The Doctors Park Bathhouse in Bayside, Wisconsin, a northern suburb of Milwaukee, is adjacent to Tietjen Beach on Lake Michigan and within 75 feet of the shoreline. This former bathhouse was constructed as a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project in… read more
“The most visible legacy of WPA projects in Milwaukee County was the parks system, which had more construction and landscaping during the WPA period than any other time in its history. WPA construction included six swimming pools, pavilions at Red… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration undertook a $93,900 project starting in 1935 to modernize and otherwise improve several public (now-former) bath facilities in Brooklyn, NY. The public baths at 42 Duffield Street were constructed in 1905; the building has since been… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the former Eastern New Mexico State Park, occasionally referred to as “Blackwater Draw Park”, ca. 1934-6. Flynn: “This CCC-built site was originally created to reforest 9,600 acres of that Dust Bowl area. Later the state… read more
The park was originally called Phoenix Park, renamed Eastlake Park in 1903, and bought by the City of Phoenix in 1914 (City of Phoenix African American Historic Property Survey pp 29-30). The survey further states that: “In 1937 Works Progress… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed Elijah Perry Park (then called “South Camden Park”) in Camden, New Jersey. Among the amenities were a “spacious bath house … swimming pool, 200 feet by 78 feet; [a] wading pool amid a playground… read more
Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas was dramatically transformed and improved by construction projects enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) during the Great Depression. The park “was donated to the City of Houston in 1916. For more than twenty… read more
In the early 1930s, the City of Austin acquired about 1008 acres of ash and juniper woodland west of the city with a mile of lake front on Lake Austin. In December 1939, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1805 arrived at… read more
Located across the river from the Feather River Fish Hatchery, this bathhouse was built by the WPA in the mid 1930s and contained showers and restrooms for swimmers and sunbathers. “In December of 1937, a major flood took out the… read more
Fort Douglas was expanded during the New Deal by the PWA, CCC and WPA. The WPA added several homes for senior officers (buildings 621-625 on the central parade grounds, along De Trobriand Street) and non-commissioned officers (buildings 658, 600, 664, 665, 666… read more
Fort Douglas was expanded during the New Deal by the PWA, CCC and WPA. The WPA added several homes for senior officers (buildings 621-625 on the central parade grounds, along De Trobriand Street) and non-commissioned officers (buildings 658, 600, 664, 665, 666… read more
A historical marker explains the CCC’s role in developing the Fort Parker State Park: “In August 1935, construction of a state park began here on the former town site of Springfield under the direction of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The… read more
Constructed by the WPA under projects 3635, 6994, 7706 and 9392 in 1938. When constructed it was called the Verdugo Municipal Recreation Center and was sponsored by the city of Glendale. “This project, costing a total of $736,422 of which… read more
“Repairing and painting of buildings, including band shells, bathhouses, pavilions, bridges, residences, service buildings and playground buildings in the following parks…Gordon Park.”
“A major park that African Americans on the west side frequented was Grant Park, located at 3rd Avenue and Grant Street. Grant Park existed as an empty lot with grass and trees until the city Parks and Recreation Department renovated… read more
“The temporary Grant Park bathhouse at the foot of Lake Michigan was replaced by the WPA with a permanent building of Colonial design, complete with open-air dressing yards that sat on a raised stone terrace overlooking the beach and lake…. read more
Prior to colonial settlement, the area of Granville State Forest was inhabited by the Tunxis Native American tribe. In the mid-1700s, English pioneer Samuel Hubbard purchased the land for farming and pasturage, and the river that runs through the forest… read more
“Graydon Park is at the heart of the Village of Ridgewood – its seven acres of open space provide an oasis of green parkland for the residents of this densely developed suburb. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, this historic… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed a bath house at Green Fall Pond / [Park] in Voluntown, Connecticut. The exact location and status of the facility are presently unknown to Living New Deal.
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers developed recreation improvements at Greenfield’s Green River Swimming and Recreation Area and Murphy Park, during the 1930s. WPA Bulletin: Children of Greenfield have benefited by the WPA construction of a new bath house and other… read more
Hanging Rock State Park was developed as a federal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project during the 1930s. “Many facilities in the park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1935 and 1942. A concrete and earthen dam completed… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration undertook a $93,900 project starting in 1935 to modernize and otherwise improve several public (now-former) bath facilities in Brooklyn, NY. The public baths at 486 Hicks Street were constructed in 1903; the building was “demolished… read more
In 1935-36, the WPA built a pool and bathhouse at Highland Park. The pool has long since been replaced. The stone bathhouse remains, though it is now boarded up.
“The swimming pool and bathhouse at Highland Park, built by the WPA in the 1930s is still in use today. Established in 1890, one year after the city was first settled in the Land Run of 1889, Highland Park is… read more
“The Hodag Park Bath House is a one-story, random rubble, hip-roofed building. It is Rustic, a style that was popular during the late 1930s. The Bath House was built circa 1938 (1939 photo, L. L. Cook Collection, SHSW; Rhinelander City… read more
From 1936 to 1941, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Honeyman State Park, just south of Florence, Oregon, under the supervision of the National Park Service (NPS). The parkland had been purchased by the state from 1930 to 1936. Honeyman… read more
“Later in 1936, the regional planning department prepared plans for the new pool and bathhouse that was then constructed by the WPA. The new facility opened in 1939. The pool had a capacity of one million gallons.”
The federal Works Progress Administration undertook a $93,900 project starting in 1935 to modernize and otherwise improve several public (now-former) bath facilities in Brooklyn, NY. The public baths on Huron St. (a few hundred feet west of Manhattan Avenue, on… read more
The CCC conducted substantial development work at J. W. Wells State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: they constructed roads, signs, kiosks, a pump house, a comfort station, a laundry facility, a bath house, Bay Stone Lodge (was staff residence), cabins,… 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
The New York Times reported in Sept. 1941 that the WPA worked on the “reconstruction of John Jay Park along the East River Drive, between Seventy-sixth and Seventy-eighth Streets.” Specific improvements included the installation of a new diving pool with… read more
Today’s NYC Parks site explains: “The swimming complex was opened in stages between 1940 and 1942 as part of a massive Work Projects Administration (WPA) capital construction program. The outdoor swimming pool was opened in 1940 and measured 50 by… read more
Kendall State Park, plus park land from the cities of Cleveland & Akron, were formed into a National Recreation Area in 1974 and then Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The story of its establishment highlights the impact local citizens and political… read more
“Repairing and painting of buildings, including band shells, bathhouses, pavilions, bridges, residences, service buildings and playground buildings in the following parks…Kern Park.”
Constructed by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1938. Four large stone rings and elaborate stone entrance for walk in entry only; picnic area, playground and boat ramp. Memorial to Civil War Veterans. Concrete wall high on east side of… read more
“One of the later WPA projects [in Milwaukee County] was the construction of the Kosciuszko pool and bathhouse. As one of the parks transferred from the city in 1937, the county set out to update the facilities. Plans for the… read more
This bathhouse was built by the WPA in the 1939. It still stands today along the shore of LaBolt Lake, in Grant County, South Dakota. Much of it is in disrepair but it still stands as a nice tourist attraction…. read more
Pecan Bayou flooded the city of Brownwood in late September of 1900 causing considerable damage to the business district and washing away the train track that served the city. The citizens of Brown County looked for a way to control… read more
The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed this bath house in 1941-1942. Located at Lake Carlos, the facility includes a concession area, restrooms, and storage. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with other 4 structures, in 1987. A 1992 National… read more