Galax, Virginia received a new school in 1937 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The facility replaced a building that burned in 1936. Living New Deal believes the facility to be what is now Galax Elementary… read more
George Washington Middle School in Alexandria, VA was completed in 1936. It was funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) with a grant of $300,000 made in 1933. It was originally the George Washington High School, which replaced two prior high… read more
A 1934 addition to Emporia, Virginia’s old Greensville County Training School was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA contributed $16,957 toward the project, whose final cost was $56,533. (PWA Docket No. VA 3495.)… read more
"The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics constructed this 8-foot high-speed wind tunnel for test purposes. It is the largest structure of this kind in the world and is built of reinforced concrete throughout except that the air passages are lined… read more
The City of Richmond, Virginia utilized Civil Works Administration funds to restore the Holden Rhodes House, a ca. 1840 Greek Revival granite house. An inappropriate addition of a two-story wraparound porch was removed and new porches constructed. In addition, handrails… read more
The area encompassing Holliday Lake State Park and the surrounding state forest was cleared in the 1800s for farmland. In the 1930s, the federal government, through the Resettlement Administration, began buying the farms to return the land to its former… read more
The old main post office in Arlington VA was constructed in 1937 by the Treasury Department to consolidate postal services in the surrounding area. “As the first federal building in the County, the post office provided a focal point for… read more
The old Main Post Office in Arlington VA, opened in 1937, contains seven New Deal murals by Auriel Bessemer in its lobby. The mural series is titled, “Agricultural and Industrial Scenes – Sketches of Virginia.” They were commissioned by the… read more
Purcellville, Virginia received a new public library in 1937 with the aid of a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant. Virginia.edu: “In 1936, however, the Blue Ridge Library board elected to build a new building for a Purcellville Public Library… read more
This ballpark (also known as Calvin Falwell Field) was built with the assistance of WPA funds is currently home to the Lynchburg Hillcats, a Minor League baseball team. “The ballpark project began in 1936, after the city purchased 28 acres… read more
Charlottesville, Virginia’s historic former McIntire High School building was constructed during the 1930s with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building now houses a private Christian school, The Covenant School.
Today, the stretch called Mount Vernon Memorial Highway is located mainly in Alexandria, VA, but connects there to the stretch now called the George Washington Memorial Parkway which runs along the Potomac River mainly on the Virginia side. Though the… read more
In 1933-34, the CWA erected a wharf in Occoquan. The PWA and CCC also worked on other nearby improvements. The original docks and wharves have been replaced over time due to disastrous floods in 1965 and 1974, but the photos… read more
WPA Constructed National Guard Armory, built in Portsmouth, VA. GIS gives a sale (completion?) date of December 5, 1936.
The New Deal made substantial improvements to the Newport News Shipyard in the 1930s. Several federal agencies were probably involved, including the National Industrial Recovery Administration, Public Works Administration (itself created by the NIRA), Civil Works Administration, and Works Progress Administration…. read more
The Norfolk Botanical Garden is a 155 acre garden with 12 miles of paved trails and 65,000 plants. It receives about 300,000 visitors every year. Among the many interesting things at the Garden are tram tours, boat tours, a library,… read more
"The original application for a grant from the P.W.A. of $45,900 contemplated an annex to the existing school at an estimated cost of $102,000. Investigation disclosed that the old building was a fire hazard, so the city demolished it and… read more
“A sports stadium was constructed at the Norfolk Division in 1936. The stadium cost approximately $300,000; money was appropriated through municipal funds and from the Virginia Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). During the summers, the stadium… read more
“The Administration Building, complete with a library, offices, six classrooms, two gymnasiums and a swimming pool, opens in September 1936. Funded by a loan and grant from the federal Public Works Administration, the cost is $123,000. In continuous use ever… read more
“The courthouse and its grounds underwent major changes during the depression years, courtesy of the Federal Government’s Public Works Administration (PWA). Under the courthouse the PWA workers hand-dug a basement to create office spaces.”
From the National Park Service’s Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary for Richmond: “The Works Progress Administration built the wide drive and stone retaining walls along Oregon Hill Park in the late 1930s, and the city rebuilt these in 2007… read more
The historic former Parcel Post Building at 1100 E Main St. in Richmond, Virginia was originally designed by Marcellus Eugene Wright, Sr. in association with the Richmond architectural firm Lee & Smith & Van der Voort. According to some sources… read more
The former Parcel Post Building in Richmond, Virginia housed multiple examples of New Deal artwork: murals by Paul Cadmus and Jared French, respectively, which were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Paul Cadmus’s work was a [multi-panel?] mural… read more
The former Parcel Post Building in Richmond, Virginia housed multiple examples of New Deal artwork: murals by Paul Cadmus and Jared French, respectively, which were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Gerard French’s work was a mural: “Stuart’s… read more
The Pheobus Fire Department in Hampton, Virginia was originally constructed as the Town Hall for Pheobus, Virginia. The town of Phoebus has since been incorporated into the city of Hampton. The Town Hall building was constructed in 1938. In his… read more
This New Deal post office was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. It is also the site of William Caffee’s 1941 mural, “Chesapeake Fisherman.” Researcher Frank da Cruz notes that the post office’s Colonial Revival design is… read more
“Chesapeake Fishermen” This mural was originally proposed for the Eutaw, Alabama post office. Since it depicts nothing in the Eutaw area, the Section reassigned it to Phoebus, Virginia. Note: Phoebus was a separate incorporated town during the 1930s. It was… read more
Researcher Frank da Cruz writes that in 1936 the Federal Works Project Administration (PWA) financed the construction of this one-million gallon steel elevated tank. The current waterworks coordinator in the area reports that this project, as well as the 60th Street Elevated… read more
The stone picnic shelter was constructed during the 1930s (after 1934 when the park was planned for development) by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The city of Roanoke hired landscape architect A. A. Farnham to develop a plan for the park,… read more
“Pocahontas State Park is a state park located in Chesterfield, Virginia, USA, not far from the state capitol of Richmond. The park was laid out by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and at 7,950 acres (32.2 km2) was, at its creation, Virginia’s… read more
The historic Altavista post office was constructed in 1939 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.
The historic post office in Appalachia, Virginia was constructed in 1938 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in use.
The historic New Deal post office in Bassett, Virginia was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds in 1938. The post office is still in use today.
The U.S. Post Office building in Berryville, Virginia, is a U.S. Treasury project from 1938-39. It is one of many hundreds of post offices built during the New Deal era that still serve Americans today.
The historic post office in Blackstone, Virginia was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds in 1940-1. The building is still in service.
The historic post office building in Bluefield, Virginia was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which was constructed ca. 1941, houses New Deal artwork inside and is still in use today.
The historic post office in Chatham, Virginia was constructed in 1936 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.
The Christiansburg Post Office is located at the main intersection of the town of Christiansburg, Virginia. It was completed in 1936 and built from funds allocated to the US Treasury Dept. In the mid-2000s it was targeted for closure by… read more
The historic post office building in Emporia, Virginia was built with Treasury Department funds in 1939.
The historic post office in Chatham, Virginia was constructed in 1936 with Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.
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.
