The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed two parks in El Cerrito, Poinsett and Huber. WPA improvements at 2.6-acre Huber park include leveling portions of the hillside site, building extensive rubble stone support walls, and constructing recreational facilities. The latter include… read more
The Works Progress Administration built bleachers for a baseball diamond in Cleburne. Corsicana Daily Sun mentioned the construction of the bleaches in 1938: “Cleburne, Johnson county—Con- truct soft ball field, bleachers, bowling green, walks and parkway and landscape in city park; federal… read more
During the Great Depression, the WPA radically transformed this large park at the Northwest tip of Manhattan, making accessible what is now the only largely non-landscaped park in all of Manhattan. WPA workers built roads, trails and overlooks throughout the… read more
A January 26, 1939 press release by the Department of Parks announced that, “The WPA is at present constructing a boat basin in the Harlem Ship Canal which utilizes the old channel bordering Inwood Hill and Isham Parks [that is] no… read more
Before the 1930s, the large area of Inwood Hill Park north of Dyckman Street, between the New York Central Railroad tracks and the Hudson River was a literally a dump. Through the efforts of the Henry Hudson Parkway Authority, the… read more
This sizable park on Manhattan’s west side includes vistas of the Hudson River and of the George Washington Bridge. It was acquired by the city in 1925, and opened by the Department of Parks in 1935. The press release announcing… read more
Now known as the J. J. Byrne Playground, this was one of five “model playgrounds” designed as templates for further playground development by Robert Moses and his team after Moses assumed control of the New York City Parks Department in… read more
The spacious Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem, originally called Colonial Park and known for many years as Bradhurst Park, first opened in 1911, but was only fully developed under the New Deal. When the Department of Parks announced the planned… read more
The New York City Parks Department website provides a brief history of Jacob Riis Park: “260-acre Riis Park, stretching over a mile on the western section of the Rockaway Peninsula, was acquired by the city in 1913. In 1914, the… read more
In early 1942, the WPA began work on a new park and playground to be operated jointly by the adjacent P.S. 40 (Samuel Huntington School) and the Department of Parks. A press release announcing the start of construction described the… read more
In October 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $19,627 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and improvements at the Jefferson Recreation Center adjacent to Jefferson Middle School in the city’s southwest quadrant. In a previous… read more
The land for what is now the John Allen Payne Park was acquired in 1940. “It is one of more than a dozen parks and playgrounds that line the highway now known as the Gowanus Expressway” (NYC Parks). The WPA… read more
The sign on this park says Josephine Caminiti Playground. The NYC Parks website also refers to it as Alstyne Playground and notes that it was formerly known as Corona Playground. The land for this park was purchased by the City… read more
This large park in the Middle Village neighborhood of Queens provides a wealth of leisure and recreational attractions to local residents. Before it became a park, “it was used variously as a farm, a cemetery, a source for peat moss,… read more
NYC Parks describes the history of this park: “The property on which the park is located was acquired by Parks from the Sinking Fund in two parcels. The first parcel was assigned on July 11, 1934, the second on June… read more
This park area consists of Kelly Park to the West of the BMT Brighton Beach transit line and the smaller Kelly Playground to the East of the line. Both were developed by the WPA in 1940. Kelly Park was first… read more
The former City Park and Athletic Field (now the Ken Lindley Park) originated in 1908, but major improvements were made with relief labor provided by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) in the winter of 1933-34. It is likely that after… read more
The Works Progress Administration built the Ken Locke Athletic Field (previously called the called Knoxville WPA Athletic Field) in Knoxville IA.
The extensive Kissena Park was first established in the early 1900s and now forms part of the “Queens Corridor” park system. In addition to building a golf course at the east end of the park in the mid 1930s, in… read more
Birmingham’s Lane Park was the site of substantial work relief efforts on the part of multiple New Deal agencies: the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Historical marker: “The land was also used for the Allen… read more
In July 1935, the Laurel School Board sponsored a proposal for a new athletic field adjacent to the school grounds. The land had been used as a school “park”, but since the school had no athletic field to speak of,… read more
“Early projects proposed by the town [of Jamestown, R.I.] and paid for by the WPA included … new athletic fields on Lawn Avenue …”
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor constructed numerous facilities at Bridgewater’s Legions Field. The facility was located at WPA Bulletin: WPA is completing construction of a Playground and Athletic Field, Bed- ford Street, Bridgewater. Work includes the building of a football… read more
In 1939, the Works Progress Administration built the Lincoln fieldhouse in Lincoln Field, Milwaukee WI.
This large, tiered park in Brooklyn was acquired by the City in stages between 1916 and 1935. In 1939-1940, the WPA constructed a brand new playground on the lower level of the park and then completely redesigned the upper levels… read more
The Department of Parks announced the opening of this WPA playground in Queens on August 9, 1939: “The land was acquired at the time the Board of Estimate approved the modified plan for the Atlantic Avenue Improvement, the playground was… read more
Lowery Field is a multi-use recreation field with 4 baseball diamonds, a football field, a basketball court and a playground. The state archives show a picture baseball field that was built by the Civil Works Administration or Alabama Relief Administration.
On January 15, 1940, the New York City Department of Parks announced the completion of this “new facility” at Alexander Ave. and 136th St.: “It contains four handball courts, a large, open, bi[t]uminous-surfaced play area for group games, small and… read more
The New York City Parks Department Press Release for October 14, 1935 announces the opening of a new playground at the site of what was later called Macombs Dam Park, with some or all of the following amenities: wading pools,… read more
The land for Mahoney Playground was acquired in two parts in 1933 and in 1961. Parks announced the opening of a new playground on the first half in 1937, with “a fully equipped small children’s section besides facilities for handball,… read more
Originally known as Bushwick Park, this land was first developed as a park in the 1890s. During the New Deal, the WPA and the Department of Parks did a major renovation and reconstruction of the park. A press release announcing… read more
Marine Park is the largest public park in Brooklyn. It surrounds the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. The City acquired the first parcels of land in Marine Park in the 1920s and expanded the area in the 1930s. This park… read more
An August 1935 Parks Department press release lists Mariners Harbor Playground as one of seventy-three play areas developed in the preceding year with “city, state and federal relief funds.” The release describes this park as having play areas designed for… read more
WPA Bulletin, 1937: “Picnic Cave Unusual Feature of Playground Lunenburg — An underground cave equipped with a fireplace and picnic facilities for 40 persons is the outstanding feature of Lunenburg’s WPA-built recreation centre at Marshall Field. The grounds also boasts… read more
Maurice Park, also known as the Frank Principe Park, was constructed by the Department of Parks and the WPA in 1940. The November 1940 press release announcing the opening of the new Park described the WPA’s work in detail: “Every… read more
The sizeable McCarren Park in Brooklyn (Williamsburg) dates to the early 20th century, but received several additions in the 1930s with New Deal support. The best known of these is the WPA pool that opened in 1936. But the Department… read more
The Memorial Field of Flushing opened in November, 1934 in a ceremony attended by Mayor LaGuardia. The press release announcing the event described the extensive work carried out with New Deal support: “The land for the Flushing Memorial Playfield was… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a retaining wall at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, New York during the 1930s. Recent plans for the renovation of Memorial Field have been fitful. The current status of the retaining wall is… read more
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor created Merritt Park in Chelsea, Mass.
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor conducted the following work at Merrymount Park in Quincy. WPA Bulletin: All who have motored to the South Shore or Cape this summer have noted the WPA work on the Pfaffman Oval in Merrymount Park…. read more