The campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia—or, as it was then known, as Virginia Polytechnic Institute (V.P.I.)—was dramatically developed as part of numerous New Deal projects during the Great Depression. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided multiple rounds of… read more
Virginia Tech’s Agnew Hall, originally known as the Home Economics Building, was constructed as a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project and dedicated in 1940. It was part of a broader development of several buildings on its corner of campus that… read more
The airport at Virginia Tech, now known as Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport, was enlarged as part of a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project completed in 1940.
The Armory, now part of the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, was originally constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project in 1936. The PWA supplied an $18,000 grant for the project, whose total cost was $42,544. Primary… read more
Burruss Hall serves as the main administration building for what was then the Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the building, originally called the Teaching and Administration Building, was constructed… read more
Virginia Tech’s former Commerce Hall was remodeled as part of a larger Public Works Administration (PWA) project on the campus. The New York Times identifies this “business administration” building as a PWA project dedicated in August 1940. VT.edu, re: Commencement… read more
Virginia Tech’s East Campbell Hall dormitory was constructed as part of a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. Also known as Campbell Hall’s east wing, the structure was constructed in 1940; whereas Main Campbell Hall was built in 1930, prior to… read more
Virginia Tech’s Eggleston Hall dormitory was constructed in stages, as part of two Public Works Administration (PWA) projects during the Great Depression. Main Eggleston Hall (440 Drillfield Drive) was constructed first and completed in 1935. Main Eggleston was one of… read more
Now known as the Graduate Life Center, what was originally the Faculty Center—a dormitory on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia—was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project in the mid-1930s. It was one of four buildings… read more
Virginia Tech’s Hutcheson Hall, originally known as New Agricultural Hall, “was built in 1940 at a cost of $206,000,” and was constructed as part of a larger Public Works Administration (PWA) project on the campus. It was part of a… read more
Now known as the Military Building, what was originally the utilities building was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project in the mid-1930s. It was one of four buildings on the campus completed as part of a massive… read more
Virginia Tech’s Owens Hall dining facility was constructed as part of a larger Public Works Administration (PWA) project on the campus. VT.edu: “When completed in 1939, Owens Dining Center, which seated 2,240 diners, covered the greatest area of any structure… read more
Virginia Tech’s Seitz Hall, originally known as the Agricultural Engineering Building, was constructed as a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project and dedicated in 1940. It was part of a broader development of several buildings on its corner of campus that… read more
Virginia Tech’s Smyth Hall, originally known as the Natural Science Building, “was built in 1939 at a cost of $127,650,” and was constructed as part of a larger Public Works Administration (PWA) project on the campus. It was part of… read more
The Students Activity Building at the Virginia Polytechnic institute in Blacksburg, Virginia was built by the Public Works Administration in 1937. The original building was completed in May of 1937 and was 54,366 square feet. The building was renamed the… read more
“The Stadium at Cary Field was constructed in 1935 at a cost of $138,395 under a grant from President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Public Works Administration. The namesakes of the stadium are Walter (W&M class of 1937) and Betty Zable (class… read more
The historic Warren County Courthouse in Front Royal, Virginia was built with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $17,587 grant for the project, whose total cost was $62,931. Construction occurred between July 1935… read more
Roanoke, Virginia’s Wasena Bridge was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project between 1938 and 1939 by Contractor M. S. Hudgins, Wisconsin Bridges & Iron Company and Consulting Engineers, Barrington & Cortelyou . The bridge carries the traffic of Main… read more
ThePublic Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction 0f the Washington-Liberty High School. According to the school’s history page, “In 1938 with PWA funds, another addition” to Washington Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia “was completed. A PWA plaque is located… read more
A waterworks construction project in Gloucester [Courthouse], Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $15,300 grant for the project, whose total cost was $34,159. Work occurred between… read more
A waterworks construction project in Herndon, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $30,572 grant for the project, whose total cost was $67,938. Work occurred between November… read more
A waterworks improvement project in Fredericksburg, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $50,850 grant for the project, whose total cost was $113,165. Work occurred between September… read more
A waterworks improvement project in Lexington, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $46,919 grant for the project, whose total cost was $104,676. Work occurred between January… read more
According to an index of WPA projects in the National Archives, the WPA constructed a sewage disposal plant, sedimentation tanks, a sludge digestion tank, and dripping beds in Lorton in 1936. In 1938, the Washington Post reported that funds were… read more
A waterworks construction project in Covington, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $37,575 grant for the project, whose total cost was $80,230. Work occurred between January… read more
“The Winchester cemetery benefited from federal programs initiated during the Great Depression. In 1930, the original tool house/comfort station was removed and a new, brick and stucco tool house/storage/comfort station building was erected by Civil Works Administration labor.* During 1934… read more
The Woolridge Wayside picnic area on Woolridge Road (Rt. 640) in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest “features some large black walnut trees and a spring at the bottom of the hill. The Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, built this shelter, as… read more