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  • Herald and Greeley Square Improvements - New York NY
    In 1940, the WPA rehabilitated the "hourglass" intersection formed by Broadway, 6th Ave., 35th St. and 32nd St, the north end of which is known as Herald Square and the south end as Greeley Square. The project centered around the restoration and re-placing of a large sculptured clock originally constructed by Antoin Jean Carles in the late 1800s. The Parks press release announcing the completion of this work was especially long and enthusiastic: "The rehabilitation of the hour-glass intersection of Broadway and Sixth Avenue extending from 32nd Street to 35th Street is now completed. Elevated structures, and surface car tracks have...
  • Hurricane Monument - Upper Matecumbe Key FL
    The Works Progress Administration built a memorial for the war veterans and civilian victims of the September 3, 1935 hurricane.
  • Hurricane Shelter - Upper Matecumbe Key FL
    The Works Progress Administration built a hurricane shelter on the island of Upper Matecumbe Key FL.
  • Indiana World War Memorial Construction - Indianapolis IN
    Federal funds, via the Public Works Administration (P.W.A.), enabled $195,000 of construction work of the then-in-progress World War Memorial. P.W.A. Docket No. IN 2200
  • International Peace Garden - Dunseith ND
    The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the International Peace Garden during the 1930s.
  • James J. Hill Statue Parkway and Base - St. Cloud MN
    A Works Progress Administration (WPA) group laid the parkway and constructed the base for a monument to James J. Hill on the banks of Lake George in Saint Cloud's Eastman Park. Hill, historian Bill Morgan noted, had established the Great Northern Car Shops in the neighboring city of Waite Park and “made enemies among his competitors and employees during his 60-year career,” but remained “a mythic hero to the Great Northern shopworkers of St. Cloud and Waite Park.” While an earlier submission by a former Great Northern carshop employee, Jacob L. Hohman, had been rejected in the 1920s, progress toward...
  • Jefferson National Expansion Memorial - St. Louis MO
    The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is a large park along the Mississippi River maintained by the National Park Service. It contains the iconic St. Louis Gateway Arch. The construction of the park lasted for multiple decades. The WPA and the PWA were both involved in demolition and site preparation of the Memorial's 82-acre site from 1935 through the early 1940s. The initial need for development of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial with its iconic arch was the clearing of the buildings in the area of the development, saving as much historical information as possible. Additionally, there was the country’s largest “Hooverville”...
  • Killough Massacre Monument - Bullard TX
    The Killough Massacre, believed to have been the largest single Indian depredation in East Texas, took place on October 5, 1838 in northwestern Cherokee County. The eighteen victims who were either killed or kidnapped included Isaac Killough, Sr., and members of his extended family. The Work Projects Administration erected a stone obelisk at the site in the late 1930s to commemorate the victims of the massacre. In 1965 a state historical marker was dedicated there.
  • Kinishba Ruins National Historic Landmark - Fort Apache AZ
    "Kinishba Ruins was constructed by the Pueblo people and occupied as early as 800 until as late as 1400 A.D. Byron Cummings, director of the Arizona State Museum, and his students began excavation and reconstruction of Kinishba in 1931. In 1934 Cummings requested funds from the Civilian Conservation Corps-Indian Division to hire 25 local Apache laborers. Between 1934 and 1937 Kinishba also served as an archaeological field school where Cummings trained more than 70 students. In 1938 and 1939 Cummings and Apache enrollees continued to excavate and restore the ruins; they also constructed a small museum and residence. Cummings hoped...
  • La Fortaleza (Governor's Mansion) Renovations - San Juan PR
    The work relief division of the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) conducted "extensive repairs to the patio" of La Fortaleza, the 16th Century governor's mansion in San Juan, capitol of the territory of Puerto Rico, ca. 1937. In 1940-1 the Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) conducted extensive restoration work on La Fortaleza. Improvements included utilities upgrades, new roof, replacement of floor and ceiling beams, elevator installation, modern bathtubs & showers installation, and more.
  • La Villita Cos House Restoration - San Antonio TX
    It is generally believed that General Martin Perfecto de Cos, a brother-in-law of Mexico’s President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, surrendered to the Texan commander, General Edward Burleson, after the five-day Siege of Bexar in December 1835 at the Villita Street building known today as the Cos House. This structure is considered to be the oldest building in the "Little Village" since it pre-dates the 1835 surrender. The building was restored through the efforts of NYA workers as part of the La Villita restoration project.
  • Lewis and Clark Memorial - Council Bluffs IA
    This stone monument, north of Big Lake Park, honors the expedition of Lewis & Clark in 1804 and their historic meeting with the Otoe and Missouri Indians. The WPA memorial was constructed in 1936 by artist Harry Edward Stinson.
  • Lexington State Historic Site: Anderson House Restoration - Lexington MO
    The Works Progress Administration restored the Anderson House at the Lexington State Historic Site. According to a storyboard (pictured below) in the museum at this site, "significant repairs and restoration were undertaken by the Works Progress Administration as part of the relief effort associated with the Great Depression."
  • Liberty Memorial Improvements - Kansas City MO
    Now known as the National WWI Museum and Memorial, what was then the Liberty Memorial was the recipient of efforts on the part of multiple New Deal agencies. National Register of Historic Places nomination form: Numerous small-scale features are located throughout the site. While each feature alone may see insignificant, together they enhance the character of Liberty Memorial and contribute to the significance of the overall site. These features include stone steps, walks, and retaining walls; a brick and concrete swale; iron gates with stone walls; improvements at the Dedication Wall; lights and flagpoles. The stone features throughout the site consist of rubble stone,...
  • Lincoln Memorial: Repairs and Snow Removal - Washington DC
    On May 26, 1933, Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Grant III, grandson of President Ulysses Grant and director of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, presented a large public works program for Washington, DC, “in anticipation of the early passage of the national industrial recovery act.” In the report, a request was made for $6,890, “For cleaning and pointing up interior stonework at the Lincoln Memorial… to prevent further deterioration” (Evening Star, 1933).  Ultimately, the Public Works Administration (PWA), created as part of the NIRA in 1933, allotted $3,465 for the job (about $69,000 in 2019 dollars)...
  • Madison Square: Admiral Farragut Statue Restoration - New York NY
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to restore the Admiral Farragut monument in Madison Square during the mid-1930s.
  • Memorial to the Start Westward of the United States - Marietta OH
    Memorial in Muskingum Park, Marietta, Ohio commemorating the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory in 1788. Memorial includes a statuary group created by Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore carved in local sandstone by WPA workers, landing esplanade on the Muskingum River built by WPA, and four pylons on Front Street topped with eagles also sculpted by Borglum at the North and South entrances to the park. Borglum did not attend the 1938 dedication because he (correctly, it turns out) disagreed with the decision to execute the sculpture in sandstone rather than bronze. Project is underway to restore...
  • Memorial Waterfall - Grove City PA
    Grove City's Memorial Park was improved by multiple New Deal programs. "During the late 1930s, a cascading waterfall was added to the memorial as a federal Works Progress Administration project."   The exact location of the waterfall in the park is unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Meriwether Lewis National Monument - Hohenwald TN
    This monument marks the spot where the explorer Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark duo) died as he was traveling along what later became part of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The site had been marked as early as 1848. "In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration and CCC workers camped at the site built a cabin museum a few feet southwest of the Grinder's Stand site . While their original objective was to duplicate the design of Grinder's Stand, no reliable description could be located." (wikipedia)
  • Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial Improvements - Washington DC
    The Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial, located in Lady Bird Johnson Park on Columbia Island, is a statue honoring sailors of the United States Navy and the United States Merchant Marine who died at sea during World War I. It was designed in 1922 by Harvey Wiley Corbett and sculpted by Ernesto Begni del Piatta. The monument was not erected until 1934, when it was installed with New Deal support as part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program. It is likely that the first installation was done with the help of Civil Works Administration (CWA) relief labor. Nevertheless, lack of funds meant that...
  • Newlands Memorial Fountain Installation - Washington DC
    Newland Memorial fountain, located at Chevy Chase Circle on the border of Washington D.C. and Chevy Chase MD, was create to honor Francis Newlands, Congressman, author of the Newlands Reclamation Act, and developer of Chevy Chase. The fountain was designed by Edward Wilton Donn in 1933 and put in place in 1938.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. New Deal workers erected the monument as part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program.  The work was probably done by Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief laborers, who were active in parks renovations across the district in the 1930s.
  • Paradise Valley Ranger Station Area Improvements - Humboldt National Forest NV
    "Establishing communications between outlying ranger stations was imperative. Crews built roads and telephone lines between the Paradise Valley Ranger Station and the outlying station at Martin Creek. The men also constructed the administrative buildings at Paradise Ranger Station and the forest supervisor’s compound in Elko. The construction of the Elko-Mountain Home road generated widespread interest and attracted dignitaries including Senator Pat McCarran, Governor Richard Kirman, Congressman James Scrugham, Attorney General Gray Mashburn, and state and highway officials." --The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada
  • Park Improvements - Crater Lake National Park OR
    "The ultimate direction of development in the parks became an important issue due to the increase in construction activity during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. To ensure that this activity was proceeding in an orderly fashion, long-term planning was essential. Serious work along this line began in FY 1931, and resulted in the preparation by Vint and Sager of a master plan program for the National Park Service. The first Service master plans were six-year ones to be revised each year as work was completed. Each landscape architect was responsible for developing plans for his particular field areas. By mid-1932...
  • Peter Cooper Statue Restoration - New York NY
    Formerly known as Stuyvesant Square, the park in which this statue sits was renamed Cooper Square after Peter Cooper, a 19th century industrialist and philanthropist. As the NYC Parks site documents: “Following Cooper’s death in 1883, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), the preeminent 19th century sculptor and one of the earliest alumni of Cooper Union (class of 1864), was commissioned to design a monument in honor of the great visionary. Saint-Gaudens collaborated with the renowned architect Stanford White (1853–1906) who created the piece’s marble and granite canopy… In 1935, coinciding with reconstruction of the park, the newly created Parks Monuments Crew, with funding from...
  • Philos Cemetery Memorial Building - Westernport MD
    This is a small memorial building in Westernport, Maryland, in Philos Cemetery. A plaque on the building reads, in part: "IN MEMORIAM, LEST WE FORGET, This building is dedicated in remembrance of all those who took part in all wars to preserve the freedom and liberty for our country who now sleep in peace in Philos and St. Peter's Cemeteries…Erected in 1937 by WPA labor and funds collected over a long period of time by the Memorial Day Committee of the citizens of the tri-towns Piedmont-Westernport-Luke.  Sponsored by Potomac Camp No. 5 United Spanish War Veterans."
  • Rim Village Historic District Projects - Crater Lake National Park OR
    "The year 1933 brought many significant changes into the National Park system. Up until that time President Herbert Hoover saw to it that the national parks received their allotment requests for park operations and development. Budgets and staff for the national parks had increased substantially during his administration (Tweed, 75). But the Depression changed all of this when, in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt and a new administration came on board. A variety of innovative and comprehensive relief programs were introduced to alleviate the nation’s growing unemployment crisis. These programs, instituted under the New Deal, provided work opportunities for the unemployed....
  • Riverside Park: Grant's Tomb Improvements - New York NY
    A great number of improvements to the General Grant National Memorial ("Grant's Tomb") were undertaken by the WPA between 1935 and 1939. As the National Park Service's David Kahn (1980) explains: "Thirty-eight years after the tomb opened, the initial restoration project began in December 1935, when the Works Progress Administration's laborers laid down new marble flooring in the atrium. In 1935-39 WPA cleaned marble (interior and exterior), replaced floors, replaced roof, electric lighting, heating, built curator's office, new stained glass, painted over dirty plaster walls, screens, display racks, brass sculptured busts of five Union generals by WPA artists, installation of eagles...
  • Rock Creek Fire Monument - Orovada NV
    Members of the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed a monument to five fallen members of Company 1212 who died fighting a fire outside Orovada, Nevada on July 28, 1939. The monument and plaque reside at the center of a U.S. 95 rest area south of Orovada, toward Winnemucca. BLM: "A crew comprised of 23 men from a Civilian Conservation Corp responded to a lightning fire just outside of Orovada on the Santa Rosa mountain range. A thunderstorm had been developing above the fire while the crew hiked in and had now collapsed, creating a sudden wind shift and strong down drafts. Five of...
  • Rockville Stone Chapel - Fairfield CA
    A WPA plaque hanging in front of the chapel building reads: "This Historic Monument Erected A.D. 1856 by Solano County Pioneers. Reconstructed by Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration A.D. 1940" A nearby California Historical Marker no. 779 highlights this structure and reads: "Erected by pioneers of Methodist Episcopal Church South with volunteer labor and donated funds. Cornerstone laid October 3, 1856. Dedicated February 1857. Site supplied by Landy and Sarah Alford. Chapel deteriorated by 1929 and deeded by the church to Rockville Public Cemetery District as a pioneer monument. Restored in 1940." -------------------- This chapel is currently home to the Church of Christ.
  • Roosevelt Park - Edison NJ
    Roosevelt Park is located in Edison, New Jersey. It contains a number of picnic groves and sports facilities. The WPA did major work on the park in the 1930s. In addition to general park development, a monument honoring the laborers who built the park was erected in 1933. There is also a WPA sculpture in the park by Waylande Gregory (see linked project page).
  • Samuel Gompers Memorial - Washington DC
    Samuel Gompers was an American labor leader and founder of the American Federation of Labor. This sculpture by Robert Aitken was erected in 1933 and President Franklin Roosevelt made an address at the dedication ceremony for the monument on October 7th. Apparently, New Deal relief labor was used to improve the park around the memorial (now Samuel Gompers Park).  That would likely have been part of the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) million dollar program of parks improvement in 1935-36.
  • San Jacinto Battleground Memorial - La Porte TX
    "Impressive celebrations were held throughout the State of Texas in 1936 to commemorate the centennial of its secession from the Republic of Mexico. One of the most important events leading to this act was the decisive Battle of San Jacinto fought on April 21, 1836, in which the Texans were completely victorious. It was therefore decided to erect a memorial on the battlefield honoring the heroes who fought so well. The monument rests on two terraces which rise 15 feet above the natural grade and consists of a base 36 feet high from which the shaft extends to a total height...
  • Saratoga National Historical Park - Stillwater NY
    This park commemorates the first major American victory of the Revolutionary War in 1777. "Establishment of a national park to commemorate the Saratoga battles, authorized by Congress in 1938,  came about largely due to the direction provided by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The National Park Service accepted 1,430 acres from New York  State, although the area remained under state  administration. A Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was established at the park in 1939.  Although the program by then was past its peak and was terminated in 1942 due to U.S. participation in World War II, the CCC performed the first methodical...
  • Second Division Memorial - Washington DC
    The Second Division Memorial is located in President's Park, between 17th Street Northwest and Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. It commemorates those who died while serving in the 2nd Infantry Division of the U. S. Army during World War I. The artist was James Earl Fraser. While the sculpture itself does not appear to have been a New Deal project, it was erected with New Deal labor and/or funds and was dedicated on July 18, 1936, by president Franklin D. Roosevelt. The labor was most likely provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during its extensive parks improvement effort in 1935-36. Two...
  • Sequoyah's Cabin - Sallisaw OK
    The New York Times reported in 1937: "Tourists have begun to visit the memorial in Sequoyah County, Okla., built by WPA under the sponsorship of the Oklahoma Historical Society ... The stone building erected by WPA encloses the log cabin in which Sequoyah lived 100 years ago, and a new road laid by WPA makes the memorial accessible to motorists." The cornerstone for the project was laid on June 12, 1936. The WPA also constructed a stone wall and the base to a water tower at the site.
  • Shenandoah Memorial - Ava OH
    The Shenandoah Memorial in Ava, Ohio was built to honor those lost in a 1925 airship crash that occurred in Noble County. The memorial was constructed with Treasury Department funds. The contractor was George Dodds & Sons Granite Company of Xenia, Ohio. Archival photos suggest the project was completed in September or October 1938. The memorial, according to Roadside America, "originally stood at the spot where the stern section of the Shenandoah fell to earth, but that was back in the wooded hills where few people could visit. The people of Ava have since moved it to a convenient spot along...
  • Soldiers' Memorial Building - St Louis MO
    "This building was erected as a memorial to soldiers who lost their lives in the World War. In the center hall on the first floor is a black granite cenotaph bearing the names of the soldiers. On each side is a museum containing World War relics, records, and other data. Surrounding the structure are 38 square columns, 5 by 5 feet, and 35 feet high. The building is one unit of a well-planned civic center, the construction being of steel and reinforced concrete. The walls are faced with limestone. Marble and granite were used extensively. It is 190 by 89 feet,...
  • St. Cloud Historical Marker - St. Cloud MN
    The St. Cloud Historical Marker in St. Cloud MN is a site that was constructed in 1937, by the NYA, a sub-unit of the WPA. The site was designed by A. R. Nichols and is a historical marker that commemorates the first commercial granite quarry in Minnesota, opened by Breen and Young in 1868, that was very important for the growth of St. Cloud. It was built from granite stones from the quarries located nearby, with rough and pointed rocks, unlike other markers and monuments with their more formal designs. It was placed on the side of highway 10 just...
  • Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island Improvements - New York NY
    The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from France in 1886. It was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War. In 1937, FDR proclaimed the entire island a National Monument administered by the National Park Service. From 1937-1941, the WPA and PWA carried out extensive renovations of the statue and Bedloe (now Liberty) island. In his history of the Statue of Liberty, Berenson (2012) elaborates on the federal government's role: "the NPS devised an ambitious plan to remove all structures save for the statue itself, shore up the...
  • Steuben House Renovations - River Edge NJ
    The Steuben House is a longstanding historical and architectural landmark in Bergen County NJ. Its style recalls the Bergen Dutch community. The house was occupied for military purposes during much of the American Revolutionary War, including by General Washington. During the 1930s, New Deal workers renovated the house, helping preserve the historic structure up to this day: "On June 20, 1938, a crew of WPA workmen began a $20,000 renovation of the Steuben House (the New Jersey Historic Sites Commission contributing $3,000 and the WPA supplying $15,800 worth of labor to the project). A new oil heating system, a bath and lavatory...
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