Santa Barbara City Hall was constructed in 1924, after the Santa Barbara earthquake. In 1938, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded an addition to the city hall for $100,000. Work began in late 1938 and continued into 1939.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked on the grounds of the former Santa Barbara General hospital in Goleta, CA, a sanitarium for tuberculosis sufferers. There may have been other work done on the hospital, as well.
In 1934, the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) financed the construction of the first continuous highway across the city of Santa Barbara (roughly six miles), taking through traffic off city streets. The route followed the Southern Pacific tracks. Along the… read more
“During the dark days of the Depression, Santa Barbara gained more than its share from the Federal program known as the Works Progress Administration…Another local WPA gem, the grandstands, fences and outbuildings that graced the grand old Laguna Park baseball… read more
“In the late 1930s the City, in conjunction with the Federal government, attempted to solve [Santa Barbara’s lower East Side] flooding problem through the construction of a pump station, located at the mouth of Laguna Creek. Constructed by the Works… read more
The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of a municipal pool and bathhouse near the beach in Santa Barbara CA. This was part of a larger program of improvements of the beach area parks – much of it done… read more
The former Los Prietos Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was located in the Los Padres National Forest in the mountains behind Santa Barbara CA. Today, it serves as a juvenile correctional camp for boys.
The main post office in Santa Barbara was constructed by the Treasury Department in 1936. The lobby contains a set of bas-relief murals and remains in its original condition.
These six sunken plaster bas-reliefs depicting “The Transportation of the Mail” were installed in the Santa Barbara Main Post Office in 1937 by William Atkinson under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum was constructed as a Naval Reserve Armory by the Works Project Administration (WPA) in 1940-42. In 1939, the City of Santa Barbara deeded the land to the Navy, because city leaders thought that a Naval Reserve… read more
“The Santa Barbara Armory, [Works Progress Administration] Work Projects NO. 4256, 7013, and 9073, was sponsored by the City of Santa Barbara and constructed for the 2nd Battalion of the 144th Field Artillery, California National Guard. The work involved the… read more
In 1934, the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)/Public Works Administration (PWA) financed the construction of the first continuous highway across the city of Santa Barbara (roughly six miles), taking through traffic off city streets. The route followed the Southern Pacific… read more
The Bowl was built in 1936 and was originally intended to serve as an annual performance venue for Fiesta, and now serves as a general performing arts venue for Santa Barbara.
Campbell Grant was hired by the WPA in 1934 to paint two murals for Santa Barbara High School: “North America” and “South America.” The murals went up in the administrative lobby and have recently been restored. Campbell Grant was the… read more
Douglass Parshall was both an artist and a Works Progress Administration (WPA) supervisor. In 1934, he painted a mural for Santa Barbara Junior High School that depicts Olympic sports – no doubt based on his experience at the 1932 Los… read more
Two 25' x 8' oil on canvas lunettes by Samuel Vaughan were commissioned by the Federal Art Project: "Men at Work" and "US Army in Europe"
The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of a new water supply reservoir and filtration plant for Santa Barbara. Both facilities still exist and still function. Short and Stanley-Brown described the project in 1939: “This project consisted of the… read more