Parks and Recreation Sites

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the National Youth Administration (NYA) completed work for the Fair Park in Tyler TX. This is the location where the East Texas State Fair is held. In 1940 many old buildings were demolished and replaced by WPA workmen, including the headquarters building. Ornamental fence set around the pavilion and ornamental spiral staircases was made by NYA shops in Marshall.

National Youth Administration (NYA) completed improvements at Fair Park in Childress TX. A small marker on the lake next to picnic table says "1937 NYA." On site are several picnic tables, a small amphitheater, and a fountain with a lighthouse in the middle. All items that appear to be created by the NYA.

The National Youth Administration built a rock wall and bleachers at baseball/softball field in Fair Park. The work was done in 1937-1938.

"Built by the Work Projects Administration near the end of the great depression in 1940 at a cost of $57,000, the stadium has is the second oldest in the Texas Panhandle. The first game played at the stadium was on Sept. 27, 1940 against the Chillicothe Eagles where the Bobcats recorded a 19-0 victory."   (Fair Park Stadium turns 75)

Miami and the surrounding Dade County were effectively without city or county parks until the 1930s.  The city got its first park in 1925, after which the city was devastated by a hurricane the following year. The county received its first donation of land for a park in 1929, which became Matheson Hammock Park.  In 1930, the park system got its own director and a beach park, Surfside, was added in 1932. The county began improvements on the parks using mostly convict labor and men sent by the Charity Office once the Depression hit, as well as starting a Roadside...

FERA started and the WPA completed the construction of these two 18-hole golf courses between 1933 and 1940.

The Work Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell at the then-Stanton County fairgrounds at Stanton, Nebraska, and conducted other improvement work at the grounds. The bandshell was dedicated by the governor of Nebraska on July 26, 1936. The location and status of the work is unknown to Living New Deal; however, Living New Deal believes it to be located on county property southeast of Stanton by the Elkhorn River.

The pool was refurbished as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the mid 1930’s. The previous pool was a circular pool that measured 420 feet in diameter and was one of the largest outdoor pools in the world. It could hold between 10 and 25,000 swimmers. At the time of the WPA project, it was a segregated, white’s only pool. Interestingly, Fairground Park in which it is located is a large park on the north side of St. Louis that has an interesting history itself, one facet being that it was the landing spot for the first air mail...

WPA Bulletin, 1937: "Athol — In horse-and-buggy days when sulky racing was the vogue, Athol fair grounds was a mecca for thousands of horse lovers, race fans and devotees of the old-time cattle show. For many years the grounds had been unused, neglected. WPA has made the grounds into a modern recreation center."

"This WPA-constructed building stands at 500 E. Choctaw, just east of Hwy. 81 in historic Chickasha, which is located on what was once the famous Chisholm Trail. This is a large one and two-story native sandstone building built in 1940, which contains 25,000 square feet (100 x 125 ft). This building was built with a WPA appropriation of $73,439. Known originally as the Administration building, it is now referred to as the North Exhibit building. The building underwent a major renovation in 2000. Large, open courtyards, originally built to offer more light through exterior windows, were enclosed under the building's...

"The Livestock Exchange Building is located on the Grady County Fairgrounds, at 500 E. Choctaw, east of downtown Chickasha. The primary fairground buildings are this livestock arena, and an administration building to the north. The livestock building was originally constructed as an open air arena, with stalls, offices, and a grandstand. A photo of the arena as it stood for so many years is shown in the gallery. A major renovation was completed in 2000, and a roof was erected over the arena. The native sandstone walls were preserved, inside and out, and the upper walls were finished with stucco and...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped create the old Forest Dale city park in the Sugarhouse section of southern Salt Lake City UT in 1935-37. The name was later changed to Fairmont Park (the adjoining Forest Dale golf course kept the old name). The park has been renovated and altered in recent years, especially the addition of a pond create on the little creek that runs through it (a branch of Parlays Creek), new pickleball courts, a skate park and a modern aquatic center.  But elements of the WPA-built park remain, including, no doubt, many of the old trees. At the northeast...

"Fairmount Park has several WPA buildings in its repertoire. Not sure what WPA stands for? Think back to the Depression. Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a Federal program during the 1930's which put unemployed men back to work. Thousands of men worked in our park system to build shelters, dams, trails and walls. Much of the infrastructure we find in portions of the park today stems from this massive effort. The WPA built thirteen stone and log trail shelters, guard boxes, and comfort stations throughout Wissahickon Park between 1938 and 1939." The WPA built thirteen structures along Wissahickon Creek. Two are...

Other small improvements were made by the WPA in Riverside in the area of culture and recreation. The zoo and tennis courts which had been built at Fairmount Park by the Emergency Relief Appropriations (ERA) in 1933 were supplemented in 1938 by the WPA’s construction of a Masonry Club House and a pistol range, both of which were to be available for public use. The zoo was removed in the 1950s. It is not known whether the current tennis courts are at the original site or relocated. The status of the Masonry club house is not known nor the pistol range.

"Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park is a state park in Middle Tennessee, located between Pikeville and Spencer. The 20,000-acre (81 km2) park spans the boundary between Van Buren and Bledsoe counties. The park is centered on the upper Cane Creek Gorge, an area known for its unique geological formations and scenic waterfalls. The park's namesake is the 256-foot (78 m) Fall Creek Falls, the highest free-fall waterfall east of the Mississippi River... In 1935, the U.S. government began purchasing the badly eroded land around Fall Creek Falls. The following year, the Works Project Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps began the work of...

In 1936, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed three buildings for what was then called the Bighorn Ranger Station at the east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park – which was the original entrance on this side of the park. The group included a ranger office with garage, a ranger residence and secondary residence/utility building. The three structures were designed by Edward Nickel of the park service in the classic National Park rustic style popular in the first half of the 20th century. "The residence building particularly reflects the design characteristics of the style with its uncoursed native stone foundation, log...

Cabin housed CCC wild-land firefighters. "Fall River Guard Station is situated beneath a canopy of lodgepole pine on the banks of the Fall River in Deschutes National Forest. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's, the cabin was originally used as an outpost to fight forest fires. The cabin is an ideal setting for relaxation and recreation, and is available for reservation from April to October."

A 2.1 mile segment of road was built in 1933-34 between the Fall River Road entrance and the junction with Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, completing a key link in the park's highway system.  The work was performed by the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) with financing by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in the amount of $32,000 and incidental labor by relief workers from the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  Fall River Road was the original entrance on the park's eastern boundary for access to Horseshoe Park.  Fall River Road was extended by...

Federal funds supported the construction of the Falls County Roadside Park in Marlin TX, on highway No. 6, south of Big Creek.  They most likely came from the Bureau of Public Roads to the Texas Highway Department, but that needs to be verified. "Shrubs, ornamental bushes and flowers will be placed along the highway for almost a quarter of a mile in the vicinity of the park, according to present plans. The park is being put in by the highway department with funds allotted by the federal government. The ground for the park was donated by J. G Bargnier, owner of...

Multiple New Deal work relief agencies were involved with developing the Farm Pond in Sherborn, Massachusetts, conducting work on the following: Bath House Recreational bath house facility designed and built by WPA/ERA. One-story cobblestone building with center gabled porch, shingled hipped roof, and secondary entries on east and west sides. This style reflects the WPA’s design concepts for natural recreation areas. Retaining Wall, Beach Enlargement & Landscaping WPA projects used local labor to enlarge the beach, construct the stone retaining wall along the back of the beach, remove stumps, and surface walks and driveways.

"The Ann Arbor Farmers Market began in 1919 in front of the old courthouse and moved to its current site (formerly a lumber yard) in 1931. Permanent sheds were designed and built by the WPA between 1938 and 1940. Today the market has nearly 100 permanent spaces under the original sheds and adjacent areas."

"Farnam Park is located at 1305 7th Street South. The City purchased lots from John A. Salzer Seed Company in 1938 to build tennis courts with WPA labor. This is a neighborhood park of .34 acres where people can recreate using the lighted basketball courts and two lighted tennis courts."

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve Farnham Park in Camden, New Jersey ca. 1936.

Farnsworth Park is a Los Angeles County park established in Altadena, CA, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, 4 miles north of Pasadena in 1934. Its 15 acres contain covered and open picnic tables, barbecue pits, baseball diamonds, a basketball court, tennis (now pickle ball) courts, a bocce ball area and a children's playground. The park's northeast corner features its original 1934 recreation building and a wooden bench amphitheater added in 1938; both are still actively in use. After serving first as a reforestation nursery run by the LA County Forestry Dept. from 1916 until 1929, the Altadena Citizens'...

Farrington Field is a large multi-use stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. It was constructed in 1938-1939 by the WPA and designed by Arthur George King and Everett L. Frazier from the architecture firm of Preston M. Geren. Evaline Sellors did the bas relief sculptures of the football player and the track and field athlete.

7th and Harrison Streets. General improvements and landscaping.--Healy, p. 66. The park was eventually demolished in the 1940s to make room for the Bayshore Freeway.

The New York Times reported in late 1941 that WPA laborers had begun construction of a new playground at 3rd Ave. and 64th St. in Brooklyn, NY. The 1.25-acre plot was to contain several recreational facilities.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed the custodial residence, supply pond and its dam, 4 concrete ponds, 14 fish rearing ponds, and an arched entrance.

Quincy, Massachusetts's Historical and Architectural Survey writes: "Other projects elsewhere in the City included several buildings at Faxon Park, including a remarkable stone wall ..."

This WPA swimming pool in Fayette City Park was built in 1936. This above ground pool is one of the few remaining Bintz Pools built during the 1930’s.  It has an oval shaped design with the entrance on the north side, flanked by dressing rooms, the roofs of which form the walkways around the pool.  It has an art deco design, one of only such buildings in Fayette, though the school in New Franklin also has an art deco design.

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 beach area, large trees and altered the river creating a dangerous undertow, making it no longer suitable for recreation. The Bath House was soon then abandoned. In the fall of 1996, a group of community members gathered to clear the old bath house and in the process, decided to reclaim Oroville's first city park and make it into a Nature Center."

The WPA constructed concrete steps in the park in 1935, and did grading and landscaping work.

The W.P.A. worked at Fellsmere Park in Malden, MA. Efforts included the development of an overlook of Fellsmere Pond.

Description of a project undertaken by the W.P.A. in 1937: "Fellsway Police Station; the area adjacent to the police station on Fellsway West in Medford was developed by the completion of a project started in 1936. A large baseball field and drill ground was constructed, the brook along the roadway was confined between stone masonry walls to prevent flood damage and incidental work was performed." The location of the former Fellsway Police Station in Medford is unknown to Living New Deal. Our map places this project at Hickey Park, which abuts Fellsway W and features a large field with baseball diamonds.

The WPA made "improvements and additions to the Division of Forestry Headquarters in Felton" in 1938. Exact location and status of this building is unknown. Current Forestry station in Felton was built in the 1940s.

Fenn Ranger Station is part of the Moose Creek Ranger District and located in the Nez Perce National Forest near Kooskia, Idaho. It was built by the CCC between 1936 and 1940. "Construction of Fenn Ranger Station was fully underway by the fall of 1936. The next year, an administration building, two warehouses, and two garages were completed. By the end of 1938, a cookhouse, gashouse, and one residence had been added. Another residence, a bunkhouse, and a powerhouse were completed in 1939. The barn was built in 1940." (https://idahoptv.org)

Concrete foundation, clapboard walls. Hipped roof and asphalt shingles. Difficult to see completely due to plants. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.

Square hipped roof structure a top metal open framework tower with access stairs within. Wooden steps – 9 flights. Height approx. 100’. Constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Co. 1513 in 1935.

Stone walls, gabled roof, 2 stone chimneys, asphalt shingles. Constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Co. 1513 in 1936.

Approx. 40-acre lake impounded by earth dam. A combined Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project. Lake intended in part as water supply for a fish hatchery below the dam. CCC Co. 1513 occupied the camp in the new state forest in May 1934.