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  • Smithsonian American Art Museum: Turner Mural - Washington DC
    "Bulloch Hall" by Frances Lee Turner was painted in 1934 under the auspices of either the Civil Works Administration (CWA) or the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which gave work to unemployed artists in the early years of the New Deal. The painting traveled from Roswell GA to Washington DC to be hung in the White House. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1965. The painting, like hundreds of other New Deal artworks in the American Art Museum,  is not presently on display.  
  • Smithsonian Institution Museum: Collection Maintenance - Washington DC
    In 1936, Work: A Journal of Progress reported that several dozen Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers were assigned the role of assisting archaeologists, anthropologists, biologists, and other scientists in sorting the backlog of contributions to the Smithsonian Institution museum and other supportive roles. This kind of "service work" to museums and libraries was quite common in the New Deal, so we mention it here because the Smithsonian is such a central public institution in the nation's capital. From the story in Work: "BEHIND the scenes at the Smithsonian Institution, where the painstaking work of research and the classification of specimens proceeds constantly,...
  • Smithsonian Institution: Grounds Maintenance - Washington DC
    In 1936 Work: A Journal of Progress reported that Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief crews had conducted grounds maintenance at the Smithsonian Institution, not specified but likely consisting of planting shrubs, turning soil, and other landscaping work.
  • South Capitol Street SE Paving - Washington DC
    In 1941, the Washington Post reported that funds for paving projects in Congress Heights, Barry Farm, Bellevue, and Washington Highlands had been approved as part of a large roads program. The Public Roads Administration, a subdivision of the Federal Works Administration (FWA), was approved to pave the following stretches on and around South Capitol Street SE, across the Anacostia River:  Firth Sterling Avenue and South Capitol Street between Howard Road and Nichols Avenue SE; Overlook Avenue, from South Capitol Street to Fourth and Chesapeake Streets SW; South Capitol Street, from Atlantic Street to the District line. Work was to start...
  • Sports and Health Gym (Old Giddings School) - Washington DC
    The former Giddings School at 315 E Street SE, built in 1887, was enlarged  in 1934 with the assistance of a Public Works Administration (PWA) grant to the DC Board of Education.  The J.R. Giddings school is historically significant by virtue of its role as the first all-black public school in Washington DC. The enlargement added 12 classrooms and an auditorium.  It was done in the same brick Colonial Revival style as the handsome old building. While we cannot be certain, it appears that wings were added on both sides of the original building, plus a low wing on the south side. The...
  • St. Mary’s Court Apartments - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority funded the construction of the St. Mary’s Court Apartments in Washington DC between 1935 and 1938. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a federally-controlled special authority. It then slowly evolved into today’s DC Housing Authority, an independent agency of the DC Government.
  • Stanton Court Garages - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) funded the construction of the Stanton Court Garages in Washington, DC between 1935 and 1936. This project consisted of seven 1-car garages located in the area bounded by L, M, 23rd, and 24th streets NW, probably in the alley that runs between today’s West End Neighborhood Library and the Gibson Condominiums. It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any remnants of the original Stanton Court Garages still exist, but it is unlikely. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington,...
  • Stanton Elementary School - Washington DC
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for the construction of the Stanton Elementary School, on Naylor Road SE, in 1943, at the very end of the New Deal (New Deal programs wound down as the country went to war). Stanton is still in use as a public elementary school.
  • Stanton Park Improvements - Washington DC
    In 1935-36, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted cleanup efforts at Stanton Park, just northeast of the Capitol. Crews removed underbrush, poisonous plants, and dead trees to make the park more usable for the public. The park's redesign in 1933 was also likely done by the New Deal, but more evidence is needed.
  • Stoddert Dwellings - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Stoddert Dwellings in Washington, DC in 1942. Today, the DC Housing Authority manages “Stoddert Terrace,” in the same general area (and perhaps the same exact area) as the original Stoddert Dwellings. It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the original structures still exist. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a...
  • Stoddert Recreation Center Improvements - Washington DC
    In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of $11,600 in funding for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to make improvements and/or additions to Stoddert Playground – today's Stoddert Recreation Center. It is not certain what work was done, but the baseball field at the present Recreation Center has all the marks of a New Deal ball field and the Recreation Center building is possibly from the 1940s.
  • Suitland Parkway - Washington DC
    The Suitland Parkway is a 9-mile long, landscaped roadway running from Anacostia Park in Washington D.C. east through Prince George's County, MD.   It was conceived in 1937 and finally constructed in 1943-44 by the Public Roads Administration, a branch of the Federal Works Agency (FWA).  It can fairly be classified as a project from the tail end of the New Deal. A description from the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties explains that the Public Roads Administration, "Created the highway from scratch, via federal funding and private contractors, similar to PWA-type arrangements." The Parkway is still in use and maintained by the National...
  • Switzer Memorial Building (former Railroad Retirement Board) - Washington DC
    The Mary E. Switzer Building was originally built for the Railroad Retirement Board in 1940. The building was constructed in conjunction with the original Social Security headquarters, now the Wilbur J. Cohen building.  The two stand across C street from each other.  They were the first federal buildings constructed south of the Mall.   The Railroad Retirement Board (RBB), formed in 1934, was a precursor to the Social Security Act in 1935.  Its responsibilities and funds grew with additional legislation in 1935 and 1937, providing taxes to support railway worker pensions. As plans were underway for the headquarters of Social Security, the...
  • Switzer Memorial Building: Kittredge Reliefs - Washington DC
    The Mary E. Switzer Building was originally built for the Railroad Retirement Board in 1940. The building was constructed in conjunction with the original Social Security headquarters, now the Wilbur J. Cohen building.  The two stand across C street from each other.   The RRB/Switzer building is smaller and its ornamentation is simpler than that of the SSA/Cohen building.  Its only artworks are the granite bas-reliefs over the entrances by Robert Kittredge, "Railroad Employment" and "Railroad Retirement" (both 1941).  These works were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Both the Social Security Administration and the Railroad Retirement Board had to give...
  • Syphax Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Syphax Houses in Washington, DC in 1942. The Syphax Houses were located at 1st and R streets SW, and it does not appear that any of the original homes still exist. Today, the DC Housing Authority operates “Syphax Gardens” at P and Half streets SW, one block northeast from where the original Syphax homes were located. (“Syphax” is the surname of a prominent African American family from Virginia, with family ties to Martha Washington.) The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better...
  • Syphax Houses Community Building - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) funded the construction of a community building for the Syphax Houses and surrounding area, ca. 1942. It is unknown to the Living New Deal if this building still exists. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a federally controlled special authority. It then slowly evolved into today’s DC Housing Authority, an independent agency of the DC Government. The Syphax Houses Community Building was part of the...
  • Takoma Recreation Center Development - Washington DC
    Takoma Recreation Center is a large public recreational facility in Washington D.C., containing buildings, swimming pool, tennis courts and other facilities. New Deal agencies did extensive work on the site, 1933-36, as part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program assisted by the Civil Work Adminstration (CWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The WPA alone undertook a million dollar program of improvements to district parks in 1935-36. The work at Takoma Recreation Center included: "Swimming pools and field house constructed; baseball diamonds, athletic fields graded and equipment installed; landscaping and lawn area at field house constructed; parking areas...
  • Tenth Street NE Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Tenth Street NE, from Michigan Avenue to Taylor Street. This was a WPA curb and gutter project: “The improvement of this roadway provided a main thoroughfare to the private developments and business in this vicinity.”
  • Tenth Street NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out pavement repair and other, unspecified improvements to a segment of Tenth Street NW, from Constitution Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue, in 1935-36.   The road was “widened to conform with the design of the Triangle area, and repaved with sheet asphalt pavement.”   The work was part of a $949,496 WPA allotment for DC roadwork for fiscal year 1936.   The work is likely still extant, but invisible beneath subsequent paving.    
  • The White House: Emergency Snow Removal - Washington DC
     Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees removed snow from the grounds of the White House after a snowstorm in March 1941.
  • The White House: Gate House Restoration - Washington DC
     Works Progress Administration (WPA) project cards in the National Archives record plans for the “restoration and relocation of two ancient White House gate houses” at a cost of $6,300. The gate houses were originally built in 1827 by celebrated architect Charles Bulfinch and originally stood on the grounds of the United States Capitol.  Today, one gatehouse stands at 15th Street and Constitution Avenue and the other is at 17th and Constitution. Both are on the National Register of Historic Places. Four other gateposts have been relocated to the main entrance of the National Arboretum at New York Avenue NE and Springhouse Road NE.   
  • The White House: West Wing Expansion - Washington DC
    In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the expansion of the White House West Wing, which houses the Executive Offices of the President of the United States.  The West Wing contains the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Situation Room, and Roosevelt Room.  The West Wing's four floors also contain offices for the vice president, chief of staff, counselor to the president, the senior advisor to the president, the White House press secretary, and their support staffs. There had been three expansions of the West Wing prior to the New Deal, in 1902, 1909 and 1929, but this one was the most thorough-going. When Franklin...
  • Theodore Roosevelt High School Repairs - Washington DC
    There is evidence that Civil Works Administration (CWA) workers were hired to do painting on Theodore Roosevelt High School in fm 1933-1934. The school itself was built from 1930-1932, before the New Deal. Also at the site are two recently discovered Nathan Rosenberg murals that are currently being restored.
  • Theodore Roosevelt High School: Rosenbert Frescoes - Washington DC
    Modernization efforts conducted on Theodore Roosevelt High School in 2013 uncovered two 1934 frescoes by Nelson Rosenberg and students at the school, entitled "Adolescent America" and "American Panorama."  Rosenberg was funded under the Public Works of Art Project, which gave commissions to unemployed artists in the Great Depression. The frescoes were restored and are apparently now on display in the cafeteria. The school itself was built 1930-1932, before the New Deal began.
  • Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial - Washington DC
    Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial was created in the 1930s with the aid of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and National Park Service (NPS). Theodore Roosevelt Island sits in the middle of the Potomac between Arlington and downtown Washington, just within the District of Columbia. The island covers some 88 acres and is both a forest park and a memorial to President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1931, Mason's Island was bought by the Roosevelt Memorial Association, which presented it to the federal government in 1932 to be developed as a memorial to the former president and ardent conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt. Congress authorized the...
  • Third Street NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) improved a segment of Third Street NW. from Constitution Avenue to C Street. PWA funded the construction of a retaining wall on the east side of Third Street. This was part of several road alteration projects to accommodate the new Municipal Center building (also a PWA-funded project).
  • Thirteenth and G Street NE Resurfacing - Washington DC
    Work: A Journal of Progress reported that the Works Progress Administration (WPA) had completed street resurfacing in the vicinity of 13th and G Streets NE in 1936. This would have been part of the nearly $1 million program of street repairs carried out by the WPA that year. The work is likely still extant, but invisible beneath subsequent repavings.
  • Thirteenth Street NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out pavement repair and other improvements to a segment of Thirteenth Street NW, from Florida Avenue to Euclid Street, in 1935-36.   “The roadway of Thirteenth Street NW, from Florida Avenue to Euclid Street, was widened and paved. The new concrete pavement was treated with an emulsion used for darkening concrete so as to eliminate the glare.”   The work was part of the $949,496 WPA allotment for DC roadwork for fiscal year 1936.   The work is likely still extant, but invisible beneath subsequent repavings.        
  • Thirty-Fifth, Carpenter, and Pope Streets SE Road Work - Washington DC
    In 1940, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built new roadways at 35th, Carpenter, and Pope streets in the district's southeast quadrant. This project was part of a massive New Deal program of street paving and upgrades around the city of Washington DC.  Most such work is invisible today beneath subsequent repavings.  
  • Thirty-first Street NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Thirty-first Street NW from Utah Avenue to Worthington Street. This was a WPA curb and gutter project: “This roadway, together with the roadway of Barnaby Street… constitute main thoroughfares to the recent development of the subdivision known as Barnaby Woods.”
  • Thirty-fourth Street Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Thirty-fourth Street from Alabama Avenue to U Street. The WPA improved this road with recycled material and the “laying of a thin blanket of bituminous material.” It involved “approximately 4,500 square yards.”  
  • Thomas Circle Underpass - Washington DC
    Thomas Circle is a traffic circle at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Vermont Avenue, 14th Street, and M Street, NW.  The through lanes of Massachusetts Ave. pass under Thomas Circle. That underpass was constructed in 1938-40, apparently with federal support from the Public Works Administration (PWA).
  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial - Washington DC
    The Jefferson Memorial was built to honor the author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Such a memorial had long been proposed, but it was only realized under the New Deal, 1939-1943.  It remains one of America's most beloved monuments to this day.   The design is based on the Roman Pantheon and Jefferson's own love of classical architecture, as shown in his design of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia. It is built of white Danby marble from Vermont and is elevated on a circular platform of granite and marble, with steps...
  • Truman Federal Building (State Department) - Washington DC
    The present Harry S. Truman Federal Building consists of two monumental halves. The first was built under the New Deal for the War Department in 1940-41 (and is still commonly referred to as the War Department building).  When the War Department (now Department of Defense) moved across the Potomac to the Pentagon in 1943, the State Department moved in and has remained ever since. The State Department building was renamed the Harry S. Truman Building in 2000. Consolidating the War Department had become a priority in the lead-up to the Second World War.  A second building was envisioned, but not built until...
  • Truman Federal Building (State Department): Sculptures - Washington DC
    The State Department was originally built for the War Department in 1940-41 and has been known since 2000 as the Harry S. Truman Federal Building.  It is home to three sculptures commissioned for the original War Department building. •An eagle over the building entrance by Harry Kreis (1942) •A lime casein on plaster work entitled "Defense of the Four Freedoms" by Kindred McLeary (1941) •"War and Peace" by Earl N. Thorp (1941) Another work by Harry Kreis (1942), entitled "Soldier Groups," was originally in the lobby of the War Department but has apparently disappeared (see comment below) A fifth commissioned work, a bas-relief called "Peaceful Pursuits...
  • Tuberculosis Sanitarium Improvements (demolished) - Washington DC
    National Archives records report that in 1933-34 the Civil Works Administration (CWA) did work on a tuberculosis sanitarium at 14th and Upshur in Washington D.C. There is no longer a sanitarium at this location, and it appears to have been demolished and replaced by the apartment building at 4120 14th St.
  • Tunlaw Road Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Tunlaw Road Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 92 living units was built for white national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). According to the web page “Gover Park History,” “The Tunlaw Road Houses were razed in 1954 to make way for construction of 4000 Tunlaw in 1960. “ The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and...
  • Turkey Thicket Recreation Center Tennis Courts - Washington DC
    Works Progress Administration (WPA) project cards at the National Archives show that the WPA was charged with another round of improvement of recreational facilities in the city of Washington, DC in the early 1940s.  This followed on a major program of parks improvement by the WPA in 1935-36. The approved works included: building tennis courts at Palisades Playground, Edgewood Playground, and Reservation "C" on the Mall; grading, filling, and constructing tennis courts at Turkey Thicket playground; excavating cinders from west parking area and surfacing east parking lot at Takoma Recreation Center; spreading topsoil on south field at Banneker Recreation Center; and...
  • Twelfth Street NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out pavement repair and other, unspecified improvements to a segment of Twelfth Street NW, from Constitution Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue, in 1935-36.  The street was “widened to conform with the design of the Triangle area, and repaved with sheet asphalt pavement.”   The work was part of the $949,496 WPA allotment for DC roadwork for fiscal year 1936.   The work is likely still extant, but invisible beneath subsequent repavings.        
  • Twelfth Street Public Park (former) - Washington DC
    In 1941, Work Progress Administration (WPA) labor was used to, "Develop and improve a public park area from 12th to 14th streets, and Constitution Avenue to Madison Drive, including constructing sidewalks, curbs and tree wells; landscaping; filling; grading; placing topsoil; fertilizing; seeding; adjusting manholes; demolishing obsolete buildings; and performing appurtenant and incidental work." (National Archives) In 1964, this site was converted into the location of what is now the National Museum of American History.
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