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  • 109th St. Pool - Los Angeles CA
    The WPA helped in improvements at this pool that put 66 people to work in 1939. 53,300 man hours were used. $36,211 went toward labor and $3,129 to other expenses. As of Winter 2015, the facility was extant but being extensively renovated.
  • 10th and Choctaw Road Culvert - Choctaw OK
    The Works Progress Administration built a culvert on Choctaw Road in Choctaw, OK. Contributor note: "This culvert carries water run-off north-south at the intersection of 10th Street and Choctaw Road. The culvert has a 3 ft by 3 ft. opening, and at the time of our visit was heavily overgrown with tall grasses. At the top of each curb of the culvert, the WPA shield is stamped reading 1939."  
  • 10th Street and Autumn Lane Culvert - Harrah OK
    The Works Progress Administration built a culvert at the intersection of 10thStreet and and Autumn Lane in Harrah, in 1939. Contributor note: "This culvert carries water run-off north-south under 10th Street, about two miles west of the town of Harrah. The culvert opening is about 3 ft by 3 ft. Stamped on top of the curbing on either side of the road is the WPA shield and the date 1939."
  • 10th Street and Dobbs Road Culverts - Harrah OK
    The Works Progress Administration built culverts at the intersection of 10th Street and Dobbs Road in Harrah, in 1939. Contributor note: "These two culverts carry water run-off east-west under Dobbs Road, on each side of 10th Street. The culverts were built by the WPA in 1939. The culvert on the north side of 10th Street is approximately 2 ft. high and 3 ft. wide; the culvert on the south is 2 ft. high and 4 ft. wide. Though partially filled with sand and dirt, they appear to be handling the water flow satisfactorily. On the curbing of each culvert end, a WPA stamp...
  • 10th Street and Luther Road Culvert - Harrah OK
    The Works Progress Administration built a culvert at the intersection of 10th Street and Luther Road in Harrah, in 1939. Contributor note: "This culvert carries water east-west under Luther Road, on the south side of 10th Street. The culvert opening is approximately 3 ft by 3 ft. The culvert carries water run-off and we saw no creek in the vicinity. On top of the curbing, the WPA stamp reads 1939."
  • 10th Street and Peebly Road Culverts - Harrah OK
    The Works Progress Administration built a culvert on 10thStreet Peebly Road, Oklahoma County. Contributor note: "On 10th Street, between Choctaw and Harrah, at Peebly Road, there are two culverts which carry water east-west from the drainage ditches alongside 10th Street. The culvert openings are rectangular, and approximately 2 ft. by 3 ft. The WPA did extensive road and drainage work in this area in the latter part of the 1930's. These culverts are stamped 1939."
  • 10th Street Bridge - Choctaw OK
    The Works Progress Administration built a bridge on 10thStreet in Choctaw. Contributor note: "One-half mile east of Hiwassee Road on 10th Street, this is a bridge with three 10 ft. wide openings, and five concrete pillars at each side of the road. The bridge spans north-south flowing water down an unnamed creek. The bridge is located on the northern edge of the Optimist Park. The bridge appears to be in good condition. On each side of the road, a pillar is stamped with the WPA shield and the date 1939."
  • 10th Street Culvert - Oklahoma County OK
    The Works Progress Administration built a culvert on 10th Street in Oklahoma County, in 1939. Contributor note: "This culvert is located about 200 feet east of the intersection of 10th Street and Peebly Road. This culvert carries water north-south from a small pond northeast of the culvert. Run-off must be quite severe at times, as the culvert opening is about 3 ft. by 6 ft. As with much of the culvert road in this area, this culvert was constructed in 1939 by the WPA."
  • 10th Street Culverts - Gotebo OK
    The Works Progress Administration built culverts on 10th Street in Gotebo, OK in 1938. The culverts are marked with the WPA stamp and are located north and south of Maud Linnie Avenue. Contributor note: In front of a former school, these two culverts cross 10th Street, north and south of Maud Linnie Avenue. They handle drainage flowing east-west. The culverts are concrete and have openings approximately 2 ft. high and 4 ft. wide. The curbing is imprinted with the WPA stamp showing the year 1938. Grass and weeds are grown up at the entrances which may impede the water flow. The nearby auditorium/gymnasium was also...
  • 110th Police Precinct - Elmhurst NY
    The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a new station house for the NYPD's 110th precinct in Elmhurst. The project, built for $100,000, is still in use. Inside is a plaque crediting the WPA, with the date 1939, though the public does not generally receive permission to photograph it.
  • 123rd Street Sewer Improvements - Queens NY
    The WPA photos here show the sewer cut at the end of 123rd St. in Queens before and after the WPA improved it. The before photo has the following caption: "This is how the sewer cut at 123rd St. south of Sunrise Highway in Queens looked before WPA waved its magic wand. The magic in this case took the form of a small array of Federal relief workers who transformed the cut into a modern sewage canal." The after photo depicts the sewer cut "after a force of WPA workers had rebuilt its walls."
  • 125th Street Sewer - New York NY
    The Work Projects Administration undertook a large sewer replacement project with respect to 125th Street in Manhattan. The project was described by the WPA in 1940: "Completed early in 1940. New twin flat-op reinforced concrete sewer, each half ranging from six feet to seven feet in depth and from six feet six inches to eight feet eight inches in width, replacing an antiquated brick sewer. Total length of 3,720 feet, in addition to an overflow chamber, 98 feet long, 22 feet wide and 16 feet 8 inches deep, which was built at the lower end. At the riverfront, the construction includes...
  • 160th Street Improvements - Queens NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration undertook a large road repair project starting in 1935 in the borough of Queens. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were repaired; particular emphasis was placed on fixing washout-damaged stretches of road. Holes were filled in and the streets were smoothed, surfaced and reconditioned. Roads improved as part of this project (WPA Official Project No. 65-97-9) included the stretch of 160th Street between Union Turnpike and Goethals Ave.
  • 164th Street Improvements - Queens NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration undertook a large road repair project starting in 1935 in the borough of Queens. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were repaired; particular emphasis was placed on fixing washout-damaged stretches of road. Holes were filled in and the streets were smoothed, surfaced and reconditioned. Roads improved as part of this project (WPA Official Project No. 65-97-9) included the stretch of 164th Street between Union Turnpike and the Grand Central Parkway.
  • 179th Street Sewer - New York NY
    This WPA photo showing a WPA sewer under construction has the following caption: "Engineers take pride in their work. This smiling WPA worker is as proud as his fellow workers and chief engineers as the big job nearing completion in the vicinity  of 179th Street and Highbridge Park. Antiquated and inadequate sewers are being replaced with modern ones - an important adjunct in the plan for improving sanitary conditions in the five boros of New York."
  • 17th Avenue Improvements - Brooklyn NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) undertook several road improvement projects along roads in Brooklyn, New York. One such project involved the removal of malls and other repair work along 17th Ave. from 47th St. to Old New Utrecht Rd.
  • 17th St. Improvements - San Francisco CA
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve many roads in San Francisco, including the stretch of 17th Street between Market and Harrison.
  • 18th Street Paving - Jasper AL
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out paving work on 18th Street in Jasper. According to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Jasper Land Company, the WPA’s road improvement work brought an increase in housing construction.
  • 18th Street Widening - San Francisco CA
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved many roads in San Francisco, California, including widening a 1,655 foot stretch of 18th Street between 3rd and Missouri Streets (between Potrero Point and the crest of Potrero Hill).    
  • 1939 World's Fair Mural Study - Chicago IL
    Ilya Bolotowsky’s oil painting study for the Hall of Sciences mural at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York is today housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. It is all that remains of Bolotowsky’s mural commissioned by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Arts Projects, as all murals made for the World’s Fair were destroyed at the Fair’s closure (Mahoney, p. 261). Bolotowsky is a generally overlooked pioneer of American abstract art and this work is a testament to the brilliance of his art, which he was given ample opportunity to practice through the New Deal. Thus,...
  • 1939 World's Fair: New Jersey Pavilion Mural - Flushing NY
    The New York Times wrote the following in 2003 in a retrospective article of New Jersey-based artist Michael Lenson: " moved to Newark and applied at the W.P.A. office on Halsey Street ... Soon, Mr. Lenson was designing and executing murals for the state W.P.A. program. He went on to become assistant state supervisor in charge of the other muralists in the agency. By the time the federal W.P.A. closed in 1943, Mr. Lenson had created six murals and supervised the execution of 15 more in New Jersey by other artists. He also made one mural in West Virginia." "Three of Mr. Lenson's...
  • 19th Avenue Improvements - Brooklyn NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) undertook several road improvement projects along roads in Brooklyn, New York. One such project involved the removal of malls and other repair work at the intersection of 19th Ave. and Dahill Rd.
  • 19th Avenue Yard Improvements - Brooklyn NY
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a sizable public building improvement project in Brooklyn, New York beginning in 1935.  The project involved the "Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices" at more than 30 locations, including the municipal yard at "19th Ave. and 56th St." The site is still occupied by the Department of Sanitation.
  • 20th Avenue Paving - Irvington NJ
    Among a series of paving projects undertaken by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Irvington, New Jersey was the 700-foot stretch of 20th Avenue from Ellis Ave. to 21st St. The work was completed in three days in September 1936. The paving, it was reported, "is two inches deep on the old concrete base of six inches, and runs thirty-eight feet from curb to curb. The cost to Irvington was approximately $500 for half of the materials."
  • 212th Street Improvements - Queens Village NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration undertook a large road repair project starting in 1935 in the borough of Queens. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were repaired; particular emphasis was placed on fixing washout-damaged stretches of road. Holes were filled in and the streets were smoothed, surfaced and reconditioned. Roads improved as part of this project (WPA Official Project No. 65-97-9) included the stretch of 212th Street in Queens Village between Jamaica Ave. and Hollis Ave.
  • 21st Street Paving - Irvington NJ
    Among a series of paving projects undertaken by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Irvington, New Jersey was the 1,200-foot stretch of 21st Street from from 20th Ave. to 18th Ave.
  • 227th Street Playground - Bronx NY
    The 227th Street Playground in Bronx Park, June 2015, built by the New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA) and opened on June 25, 1941. From the NYC Parks Department press release: The new development covers an area of about two acres in the sloping lawn between the Parkway and the Bronx River. The playground itself is semi-circular in shape, contains various items of play apparatus including swings, slides, see-saws, jungle gym, a sand pit and a shower basin, and is paved with bituminous material. It is fenced with chain link fabric for purposes of control and a number of trees have...
  • 23rd Street Water Main - Fremont NE
    An early Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in Fremont, Nebraska was described as follows: Water extension from Broad street to Nye avenue on Twenty-third street. This included the laying of 1,294 feet of 6 inch water main and the placing of two fire hydrants to improve the fire protection in this section of town. The project provided two weeks' employment for 18 persons.
  • 24th Street Retaining Walls - Parkersburg WV
    The Works Progress Administration built retaining walls on 24th Street in Parkersburg.
  • 25th Ave. Improvements - San Francisco CA
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve many roads in San Francisco, including the stretch of 25th Ave. between Fulton St. and El Camino del Mar.
  • 26th Street Storm Sewers - Parkersburg WV
    The Works Progress Administration built storm sewers on 26th Street in Parkersburg.
  • 28th Street Land Reclamation Project - San Diego CA
    This WPA land reclamation project (a process by which new land is created from sea or riverbeds) appears to have taken place where 28th street runs into the San Diego coastline near East Harbor Drive. Note the ships and masts just visible towards the horizon in the photo below.
  • 2nd Street Dead End Wall - Salina KS
    In 1939, a dead-end wall was constructed on 2nd Street in Salina, Kansas by youths who were employed by the National Youth Administration (NYA). The NYA was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that focused on training, employing, and educating young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Chris Cotten, Parks and Recreation Director of the City of Salina, Kansas tells us that "n April 1939 the Salina Journal reported that 35 NYA youths, working part time and using rubble masonry, were hired to construct 'ten dead-end walls' on streets that terminated at the Smoky Hill River. Remnants...
  • 35th Avenue Development - Flushing NY
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed to the development of what of 35th Avenue, extending it from Prince to College Points Boulevard (then known as Lawrence Street), in anticipation of the 1939 World's Fair in Flushing.
  • 3rd St. Improvements - San Francisco CA
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve many roads in San Francisco, including the stretch of 3rd St. between what was then Bayshore Blvd. and Burke Ave. Highway 101 now occupies that stretch of Bayshore Blvd.
  • 3rd Street Dead End Wall - Salina KS
    In 1939, a dead-end wall was constructed on 3rd Street in Salina, Kansas by youths who were employed by the National Youth Administration (NYA). The rock wall at the south end of 3rd Street bears an NYA plaque. The NYA was a division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that focused on training, employing, and educating young people between the ages of 16 and 25. Chris Cotten, Parks and Recreation Director of the City of Salina, Kansas tells us that "n April 1939 the Salina Journal reported that 35 NYA youths, working part time and using rubble masonry, were hired to construct 'ten...
  • 4th Avenue Court Building (former) Improvements - Brooklyn NY
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a sizable public building improvement project in Brooklyn, New York beginning in 1935.  The project involved the "Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices" at more than 30 locations, including the old 4th Avenue Court Building. The building now houses the NYPD.
  • 5th District Magistrates Court Building (former) Improvements - Brooklyn NY
    Beginning in 1935, Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a large program of improvements to public buildings in Brooklyn, New York.  The project involved the "Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices" at more than 30 locations, including the old 5th District Magistrates' Court Building (also known as the Williamsburg Bridge Courthouse). The domed, beaux-arts building was originally built by the Williamsburg Trust Company in 1915.  It is located at the northwest corner of South 5th St. and New St. in Williamsburg, facing Continental Army Plaza. A caption for a 1938 photo available at the Brooklyn Public Library states: "The Williamsburg Bridge Courthouse, acquired by...
  • 5th Street Sidewalk - Clayton NM
    A WPA sidewalk imprint stamp marks the sidewalk on the west side South 5th Street, one half block up from Cedar St., across from the south end of the school campus Gymnasium building.
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