San Francisco New Deal Historic Context Statement

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal programs represent a rare time in American history when citizens put their faith in government – and the government delivered. With programs like the Public Works Administration (PWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the federal government put millions of Americans back to work building and rehabilitating public infrastructure and resources, including schools, parks, public buildings, national forests, and streets and highways.

With WPA funds and labor, San Francisco built anew or remodeled almost all of its public parks and playgrounds. Likewise, the PWA built many of San Francisco’s signature public schools and several federal and state office buildings.

Sponsored by the San Francisco Preservation Fund Committee and managed by San Francisco Heritage, VerPlanck Historic Preservation Consulting prepared the San Francisco New Deal Historic Context Statement and city landmark nominations for three individual properties, including George Washington High School, Theodore Roosevelt Middle School, and the former Sunshine School for Crippled Children (now Hilltop High School). The deliverables were adopted by the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission and the landmark nominations were signed into law by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Mayor.