Tampa Sites

The PWA funded the construction of Bayshore Boulevard, along Hillsborough Bay in Tampa. At 6.5 miles, it is claimed to be the longest continuous sidewalk in the world.

This was one of many WPA projects in Tampa: "The most outstanding project was the work done on Bayshore Blvd., the first allotment for which was made on Nov. 4, 1935, amounting to $248,689.  During the next 3 years, new seawalls were constructed the entire length of the boulevard and new, much wider pavements laid.  Also, the missing link between the Platt Street Bridge and Magnolia Street was opened and completed.  Altogether, the work on Bayshore cost $1.2 million.  The costly project had been made necessary largely due to the old seawall, built for the city and county less than 10...

Cuscaden Park in Tampa's Ybor City was constructed by the WPA in 1935.

During the Depression, the WPA spent $465,000 for buildings and other improvements at the fairgrounds. Which exact buildings were WPA and their current status is unknown to the Living New Deal.

"Fort Homer W. Hesterly is a historic building at 522 North Howard Avenue in the West Tampa section of Tampa, Florida. An art deco style building. It took ten years to find an occupant for the building, once a premiere venue. It is now home to the Tampa Jewish Community Center & Federation. Performers have included Elvis Presley, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Tom Jones, The Animals, James Brown, Buddy Holly, Andy Griffith, Pink Floyd and the Doors. Many graduations and weddings have been held at the Fort. The National Guard used the armory until 2005. The...

The Hillsborough High School was built in 1927 but soon thereafter the Great Depression caused a halt to construction of the gymnasium and the track. These were eventually built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration under the supervision of Mr. E.H. Foxworth. This structure has come to be known by the students as the Barn due its architectural style.

In 1941, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the MacDill Field Defense Housing Project in Tampa FL. The housing was built for Army enlisted personnel.  

"Peter O. Knight Airport...is an airport on Davis Islands, five minutes (3 NM or 5.6 km or 3.5 mi) from downtown Tampa, Florida. Built as a Works Progress Administration project, it was Tampa's main airport from 1935 to 1945, and is still used by general aviation operators today because of its proximity to the central city. The airport was named for prominent attorney and businessman Peter O. Knight, namesake of Holland & Knight. The airport's original administration building was torn down in the 1960s, and replaced by the current building. Although seaplanes aren't quite as popular anymore, the basin is still there at Davis...

The WPA spent $186,000 improving Plant Park in the 1930s.

"The development of Drew Field was a WPA project of major importance... In 1933, when Tampa began planning projects to provide work for the unemployed with federal assistance, Drew Field came back into the picture.  The city's lease on the 160-acre tract had expired, but the city finally succeeded after much squabbling, in buying it for $11,654, the amount at which it was appraised by the Tampa Real Estate Board.  This purchase was made on Feb. 10, 1934. Work on improving the field was started as a CWA project 10 days later, $31,000 being allotted for it by the government. ...

The seven murals on display in the Airside E Terminal of the Tampa International Airport were commissioned from artist George Snow Hill in 1939 under New Deal sponsorship: "In the late 1930's, local artist George Snow Hill was commissioned to create these murals to adorn the walls of Tampa's newly built Peter O. Knight Airport. Hill artistically interpreted the history of flight through the contributions made by Icarus and Daedalus, Archimedes, The Montgolfier Brothers, Otto Lilienthal, Tony Jannus, The Wright Brothers, and a triptych, capturing the first scheduled airline flight in history. The murals were removed from the walls of the Peter...

Plant Hall was formerly known as the Tampa Bay Hotel. It was built in the late 19th century. By the 1930s it was in disrepair until the WPA restored the building and converted it into use by the University of Tampa. One wing of Plant Hall now houses the Henry B. Plant Museum.