- City:
- San Francisco, CA
- Site Type:
- Civic Facilities, Parks and Recreation, Art Works, Auxiliary Civic Facilities, Fairgrounds, Landscaping and Tree Planting
- New Deal Agencies:
- Public Works Funding, Work Relief Programs, Public Works Administration (PWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- Yes
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Funds for a seawall and fill for the exposition site were provided through a $3,043,000 WPA grant.
Another WPA grant of $1,296,000 provided for roadways, a causeway, trestles, landscaping, and drainage of water systems.
A PWA grant of $1,711,000, matched in part by local funds, provided for paving, ferry slips and some buildings.
Private funding for the exhibition were raised through private subscriptions, through the sale of bonds.
A 1940 WPA publication describes the construction of Treasure Island as follows:
“Dedicated November 21, 1937, Yerba Buena Shoals, more popularly known as Treasure Island, was raised from beneath the waters of the bay through the handling of 30,000,000 cubic yards of material. Roughly, the fill is two-thirds of a mile wide and a quarter long.
Cost of the project exceeded $4,000,000, of which the WPA contribute 3,347,000 in Federal funds and the sponsors the balance.
Work of building this man-made island was begun by the United States Army Engineering Corps on February 7, 1936, when the seagoing hopper dredge Mackenzie dumped its first load of material on the exposition site, and ended September 4, 1937 – one day ahead of schedule…
The WPA also gave financial aid for the installation of the island’s water supply system, for its landscaping and horticultural work, for the building of its roads and approaches. Further, Works Projects Administration employees played a part in the designing of many of its exhibit palaces.”
– Lawson, 94
From the photo below:
“(Up from A Worthless Shoals) The ‘Worthless’ shoals of Yerba Buena are shown here being transformed into the site of the $50,000,000 1939 World’s Fair on San Francisco Bay. The island was built by a $3,803,900 WPA appropriation. The ferry slips are in the foreground. Golden Gate International Exposition.”
Source notes
The Architect and Engineer. January 1936. William R. Lawson. Achievements, Federal Works Agency. Work Projects Administration, Northern California; 1940: 94-104.At this Location:
- Treasure Island Airplane Hangars - San Francisco CA
- Treasure Island Administration and Terminal Building - San Francisco CA
- Treasure Island Fine Arts Building - Golden Gate International Exposition - San Francisco CA
- Treasure Island Hall of Transportation - San Francisco CA
- Treasure Island - Golden Gate International Exposition - San Francisco CA
- Treasure Island: Golden Gate International Exposition Murals - San Francisco CA
View all sites at Treasure Island: Golden Gate International Exposition - San Francisco CA (7 Sites)
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