Alamitos Neighborhood Library – Long Beach CA
The WPA constructed the Alamitos Branch of the Long Beach Public Library in 1938.
Alamo Grounds Improvements – San Antonio TX
Multiple New Deal agencies were involved with improving the grounds at the Alamo. A timeline mural board on the west side of the Alamo Museum indicates that “depression-era public works projects” built the walls that now encompass the grounds of… read more
Alamo River Bridge – Brawley CA
$24,000 was provided by federal funds during the Great Depression for the construction of a bridge carrying Ben Hulse Highway over the Alamo River east of Brawley, California.
Alamo Stadium – San Antonio TX
San Antonio’s historic Alamo Stadium was constructed at/near the site of an abandoned rock quarry by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-40. The facility was dedicated September 20, 1940. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places… read more
Alamo Stadium Tile Murals – San Antonio TX
Alamo Stadium was built by the WPA in 1940. In 1941 four tile murals, entitled 100 Years of Sports in San Antonio, Texas, 1840-1940, were installed above the main entrance to the stadium; this project was under the auspices of… read more
Alamogordo Women’s Club Building – Alamogordo NM
“While a variety of public works programs emerged under the umbrella of the New Deal, the WPA with its specific goal of providing work relief for the locally unemployed exerted the greatest impact on small communities in New Mexico (Kammer… read more
Alamosa County Courthouse – Alamosa CO
The historic Alamosa County Courthouse was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). “The U-shaped complex is one of the county’s best examples of the Mission style. The courthouse was the largest… read more
Alapocas Drive – Wilmington DE
Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction along a road through Alapocas Woods (Alapocas… read more
Alaska Highway – Delta Junction AK
The 1,300+ mile Alaska Highway was constructed in 1942 and opened in 1943. It was built to provide an alternate supply line to Alaska during World War II, an idea the President Roosevelt had proposed to the Canadian government in… read more
Alazan Courts – San Antonio TX
San Antonio’s Board of Commissioners created the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) on June 17, 1937. On September 1, 1937, President Roosevelt signed the United States Housing Act of 1937. This created the United States Housing Authority (USHA) and provided… read more
Albany County Public Library Mural – Laramie WY
“Youth and Ambition” by Virginia Pitman, was commissioned by the WPA and presently housed in Laramie, Wyoming’s Albany County Library. “The painting is divided into several sections. One shows men in line to enter a factory. Another depicts scientists in… read more
Albany High School – Albany CA
Albany did not have a public high school until 1936; students traveled to Berkeley, Richmond or Oakland. The WPA and PWA contributed to the building of Albany High between, roughly, 1936-1941. According to the Albany Times from that period, five… read more
Albany Street Bridge Reconstruction – Boston MA
Albany Street Bridge Over Boston & Albany Railroad. “The city requested a grant from the Government for bridge alterations as follows: Altering and strengthening Boylston Street Bridge; rebuilding Berkeley Street Bridge and rebuilding Albany Street Bridge. The total cost of… read more
Albee Avenue Overpass – Staten Island NY
The bridge carrying Albee Avenue over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1940, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
Albemarle Street NW Improvements – Washington DC
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to a segment of Albemarle Street NW, between Reno Road and Thirty-Eighth Street, in 1938-39. The WPA graded the road and prepared it for paving with a foundation of salvaged material: “The… read more
Albright’s Self-Portrait, New Trier Township High School – Winnetka IL
Ivan Albright’s 1934 self-portrait is his first ever known painted self-portrait (of many to be created throughout his life.) It was made as part of the PWAP’s easel painting project. He personally requested it be presented to his alma mater,… read more
Albuquerque High School (former) – Albuquerque NM
“Albuquerque is home to scores of WPA buildings and works. Among the most prolific are the following- … John Gaw Meem designed both S[h]coles Hall and Zimmerman Library on the campus of the University of New Mexico (the corner of… read more
Albuquerque Little Theater – Albuquerque NM
"Albuquerque is home to scores of WPA buildings and works. Among the most prolific are the following- … John Gaw Meem designed both S[h]coles Hall and Zimmerman Library on the campus of the University of New Mexico (the corner of… read more
Albuquerque Veterans’ Hospital Decorative Ceiling Wood Carving – Albuquerque NM
These carvings adorn the ceiling of Building No. 1 of the Veterans’ Hospital, which was likely also a WPA project. From Public Art and Architecture in New Mexico 1933-1943 by Kathryn Flynn (2012): “Building No. 1 which currently houses the… read more
Alcatraz Prison Improvements and Guard Housing – San Francisco CA
The Public Works Administration funded improvement work at the Alcatraz Prison on Alcatraz Island. The cost of the project was $1,100,000. The funds for the modernization were earmarked through a PWA program in 1938. The modernization plans were temporarily suspended after the… read more
Alcorn State University: Lanier Hall – Lorman MS
PWA approved project X1373 for a college dormitory for the HBCU Alcorn State University 9/16/1938. Construction began 12/18/1938 and was completed 8/19/1939. The Colonial Revival brick building is extant and remains in use. Architects Carl L. Olschner and Edgar Lucian… read more
Alcorn State University: Oakland Chapel renovations – Lorman MS
The Oakland Chapel Greek Revival style building constructed 1840-1851 was completely renovated through support from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and state legislated funds that made repairs and improvements to 20 state institutions 1934-1935. Then known as Alcorn A &… read more
Alcova Dam and Reservoir – North Platte River – Alcova WY
“The Alcova Dam is designed for storage and diversion of the river flow into an irrigation canal which irrigates the land around Caspar, Wyoming. The dam is earth fill with a rock surface on the reservoir side. Its height above… read more
Alden Bridge – Alden IA
“An earlier bridge that once crossed the Iowa River in Alden had long united the two sides of this small town. However, by the mid-1930s the existing wood structure had “long since seen its best day,” according to the Alden… read more
Alderwood State Wayside – Eugene OR
Several years after the State purchased land from Lane County, Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees improved the Alderwood State Wayside. The work was conducted in 1935. As noted in the Oregon State Park’s 1965 publication: “The facilities at Alderwood are not… read more
Aleknagik Schoolhouse Inn – Aleknagik AK
The Public Works Administration (PWA) contributed approximately $5,400 toward the construction of the Aleknagik Schoolhouse Inn in 1938. Built as a territorial school in 1933, the facility initially consisted of a log cabin. In 1938, the PWA built a two-story structure. The… read more
Alex Public School District #56 (Demolished) – Alex OK
“The Alex Public School (pronounced Elic), is a red brick one-story T-shaped building, with its main entrance in the north intersection of the T. This entrance has new aluminum and glass double doors with two concrete steps. The doors are… read more
Alexander Hamilton High School Plaque – Los Angeles CA
This plaque of Alexander Hamilton in military uniform is displayed near the entrance to the administration office of Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. The plaque was created in 1935 by Roger Noble Burnham, the same artist behind the… read more
Alexander Hamilton Playground – New York NY
In January 1940, the Parks Department announced the completion of a complete renovation of what is now the Alexander Hamilton Playground: “At the Hamilton Place area, the old playground has been entirely reconstructed to provide for wider and more intensive… read more
Alexandria National Cemetery Improvements – Alexandria VA
“During the 1930s, the Civilian Works Administration (CWA) made general repairs to the lodge and outbuildings and erected a new flagpole.”
Alford St. Reconstruction – Boston MA
Alford St. in Boston, Mass. underwent reconstruction as part of a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project.
Algodones Elementary School – Algodones NM
From On September 17, 1935, the Bernalillo Board of Education prepared a WPA project proposal for an addition to an existing elementary school in the village of Algodones, a rural farming north of Albuquerque. The project would not only include… read more
Algona Public Library Mural – Algona IA
The mural “Daily Bread” — currently on display at the Algona Public Library — was completed with New Deal funds in 1941. The painting by Francis Robert White, formerly in the Algona Iowa post office, moved to the Algona Public… read more
Alhambra High School Gymnasium – Alhambra CA
On October 14, 1938, the Daily Pacific Builder reported that a PWA contract of $63,840 had been awarded for the construction of a boys' gym at Alhambra High School. The plans had been prepared by architect John Walker Smart, and… read more
Alhambra School (former) Improvements – Phoenix AZ
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at the old Alhambra School in Phoenix, Arizona during the 1930s. A gymnasium was also constructed in 1938. Living New Deal believes the old facility to be demolished.
Alice Carlson School Addition – Fort Worth TX
“Alice E. Carlson Elementary was named in honor of the first woman who served on the school board. It originally opened as a 4-room school in 1926. The 1-story polychrome brown brick building was designed by Wiley G. Clarkson and… read more
Alice Keith Park Swimming Pool – Beaumont TX
The Alice Keith Park Swimming Pool in Beaumont, TX was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. A ten-acre municipal tract, Alice Keith Park was constructed in 1932 to help alleviate unemployment and provide a recreational space in… read more
Alice Robertson School – Muskogee OK
“Muskogee’s Alice Robertson School, now a 7th and 8th grade center, and the adjacent stadium, Indian Bowl, used WPA labor. The plaque in the school lobby indicates Federal Works Agency is credited with the job, as the project was completed… read more
Alice Savage Elementary – Red Oak OK
The Works Progress Administration built the Alice Savage Elementary in Red Oak. Contributor note: “The Alice Savage Elementary School, located on North Main is a one-story coursed native sandstone building, with a flat roof on the classroom section and a… read more
Aliso Elementary School Kindergarten – Carpenteria CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) added a Kindergarten to the Aliso Elementary School in Carpinteria CA. It is unknown to us which part of the present school this is.
Aliso Street Bridge – Los Angeles CA
US highway 101 from Center St. to Mission Rd. Connected the Ramona Parkway (present day Interstate 10) with the proposed Hollywood Parkway (now US 101). Crosses over the LA River as well as numerous city streets and railroads. Originally the… read more
Aliso Village (demolished) – Los Angeles CA
In 1942, the United States Housing Authority (USHA) built the Aliso Village low-income housing project in South Central Los Angeles. The project included over 1500 garden-style (low-rise) apartments designed by eminent L.A. architects. Like many public housing projects around the… read more
Alki Playfield Regrade – Seattle WA
Alki Playfield underwent a regrade, thanks to New Deal funds, in 1934.
Allapartus Road Improvements – Ossining NY
The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve Allapartus Road in Ossining [New Castle], New York during the 1930s. One project, which cost $10,557 (of which the WPA contributed $7,701) was described by the WPA in its project rolls: “excavating,… read more
Allegany State Park – Salamanca NY
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted major development work at New York’s Allegany State Park between 1933 and 1942.
Allegheny County Home and Hospital (former) – Scott Township PA
The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) supplied funds to enable additions to what was then the Allegheny County Home and Hospital, later Woodville State Hospital.
Allegheny General Hospital – Pittsburgh PA
“The construction of this hospital plant was begun in 1929 but work was discontinued in 1931 due to financial difficulties. It was resumed in 1935 with the aid of the P.W.A. and when completed covered most of a site of… read more
Allegheny National Forest – PA
“The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided jobs to people willing to work towards reforestation of cut-over timber land and was the progenitor organization of the Allegheny National Forest. A number of CCC camps and CCC associated property types are located… read more
Allegheny River Road Paving – Oakmont / Verona PA
Pittsburgh’s then-new Allegheny River Road (as extended through Oakmont and Verona) was one road paved as part of New Deal efforts: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $212,472 grant for one Allegheny County highway improvement project undertaken in 1937, whose total cost was… read more