Between 1935 and 1943, the Ah-Gwah-Ching (“out of doors” in Ojibwe) sanitarium housed “more the 160 items including prints, watercolors, oils and woodcarvings by such artists as Bob Brown, Henry Bukowski, Reathel Keppen, Dorothea Lau, Alexander Oja and Bennet Swanson,”… read more
The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked to construct an airport for Grand Marais, Minnesota in 1933-4. Living New Deal believes this to be Grand Marais Cook County Airport, which is still in use today.
Al Krueger Field, located at the EOT County Fairgrounds in Perham, Minnesota, was originally constructed as a federal Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression. The original structure was torn down in 2012 and replaced; the site is now… read more
WPA-built American Legion building in Moorhead, MN. “The American Legion Melvin E. Hearl Post No. 21 was completed in 1936 with grant assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It is significant as an example of a public works project… read more
St. Paul’s west side “contains two W.P.A. built recreational structures, the Harriet Island Pavilion and the Baker Playground building at 670 S. Waseca Street.”
Also known as Muni on Main, this art deco building was built by the WPA in 1937-38.
In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the Clear River Camp (also known as the Norris Camp), which served as the headquarters for the Beltrami Island Project. The Project was part of a “pioneering experiment in relocation and… read more
From 1933 to 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted 304 acres of “white pine, Norway pine, Scotch pine, and jack pine.”
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built sidewalks on the 1500 block of Birchmont Dr. NE in Bemidji MN.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) pursued a number of improvements at Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota in 1938. Initial improvement plans called for the “construction of a bathhouse, facilities for picnicking and camping and general recreation.” The WPA also… read more
The grade separation bridge on Bridge Street, on the south side of Minnesota City, was constructed as a Federal Aid Project in 1940.
The front of the High School Sports Stadium in International Falls, MN, features a bold, concrete relief sculpture of 1940’s-era athletes created by a Minnesota-born sculptor named Evelyn Raymond. Raymond created the sculpture through the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art… read more
In 1940, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) pursued a variety of improvements at Buffalo River State Park, which had been established in 1937. “Buffalo River State Park near Glyndon is included in a $900,000 improvement project to be launched by… read more
The CCC operated a camp in Savage in the 1930s. In the early 1940s it was used as a Military Intelligence Service Language School for training Japanese-American soldiers.
In 1936 the WPA developed the area of Carlos Avery Game Farm, now the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area, and constructed several buildings on the site. From the National Register of Historic Places nomination: Located within the 23,000 acre Carlos… read more
In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) implemented a camp at the Spruce Creek State Park for drought relief by Robert E. Fechner (p.4, The Minneapolis Star), who was selected by President Roosevelt to direct the CCC (Roosevelts tree army)…. read more
From 1935 to 1938, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted 3,655,090 trees at their camp in Larsmont. “These included 1,842,183 jack pine, 1,600,700 Norway pine, 169,163 white pine, and 42,974 white spruce.”
“The camp is located six miles south of Blackduck, Minnesota on County Road 39… Rabideau was built and maintained by Company 3749 out of Bennett Springs, Missouri. They remained here until January 1936 at which time Company 708 of Bena… read more
Beginning in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working from NPS regional office designs, built new structures and cleared “unneeded or undesirable” buildings, lakes, and ponds. Corpsmen also did landscaping work to improve the camp- and picnic grounds, overlooks, and… read more
“The cemetery is located at the junction of Midway Road (County #13) and Seville Road (County #694), a short distance south of the intersection of Midway Road and US Highway 53… Some WPA funding in the 1930’s and 1940’s allowed… read more
According to the Minnesota Historical Society: “By the 1930s, the boyhood home of famous aviator Charles A. Lindbergh had been badly damaged by souvenir-hunters. In 1936, the WPA began restoration of the house, which, along with the adjoining farmland, had… read more
Known as the “Kitchen Shelter” because it includes a fireplace and stove, it was constructed in 1936, making it one of the first WPA buildings in the park. The WPA also put in two miles of footpaths, planted 4,000 trees… read more
Built of native granite in 1939, it once held 5,000 gallons of water. The WPA also put in two miles of footpaths, planted 4,000 trees and bushes, and built parking lots and other amenities on the Lindbergh property, creating what… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) undertook conservation work in Chippewa National Forest, under the supervision of the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In 1935 and 1936, workers for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the Chippewa National Forest Headquarters. The building, overseen by Ike Boekenoogen, “an expert in log building techniques,” is “made entirely… from… read more
The Arts-and-Crafts-style City Auditorium in Kelliher, MN, was built in 1938-40 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
“The well-constructed City Auditorium, built by the Works Progress Administration between 1936 and 1937 in downtown Willmar, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to provide long-term value for the city.” “Relief sculpture panels adorn the… read more
Constructed by the WPA in 1936: “The Bigfork City Hall is one of the only original historic buildings still standing in this northwoods town of approximately 450 people. The building, constructed in 1936 as a Depression-era federal relief project, consists… read more
Carlton’s stately city hall was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) in 1937.
Tower, Minnesota received a new City Hall in 1940. The building was constructed with federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) labor.
Winona’s historic city hall was constructed during the Great Depression as a Public Works Administration (PWA) New Deal project. Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this three-story brick and Winona stone structure was constructed in 1938-9. The PWA… read more
“This Art Deco-style building smack-dab in the middle of the state was originally a Water Treatment Facility built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration. When a new water treatment facility was built across the street in the 1970’s, the… read more
The Brandon Auditorium and City Hall was designed by F. Boes Pfeifer, built by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), and completed in 1936. The new Village Hall at Brandon was built by the WPA at a cost of $65,000. It… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided labor for landscaping work at Duluth, Minnesota’s Civic Center [park].
Clark field is an athletic field built in St. Cloud by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) and the National Youth Administration (NYA), set up for Technical High School by the principal at the time, Elizabeth Clark. When the field was… read more
The historic Clearwater County Courthouse was constructed in 1937-8 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a grant of $29,250 for the project, whose total cost was $90,358. Foss and Company of Fargo, N.D…. read more
The historic former Ranier Community Building was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), ca. 1936-7.
"This building serves the city of Ely as a community and recreation center. It is three stories and a basement in height and 125 by 78 feet in plan. In the basement are a meeting room, a cafeteria, serving room,… read more
The WPA constructed several structures at the Como Zoo in the 1930s. From the Como Zoo’s website: “In 1897, the City of Saint Paul fenced-in a pasture in Como Park to hold three deer gifted to them, thus beginning Como… read more
This mural “Agricultural Theme” was painted for the Windom post office by Charles W. Thwaites in 1943 with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The mural, as well as two alternate sketches composed by Thwaites, now hang in… read more