The Poughkeepsie post office has five large murals on the walls depicting local scenes from the 17th to 20th centuries. Two horizontal murals at either end of the lower lobby are views of Poughkeepsie from across the Hudson in 1839… read more
The magnificent Poughkeepsie post office was built by the Treasury Department as part of the New Deal in 1937-39. The architecture is a kind of colonial revival done in the rough stone style of the Dutch settlers of the Hudson… read more
The Hyde Park NY post office has murals covering all four walls painted by Olin Dows in 1941. Dows called the group of 19 panels, “Professions and Industries of Hyde Park.” He provided a guide to his murals in booklet… read more
Originally built as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse and now the Federal Building and Courthouse, the building was completed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project with Treasury Department funding in 1935. “Commissioned by the Treasury Department Section… read more
The Henry Hudson Parkway runs along the Hudson River from West 72nd Street to the Bronx-Westchester border and includes the Henry Hudson Bridge, which connects Manhattan with the Bronx. The Parkway was part and parcel of the West Side Improvement… read more
Orchard Beach is an artificial beach 6,000 feet long on Pelham Bay in Pelham Bay Park on the east side of The Bronx, built by WPA workers under the direction of the New York City Parks Department. It required a major reconfiguration… read more
Randall’s Island Park cover more than 400 acres of the 500+ acre island. It contains dozens of tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, playgrounds and other recreational facilities, as well as paths, greenways and a marsh. Frank da Cruz summarizes the extensive… read more
Between 1934 and 1938 the WPA funded extensive construction and improvement projects at Floyd Bennett Airport. “Work completed by the WPA significantly modernized the airport facilities. By 1938, federal funds spent on airfield construction far outweighed funds contributed by New… read more
The massive 259-foot-by-162-foot (3.5-foot-deep) outdoor pool in Sunset Park was one of 11 constructed with the help of the federal Work Projects Administration in New York City. “In the summer months, Sunset Park and its pool become home to swimmers… read more
Hamilton Fish Park was first opened in 1900, featuring a gymnasium and playground. In 1936, it was thoroughly remodeled and the new WPA swimming pool (the first of eleven to open that summer) became the main attraction. A June 1936… read more