Parks and Recreation Sites

The W.P.A. was responsible for construction of the band shell at West Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

West Potomac Park lies just below the National Mall and encircles the Tidal Basin.  It is the site of many national landmarks, including the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, George Mason Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. It is administered by the National Park Service. In the 1930s, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees graded, topsoiled, and seeded a one-and-one-half acre hockey field in West Potomac Park. Although nothing remains of the hockey field, that CCC work established the park as a site of sports and athletics. (HABS Survey report).   In 1936, the Works Progress Administration...

WPA workers completed several improvement projects at West Queen Anne Playfield between 1936 and 1939. The largest of these projects was the construction of a combination shelter house, grandstand, and baseball backstop near the intersection of West Blaine Street and 2nd Avenue West, at what was then the southwest corner of the playfield. Work on this one-story, concrete structure was completed in 1937. During the following year, WPA laborers painted the shelter house, regraded the baseball field, and added a new layer of top soil. This was followed in 1939 by the installation of a new water and drainage system,...

W.P.A. project description: "West Roxbury Parkway; all the rough work involved in the construction of a road and parking space at the top of Bellevue Hill has been completed. The finished surfacing (bituminous) will be done in the spring of 1938." "Veterans of Foreign Wars, West Roxbury, and Turtle Pond Parkways; the roadsides of these parkways were beautified for their entire lengths by grubbing, grading and seeding. Ten miles, or 176,000 square yards of property was reclaimed."

WPA Official Project No. 65-97-60 allocated $2,267,810 for "repair and reconstruction of the waterfront between 23 and 34 Streets" in the west side of Manhattan along the Hudson River. Another document referred to the project as "modernizing" the area. Much of where the work occurred is now known as Hudson River Park.

Then known as West Texas State Teachers College, the campus of what is now West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) was greatly impacted by the New Deal. Notably, multiple sizable construction projects were accomplished with the aid of Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. Many students were involved with various New Deal agencies: In the 1930s, "Frustrated by the parsimony of the Texas Legislature, WTSTC leaders turned to the federal government for help. By conservative estimates, approximately 25 percent of the student body worked for such New Deal agencies as the National Youth Administration (headed in Texas by Lyndon B. Johnson), the Civil Works Administration and...

Westenfield Corporation initially developed Westenfield Park in 1932, and the City of Austin operated the swimming pool that year. The City of Austin acquired the park in 1937. The Austin Recreation Department worked with the National Youth Administration in the same year to build the original playground and do work on the swimming pool. The swimming pool was replaced in 2013-2014 due to cracks, leaks and plumbing problems in the 80-year old pool. The playground equipment has also been updated.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a grandstand at the Uintah County fairgrounds, now known as the Uintah County Western Park.  We do not know the year of construction. A report on historic sites in and around Vernal, Utah, says that there were several New Deal projects, including street work and sewers in Vernal, work at the dinosaur quarry at Dinosaur National Monument,  41 reservoirs, 150 miles of roads and 20 bridges.  These were done by various New Deal agencies, which are not specified here in that report (Lufkin 2004, p 6).  The county fair grandstand would have been built by the...

Westfall Station was a former Sierra National Forest station that housed "Type III wildland fire engines that are typically staffed with five to seven firefighters. Our specialized engines carry equipment to spray water and foam and are equipped to respond to a variety of incidents." (USDA Forest Service) Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), it consists of "a collection of 12 buildings located 12 miles north of Oakhurst, CA in high-canopy forest at 4,580 feet in elevation. Eight of the structures were constructed between 1933 and 1938, as were stone walls and steps around the site." (The Sierra Historic Restoration...

In 1935, the City of Portland Bureau of Planning approved the development of a city park to serve the Westmoreland neighborhood, which had rapidly developed during the previous twenty years without the benefit of any park or playground facilities. The City acquired forty-two acres for the park’s development from the Oregon Iron & Steel Co. (a business owned by Ladd Estate Company, the developer of Westmoreland) in January 1936. Since Crystal Springs Creek ran through the flat rather marshy site, water features were incorporated into the park’s design by Francis B. Jacobberger, a principal in the architectural firm Jacobberger &...

CATESBEIANA: "Westmoreland State Park is one of the six original state parks formed in Virginia. It opened its doors to the public in 1936. Many of the trails and other features of the park were constructed by the CCC in the early 1930’s."

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve what was known as the "Merchantville borough park" in Merchantville, New Jersey ca. 1936. The park in question is most likely what is known as Westwood Park.

The Works Progress Administration built a bridge and walls in Whatcom Falls Park, in the vicinity of Bellingham. The bridge is in good condition and is located 100 yards from the park entrance.

The federal Works Progress Administration constructed a fieldhouse at what is now Wheeler Athletic Complex, in (West) Duluth, Minnesota.

"A Public Works Administration grant of $42,545 was allocated for a pool at Wheeling Park to replace the obsolete facility that dated to the early 1900s. The grant was matched locally by a gift of $52,000 from businessman W.E. Stone. When the pool opened in 1937, a couple of months before the Oglebay pool, it was hailed by the local press as “...the largest and most modern in this section” (this pool was replaced in 1968)." "When it opened, the Wheeling Park pool was the largest and most modern in the area, attracting hundreds of thousands of bathers over a thirty-year...

The Works Progress Administration built walls around Wheeling Stadium in Wheeling, Ohio County. The WPA-built structure replaced the old wall damaged by the 1936 spring flood.

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) created Wheelwright Park trails in Cohasset, Massachusetts. The area was already a public park but the WPA greatly improved the accessibility. The trails that were cleared are about 4,000 feet or .7 miles long and traverse an area of 232 acres of land known as Wheelwright Park. The trails were constructed of gravel but have since become covered in leaves and pine needles. The park has trails that have natural rock formations in the midst of them as well as beside them. At parts there are natural rocks carved to be stairs in...

"Between 1933 and 1941, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a work camp at Owl’s Gap (S-60-PA), east of the park. The corps members built pavilions, roads, beach and restrooms during this period. In 1935, the CCC dismantled the old dam and constructed the existing dam and bridge. In 1987, the 32-acre park day use area was designated the Whipple Dam National Historic District. This entry on the National Register of Historic Places recognizes, protects, and preserves the work site of one of the Depression-Era's most important relief programs, the CCC. The CCC work was performed to guidelines embraced by the...

Four blocks west of the University of Nevada, Reno is Whitaker Park, one of the few parks that had work done to it during the New Deal that still has its tennis courts. The New Deal brick restrooms are gone, but the trees that were planed are still standing.

Municipal reports for the town of Concord document extensive New Deal improvements in White Park. In 1935, the entrance to White Park at the corner of Center and High streets was remodeled. In 1936, the PWA completed a cement bathing pool in White Park. In June of 1937, the WPA completed a new administration building for the park, "furnished and equipped so at the end of the year the City of Concord has the foundation for one of the best service bureaus in tree surgery, insect control, tree and flower preservation and propagation in this section of the country. The new...

White Pines State Park on Ogle County, Illinois, contains several CCC structures: "In 1933, with the Great Depression in full swing, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) sought to relieve the work needs of unemployed Americans. The National Park Service sought to work with state governments in an effort to meet those ends. Many of the projects the CCC was involved with were construction projects. The project at White Pines was originally meant to be the construction of a lodge building. From 1933 to 1939, two hundred men, many of them World War I veterans, worked on the State Park construction...

A June 1936 press release announced the opening of a new playground at Lexington and 106th. It was equipped with "horseshoe pitching courts as well as an open play area for adult children." The NYC Parks site expands on the history of this park: "This small playground has been a part of the Harlem community since the early part of the twentieth century. The Italian Benevolent Institute was the first organization to operate a playground on this site. In 1936, the City of New York acquired a 0.52-acre plot of land from the Institute and transferred jurisdiction over the property to Parks....

Below are scenes from the PWA construction of this sewer system.

The Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) supplied labor for Maynard town projects White Pond in 1934. In addition to planting trees, workers cleaned its banks of brush and dead wood, and cut wood for other purposes. White Pond, an important component of Maynard's water supply system, is physically split among Hudson and Stow townships. Work was continued by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.).

"The White River Mess Hall and Dormitory is the only remaining Civilian Conservation Corps camp structure remaining in Mount Rainier National Park. The wood-framed building was built in 1933, and comprises 2185 square feet, originally containing a kitchen dining room, living room, two bathrooms, a bedroom and a bunkroom, as well as a service porch. The building no longer serves as a residence and is used for storage. It is located at the White River entrance to the park, part of a complex of service buildings." (Wikipedia)

Construction on White Rock Lake began in 1910 in response to a water shortage in Dallas. The City of Dallas dammed White Rock Creek in 1911 and built a water processing plant. White Rock Lake was the city’s main source of drinking water until a bigger lake was built in Lewisville, Texas in 1929. The City of Dallas transferred ownership of the land surrounding White Rock Lake to the Park and Recreation Department. The Park and Recreation Department started developing the 1,254 acre White Rock Lake Park in 1930. One of the first projects was stone picnic tables. Next to these...

"The Historic District at White Sands National Monument (WSNM) consists of eight Pueblo Revival buildings constructed in the late 1930s by Civil Works Administration workers as a Recreation Demonstration and Emergency Conservation Work Project. It is understood to have been done at the cost of $31,000. The centerpiece of the district is the Monument Administration and Museum Building, constructed in 1936-37. This two-story building with patios and portals was beautifully finished inside with exposed viga and latilla ceilings, a corner fireplace, tinwork fixtures, and Colonial Style furnishings created by CCC workers and Girl Scouts. This district was also landscaped with...

"The Visitor Center building complex at White Sands National Monument is an excellent example of Spanish pueblo-adobe ('Pueblo-Revival') architecture constructed during the years of the Great Depression. Construction was begun in 1936 and completed in 1938 by various government agencies including the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at a cost of $31,600. Wall construction of the Visitor Center is of adobe mud bricks throughout. Adobe bricks are usually sixteen inches long, ten inches wide and four inches thick. Ordinarily, two men can mix and mold over one hundred bricks in a day, sufficient to build about one foot of wall. There are...

The course and clubhouse were constructed by the WPA in 1937. The course was originally 9 holes and was designated as both the golf course and airfield.  Planes landed regularly, but became a hazard and in the 40’s the course became the emergency air field for the area.  The clubhouse included the 2 gables, but not the structure to the left in the most recent photo as in the reference. The golf course website describes the course construction as follows: "The property owners, golfers, donated the land to the County on October 29, 1933 which then transferred it to the City...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Whitestone Playground in New York. The playground was dedicated in April 1940. The construction of Whitestone Playground was one of many recreation projects pursued by the WPA in New York. “Two thirds of this new twenty-one acre playground was formerly property of the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity, and was known as the Whitestone Pumping Station…Here recreation facilities have been provided for all age groups.” Whitestone Playground, “designed by the Park Department and Built by the Works Progress Administration,” contributed to “a total of 323 new or reconstructed playgrounds completed by the New...

Along with a dam, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed a shelter and bathhouse in Whitewater State Park. The design of these quartzite  structures “reflects the area’s German heritage.”  

The Works Progress Administration built a library in Drumright, OK. Contributor note: "Whitlock Park is located southwest of the downtown area and is bounded on the west by S. Jones Avenue, on the north by W. 2nd Street and on the south by Lou Allard Drive. The entrance on the south has a drive-through, flanked by stone pillars. A portion of the park boundary on this side has small stone pillars and pipe railing. The park has a nice selection of newer playground equipment, a skatepark and a splash pad. The WPA-constructed swimming pool has been replaced by the splash pad. A nice piece...

The park's swimming pool and bathhouse were constructed by the WPA in 1939-1940, and are still in use. According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination, "The bathhouse has three rooms and is a single-story, rectangular...structure constructed of uncut native stone of auburn and buff colors with beaded mortar... The swimming pool is constructed of concrete and is rectangular... A stone wall lining was built around this pool. A new fence has been added."   (https://www.okhistory.org)

The WPA and the CCC carried out extensive development projects in Whitnall Park. including the Botanical Garden administration building and the golf course club house, as well as extensive landscaping. "Whitnall Park originally consisted of 606 acres. Purchased at a cost of $376/acre, this expenditure left County coffers with little money for park development. The advent of the Great Depression further stymied the parks completion. Laborers from Depression Era government work relief programs were eventually recruited to do the job. The two primary programs were the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). CCC workers were generally 21 years...

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge began in 1901 when part of the Comanche-Kiowa-Apache Indian Reservation was set aside as a National Forest. The area was transferred in 1935 to the Bureau of Biological Survey to become a wildlife refuge under the New Deal.   The 59,020 acre refuge hosts a rare piece of the past - a remnant mixed grass prairie, an island where the natural grasslands escaped destruction because the rocks underfoot defeated the plow.  It  provides habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison and Rocky Mountain elk – both of which had been exterminated in this area...

The park includes a 232-acre tract of land owned by the township. Established in 1927 for use by township residents, it was renovated with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The clubhouse is one of the area's finest examples of period architecture.

Wickiup Campground, located approximately sixteen miles south of Canyon City on the banks of Canyon Creek, is one of two campgrounds built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees from Company 1231, Camp Canyon Creek. Members of Company 1231 spent nearly five years engaged in numerous improvements for the Malheur National Forest, including maintenance of fourteen campgrounds as well as construction of the two new ones. Today's Wickiup Campground offers nine trailer sites and four picnic sites.

This project was undertaken by the 156th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In 1933, CCC supervisor Robert Monahan wrote his parents about this work:  "My job the past two days has been to supervise some 78 men in the task of beautifying the bank of the Wild River, which the Forest Service road parallels for nine miles. As you may have noticed the banks of many of our streams have been lined for years with debris deposited there by the 1927 flood. It was a stupendous task to restore the appearance of these stream banks but with 80 men at one's disposal,...

  Wildcat Mountain Ski Area, near Jackson, NH, in the Mt. Washington Valley, is one of the best-known alpine skiing resorts in New England, with lifts from the base on NH Rt. 16 in Pinkham Notch 2,112 feet (644 m) up to the summit ridge. The area has 49 trails on 225 acres (91 ha), including the 2.75-mile (4.43 km) Polecat Trail — the longest ski trail in New Hampshire." (Wiki)   July 17, 1933: "'Inspected ski trail locations with Charlie Proctor. Started work on 1 1/2-mile ski trail climbing 2,000 vertical feet to Summit E with Ed LeBlanc in charge'….Ed LeBlanc was...

"Several of the campground buildings and cabins hold important historic and educational value. The bunkhouse and dining hall area still reflects the architectural signature of its builders, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Likewise, the three CCC‐built cabins, remotely nestled in the woods, retain the historical aesthetics of the era in which they were constructed. ...in 1933, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp on the hill where the present outdoor center stands. Approximately 16 structures were erected. Additionally, the CCC was responsible for the construction of over eight miles of trails, installation of a public...