sidewalks, paved play areas and courts, and...

Collin County Jail was erected in 1880. The two-story Collin County Jail features quarry-faced, ashlar limestone masonry construction and exhibits detailing and massing characteristic of the High-Victorian Italianate style. Two-tiered pilasters mark the slightly projecting central bay. This bay features a low-pitched pressed-metal pediment above the top floor and a stone panel engraved with "Collin County Prison" above the double-door, front entrance. The jail was vacated when new facilities were completed in 1979. Texas State Historical Marker: Completed in 1880, it was modified in 1938 with Funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. Plaque on building: Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works Franklin D....