From the National Register of Historic Places nomination file: “Built on the eve of World War II, on the southwest shore of Seattle’s Lake Union, the Naval Reserve Armory is a historically and architecturally significant structure closely associated with the… read more
A grant from the Public Works Administration helped fund the construction of a new bridge to carry North Queen Anne Drive across the Wolf Creek ravine in Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill district. Additional funding for the bridge, which cost $66,118,… read more
“Twenty-five men from the WPA rolls will begin work Monday, November 8, on the final stages of the grading and landscaping at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries laboratory, 2725 Montlake Boulevard, near the Seattle Yacht Club, it was learned yesterday… read more
This totem pole stands in the middle of historic Pioneer Square, known as the “first neighborhood of Seattle”. The Pioneer Square Totem Pole stands tall but unobtrusive in the middle of this square. It is actually a replica of a… read more
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) worked to improve Seattle’s former Railroad Avenue ca. 1933-4. Railroad Avenue was later replaced by the Alaskan Way.
The federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds provided funding for the construction of the Art Deco-accented bridge carrying SW Admiral Way above Schmitz Park. Construction occurred between 1936 and 1937. The PWA provided a grant of $68,200; the total cost… read more
“This major attraction at Camp Long was designed by Clark Schurman. His dream was to build a human-made mountain incorporating every potential rock climbing problem into its design. After taking a winter to make a clay model of the rock,… read more
As one of many WPA and PWA projects in Washington state: “$307,750 was allocated to build parks in rapidly developing areas in Seattle. The parks were constructed between August of 1938 and December of 1939.”
The Civil Works Administration (WPA) constructed a log cabin at Seward Park in 1934.
In 1939 and 1940, WPA workers made several improvements to the South Seattle Playground, beginning with the demolition of the four-story former South Seattle School building, which had closed in 1932 but remained on the site. Much of the brick… read more
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) worked to improve Seattle’s former Spokane Street Bridge ca. 1933-4. The bridge has since been replaced.
A WPA press release from Dec. 1937 announced: A project, “giving employment to 150 men, will operate in Seattle cleaning up Smith Cove Piers 40 and 41. It is designed to lead the way to the modernization of these two… read more
A WPA press release from Dec. 1937 stated: “The finishing touches to the creation of what is said will be the most beautiful college campus in tho west will begin this week with the opening operations of a new Works… read more
Seattle’s historic University Station post office was constructed ca. 1937 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses New Deal murals, is still in use today.
Multiple Section of Fine Arts murals hang in Seattle’s University Station post office. The murals by Jacob Elshin were painted in 1939 and are entitled Historical Review of Education and Present Day Education and Present Day Education. The murals are… read more
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) worked to develop and improve the playground at Seattle’s Van Asselt School. A photo at the U of Washington shows a field of stumps and clearing efforts with the caption “State of Wash., E.R.A…. read more
The Washington Park Arboretum is a public park, run as a joint project between the University of Washington and the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. “In 1933, the Public Works Administration did some rough clearing in Washington Park, but… read more
A WPA press release from Dec. 1937 states: “Don G. Abel, State Director of the Works Progress Administration today announced approval of a $148,458 project to improve the water distribution system in the Kenwood district, in Seattle. More than 200… read more
“A Seattle sewer project, at West Prospect [Street] and Van Buren [location unknown] was allotted $1,140” in WPA funds in late 1937.
WPA workers completed several improvement projects at West Queen Anne Playfield between 1936 and 1939. The largest of these projects was the construction of a combination shelter house, grandstand, and baseball backstop near the intersection of West Blaine Street and… read more
The Federal Works Agency and the Public Building Administration of the Treasury Department funded the construction of this federal courthouse, the first single-purpose federal courthouse on the west coast. From the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods: “In 1936, the federal government… read more
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided funding and labor for numerous improvement projects at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo during the New Deal period. The initial projects were completed in 1933. In the following years,… read more
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.
