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  • Arrow Rock State Park - Arrow Rock MO
    WPA workers were active in the park from 1934 to 1937 and built several structures during that time, including a triple arch stone bridge, a look-out shelter, an open picnic shelter, and a grave shelter.
  • Arroyo de la Laguna Bridge - Sunol CA
    The Arroyo de la Laguna Bridge across Alameda Creek in Sunol was built with the aid of the New Deal in 1939. The bridge is located on Highway 84 (Niles Canyon Road) just east of the Main Street turnoff into the town of Sunol, which is best known as the site of a "Water Temple" where the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct enters the Bay Area and the eastern station for the rebuilt Niles Canyon tourist railroad. Arroyo de la Laguna bridge is a plain concrete span of about 100 feet, with the balustrades typical of the interwar period, and it has the...
  • Arroyo Seco Flood Control - Pasadena CA
    The WPA was extensively involved in flood control construction in Arroyo Seco during the 1930s. Excerpts of WPA involvement in that history follow: 1934-35: Trapezoidal channel is constructed in the Central Arroyo from Devils Gate Dam through the Rose Bowl area to Holly Street with a soft bottom as part of a CWA, SERA, WPA project. 1935: The Works Progress Administration takes over the gravel operation in LA, designating it as a flood control project sponsored by the city of Los Angeles. Trapezoidal cross-section construction chosen since it minimized steel and lumber and maximized hand labor, satisfying requirements of relief funding. 1935-40: The...
  • Arroyo Seco Parkway - Los Angeles CA
    Both the WPA and the PWA along with a number of local agencies were involved in the construction of the Arroyo Seco Parkway which was mostly completed by 1940. It is 8.2 miles long with 18 bridges. "The Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway) was the first divided-lane, high-speed, limited-access road in the urban western United States and the first stretch of road for what would become the extensive Los Angeles freeway network. The approximately six-mile initial stage of the 8.2-mile roadway, completed in 1940, was envisioned as both a scenic road traversing the Arroyo and a vital traffic conduit linking the...
  • Arroyo Seco Parkway Sidewalk and Stairs - Los Angeles CA
    This narrow concrete sidewalk and stairway connecting Solano Avenue and Academy Road was built by the WPA in 1941. Located along the Arroyo Seco Parkway near the Solano Ave. Elementary School.
  • Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center - Oakland CA
    Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center/Park was developed between 1936 and 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), working with the Oakland Recreation Department.  The WPA funded the project for around $60,000 in 1935 (Chronicle 1935). The 16 acre site on Arroyo Viejo Creek was purchased by the city in pieces, starting in 1935.  The entire purchase cost about $36,000 (Post-Enquirer 1935). The property had belonged to the Japanese Domoto family, who operated a nursery there.  (An interesting sidelight is that Kenji Domoto went on to be a famous landscape architect) The work of creating a new park began with tearing down acres of...
  • Artesia City Park - Artesia NM
    "The Artesia Improvement Company donated the land for a city park in 1906. In 1937, the corner pillars and stone walkways to the center of the park were added as a WPA project. Artesia Main Street, a local downtown revitalization organization, has plans for a complete renovation of the park. Central Park continues to be used as a popular location for many downtown events and family outings." -Artesia Walking Tour
  • Artesia Gym - Artesia NM
    "Artesia is home to several WPA construction projects including the Municipal Hospital, the Old City Hall, the gym on the Artesia Schools campus and the wall around Morris Field. The Hospital is in private hands. The Old City Hall is also a private office, but looks much the same as when it was built. The gym is still the gym and Morris Field is still in use, also on the school campus. Much of the construction uses beautiful local stone, which can be seen throughout Artesia, including the once private residence that is now the Artesia Historical Museum & Art...
  • Artesia Municipal Hospital - Artesia NM
    "Originally called Artesia Memorial Hospital when built in 1939 by WPA/PWA funds, it is still in use today. Additions were made in the early 1940's and the most recent renovations and additions finalized in the mid 1960's." -Treasures on New Mexico Trails
  • Arthur Avenue Retail Market - Bronx NY
    The historic Arthur Avenue Retail Market, located in the heart of the Bronx's Little Italy, was constructed with the assistance of the federal Work Projects Administration (WPA). The market, one of eight similar projects in the city, opened October 29, 1940.
  • Arthur Brock Mansion Demolition - Lebanon PA
    "Sarah Brock wished the Arthur Brock mansion demolished and in 1937 this work was completed under a work order from the WPA." The mansion was located in what is now known as Coleman Memorial Park; its exact location within the park is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Artic Brook Sewer - Bangor ME
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) built the Artic Brook Sewer in Bangor ME. The 1934 town report notes: "The Arctic Brook sewer was enclosed from Broadway to Kenduskeag Stream, or a distance of 2600 feet, by a 36 inch sewer, at a cost of $51,530." According to earlier articles, during December, 169 men plus a foreman and blacksmith were employed on the project. A typical pay week would bring $2,153 to the men. "ARTIC SEWER JOB BROUGHT CITY $50,000 More than $37,600 Spent For Labor on First CWA Project" "Approximately $50,000 was spent on the Artic Brook sewer, the oldest CWA project, in point of...
  • Arts and Recreation Center – Baldwin Park CA
    In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed an auditorium for Central School in Baldwin Park, CA. With over 600 seats, the auditorium was used for both school and civic activities. The Moderne (Art Deco) structure is simple and unadorned, its concrete facade suggestive of early Brutalism. The auditorium served as an auxiliary meeting space after Central School was converted into Baldwin Park's first city hall in 1958, and as a storage facility after city hall was relocated in 1978. Since 2007, the renovated auditorium structure has served as Baldwin Park's Arts and Recreation Center (ARC). In addition to a dance studio, arts...
  • Arvin Miscellaneous Projects - CA
    The WPA built an adobe civic center and the Kern County Free Library, as well as Community, Health and Welfare buildings in Arvin. They also built a grammar school.
  • Arvin Sewer System - CA
    WPA workers built the main sewer in Arvin.
  • Ash Street Improvements - East Hartford CT
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted a project in East Hartford involving "Ash Street grading and surface drain job."
  • Ashford University Field - Clinton IA
    Originally the Riverview Stadium and then the Alliant Energy Field. This stadium was built by the WPA in 1935-1937. It still has its WPA plaque.
  • Aspen Grove Camp Improvements - Mount Timpanogos UT
    In 1933-34, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made improvements at the Aspen Grove Family Camp owned by Brigham Young University. The Aspen Grove camp was established after land was donated to Brigham Young University in 1921 and BYU started an Alpine Summer Camp there in 1922. (https://aspen.byu.edu) Working with BYU, the CCC enrollees planted lawns and installed 5,000 feet of pipe for a new sprinkling system, plus adding parking spaces, stoves, campsites and a new trail (Baldridge, p. 309). The CCC enrollees worked out of Camp F-5 at Granite Flat (Baldridge, p. 309).  The exact location and survival of these improvements is unknown...
  • Aspenglen Amphitheater - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
    The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was active in Rocky Mountain National Park throughout the New Deal era, 1933-42.  Among the other works undertaken by CCC enrollees was the construction of three amphitheaters, at Aspenglen Campground, Moraine Park Museum and Glacier Basin campground.  These were used for educational presentations by park rangers and staff. The Aspenglen and Glacier Basin amphitheaters were built in 1938 (Brock, p. 43), as part of general upgrades to those campgrounds (Brock, p 41).  The amphitheaters were designed by the National Park Service in Rustic Style and meant to blend into the landscape and surrounding trees.  The one...
  • Asser Levy Recreation Center Pools - New York NY
    On May 31, 1938, the Department of Parks announced "that plans were being prepared for the renovation of nine public bath houses transferred to them from the jurisdiction of the Borough President of Manhattan." The improvements were to be done "with relief labor under the supervision of the Works Progress Administration and inspected by the Department of Parks." At what is now the Asser Levy Recreation Center, the renovations included the construction of two new swimming pools: "At 23rd Street and Avenue A where there is adequate vacant city-owned land available, a new outdoor swimming pool, 125 ft. long x 50 ft....
  • Astor Avenue Improvements - Bronx NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Bronx street repair and maintenance project along roads throughout the borough. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were surfaced with penetrated macadam. Roads improved included the 1.1-mile stretch of Astor Avenue between Wallace Ave. and Eastchester Rd.
  • Astoria Health Center - Astoria NY
    The city Health Center, meant to serve Long Island City and Astoria, at the southwest corner of 31st Ave. and 14th St., was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). "This center and eight others are being built as WPA projects," The New York Times reported in 1936.
  • Astoria Health Playground - Astoria NY
    On July 2, 1938, the Department of Parks announced the opening of a playground on the site of what is now the Astoria Health Playground: "In Queens, at 14th Street south of 31st Avenue adjacent to the Astoria Health Center, the new playground is equipped with swings, see-saws, play houses, slide, sand pit and a portable shower. A brick comfort station with facilities for boys and girls, and permanent concrete benches are also provided. The perimeter of the entire playground is landscaped with shade trees. …The work was performed by the Works Progress Administration, but planned and inspected by the Department of...
  • Astoria Heights Playground - Astoria NY
    The Astoria Heights Playground, covering most of the block between 30th Rd., 31st Ave., 45th St. and 46th St., was developed by the Parks Department and the WPA in two stages between 1937 and 1938. In September 1937, a playground for small children was opened, "as well as handball courts for older children and benches for mothers and guardians." Just over two years later, the Parks Department announced the completion of the rest of the playground: "he new 2.3 acre area supplements and includes the small recreational area opened in 1937, and rounds out the entire block, the southerly end of which...
  • Astoria Park - Astoria NY
    The 56-acre park dates from the early 20th century, but "major improvements in Astoria Park were undertaken by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses and the Works Progress Administration during a hot summer in 1936. The stunning pool complex opened on July 4 of that year and hosted the swimming and diving trials for the U.S. Olympic Teams in 1936 and 1964" (NYC Parks). "Besides the swimming pool, various playgrounds and comfort stations were added or renovated during the course of the New Deal using relief labor" (kermitproject.org). This included "an adult play area with handball, basketball, horseshoe and shuffleboard courts, horizontal...
  • Astoria Park Pool - Astoria NY
    Astoria Park  pool opened on July 2, 1936. It was the largest of the eleven WPA pools built throughout the city that year. It was the site of the Olympic swimming and diving trials for the 1936 Olympics, just as Randall's Island Stadium was for track and field. "Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, an avid swimmer himself, recognized the importance of aquatic recreation and launched a campaign to open eleven new pools throughout the city during the summer of 1936. The labor and construction came from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), whose administrator Harry Hopkins described the pool in Queens as, 'The finest in the world.'...
  • Atascadero Lake Park Improvements - Atascadero CA
    In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out improvements on Atascadero Lake Park.  WPA project cards indicate the following work: "Improve the recreational area at Atascadero Lake near Atascadero, San Luis Obispo Co., by improving earthen dam, and performing other incidental work, to provide additional parking spaces." We cannot ascertain what was done to the dam and the parking lots have been greatly enlarged since the 1930s.  Nevertheless, there are stone rings around trees, stone benches along the lake shore and stone drinking fountains that are characteristic of the rustic style used by WPA relief workers.  Further confirmation is needed. WPA Proj....
  • Atchison County Lake - Horton KS
    The Works Progress Administration built the Decatur County lake in Decatur County KS, as part of Kansas' Water Conservation Program.  
  • Athenaeum Hall Improvements - Framingham MA
    Courtesy the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.), Athenaeum Hall in Framingham was "repaired and painted, both inside and out. New plastering was installed where necessary..." The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) installed a new heating system, water pipes, and electrical wiring in 1937, re-shingling the roof as well.
  • Athens School Improvements - Athens VT
    Multiple school buildings in southeastern Vermont were improved with federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) funds and labor. Athens/Jamaica town report, 1933-4: At present there are four different jobs under the C. W. A. either going on or finished. At South Wardsboro the school house has been shingled and a new chimney built. At West Wardsboro one side of the school building has been shingled. At Athens running water is being piped to the school. In South Newfane the school building has been moved farther back from the road and is being completely remodeled. The labor for all these projects is provided...
  • Athletic Facilities, University of Nebraska at Kearney - Kearney NE
    Kearney State Teachers College was granted almost $10,000.00 in a WPA grant to improve its athletic facilities. The project was planned to be very “inclusive.” It included improving the current football and athletic field at the college, and leveling and grading the area to the north of the gridiron and practice field, formerly part of the “college farm.” Preliminary surveys called for the moving of much earth, and additional parking space would be among the improvements. Tennis courts and other recreational facilities would also be provided. If costs proved reasonable, the track and bleachers were possible additions to the project. In...
  • Athletic Field - American Falls ID
    The WPA participated in the building of this athletic field in American Falls. It is unclear where the site pictured is located, but if it is still extant Stebbins Park next to American Falls High School seems to be the likeliest candidate.
  • Athletic Field - Antioch CA
    The Works Progress Administration accomplished work on the athletic field and recreational center for the former High School and Grammar school, now the Antioch Middle School and Fremont Elementary School. WPA Project No. 165-3-3518, App. Date 10-6-36, $6,970, Total Funds $17,088, Average employed 45, "Construct athletic fields and recreational facilities on the Antioch High and Grammar School grounds in Antioch, Contra Costa County. Antioch Live Oak School District owned property." WPA Project No. 165-3-5518, App. Date 5-13-37, $2,401, Total Funds $4,218, Average Employed 14, Federal Man-hours 4,161, "Construct athletic fields and recreational facilities on the Antioch High and Grammar School grounds in...
  • Athletic Field - Garfield NJ
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed an athletic field in Garfield, N.J. The exact location of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Athletic Field - Gorman TX
    The Works Progress Administration built an athletic field in Gorman TX. A rock masonry fence with concrete coping encloses the athletic field. The fence is 8'-4" tall and 12" wide. The rock entrance and ticket booths with the plaque are dated 1938-1940. There is stadium seating on both sides of the field (unmarked, but appear to match). Official Project No. 65-1-66-2823.
  • Athletic Field - Hudson MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor constructed an athletic field in Hudson. WPA Bulletin: The town of Hudson recently dedicated its new WPA Athletic Field during ceremonies featured by a night football game between the Hudson and Methuen High School teams. Hudson, rated the underdog, showed its appreciation of the new athletic plant by trouncing its opponent 14 to and the gathering of several thousand spectators who filled the WPA-built stands were most enthusiastic. Carl Rogers, Executive Assistant to Administrator McDonough, and Harry V. Madden, Chairman of the Hudson Board of Selectmen, were speakers during the exercises. Flagpoles at the eastern and...
  • Athletic Field - Lyman NE
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a "flood-light athletic field" in Lyman, Nebraska. The location and status of the structure are presently unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Athletic Field - Westport NY
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed an athletic field in Westport, New York. The exact location of the park within the town is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Athletic Field and Stadium - East Central University, Ada OK
    "On the far east side of the East Central University campus is a football stadium constructed by the WPA during the period 1936-1941. The stadium is rectangular, 199 ft by 56 ft. and constructed of poured concrete, with an exterior of rusticated and coursed white native stone. "The stadium rises 20 tiers and has a stepped cornice on the back wall. Arched windows are boarded up on the back side. Large arched entrances have been reduced in size with opaque glass, wood and concrete block. "A 254 ft. native stone wall runs from the stadium north. Documentation of WPA status is from the...
  • Athletic Field Arch - South Milwaukee WI
    "WPA-built brick arch entryway to athletic fields, concrete details."
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