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
"This structure, housing the swimming pool, was erected as an addition to the physical-education building. The swimming pool is 42 by 75 feet and galleries for spectators are provided to seat 1,000. The construction is reinforced concrete with exterior walls… read more
The University of Washington’s Husky Stadium was expanded during the 1930s as a result of WPA funding assistance and efforts. A WPA press release from Dec. 1937 announced $23,345 in funds for the site and described some of the work: “A… read more
Small rustic picnic area along HWY 287 (now I-45 Business) in Corsicana, Texas. There are four picnic tables and four fireplaces. The 1936 County Historical Marker is also located here. The area is along a creek and one of the… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established the Hydaburg Totem Park in 1939 with the goal of to preserving the art of the Pacific Northwest Coast Haida people and encouraging tourism to the area. The CCC employed native carves and laborers, thus fostering… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) engaged native communities in Hydaburg in collaborative projects seekeing the preservation and restoration of native totem carvings: “In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), supervised by U.S. Forest Service personnel, created Hydaburg Park, and several other similar parks in… read more
From Elmo Richardson, Natural Resources Journal, April 1966: The construction of Hyde State Park [Hyde Memorial State Park] afforded the first, as well as the best, example of the role of the CCC in state recreation programs. Activities and problems… read more
Seattle’s old Ice Arena, no longer extant, was drastically improved by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). A WPA press release from Jan. 1938 reported: “Modernizing of the Seattle Civic Auditorium and Ice Arena by WPA workers will begin January… read more
Also known as the Log Cabin Literary Center, this rustic log building was constructed in 1939 utilizing the labor of the Civilian Conservation Corp. Each interior room is finished with indigenous Idaho lumber donated by the State’s timber companies. It… read more
The Canyon Creek Crier: 1940 provided the following description of work to be undertaken by CCC workers in the fall of 1940: “Tall, yellow pine timber stands like primeval cathedrals near the southern bounds of the Malheur National Forest and… read more
Fourteen boys of the federal National Youth Administration (NYA) built a tennis court and graded a baseball field at Trenton, New Jersey’s old Immaculate Conception High School. The exact location of this former school is unknown to Living New Deal,… read more
Built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Imnaha Guard Station is located in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. It was originally used to house patrol and fire crews. Unlike other guard stations, the Imnaha Guard Station has been used… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made various improvements in the Dixie National Forest in 1935, including lookout shelters, roads, trails and comfort stations (restrooms) at Blow Hard Mountain and Brian Head Peak. A CCC camp had been established at Zion… read more
“Between 1932 and 1935 communities throughout North Carolina, including Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, benefited from a broad array of public works funded primarily by Washington. These included … the building of a grandstand in Independence Park …” The grandstand is… read more
“The stadium in Muskogee is called the Indian Bowl, and is made of white concrete. No WPA marker is visible, but the stadium is on the list of WPA properties. It was constructed with WPA funds and was eligible to… read more
“Within Davis Mountains State Park is the Indian Lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the early 1930s. Indian Lodge has 39 rooms, a restaurant and a swimming pool (for Indian Lodge guests only), meeting rooms, a Texas State… read more
Indian Mounds Regional Park sits on limestone and sandstone bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown St. Paul. It features six Native American burial mounds created roughly 1,500-2,000 years ago. The WPA constructed limestone walls throughout the park.
The Indian Road Playground lies along West 214th Street on the east side of Inwood Hill Park. The playground was constructed during the 1930s by the WPA. New York City’s Parks Department site writes that during “the 1930s when Parks… read more
“The Division of Grazing (Grazing Service as of 1939) operated the greatest number of CCC programs in the state. There were several reasons for this. First of all, Nevada has the largest public domain (nonallocated federal acreage) of any of… read more
The CCC first arrived at the park in 1933. Quarters were soon built for 250 CCC boys. The CCC would help build “trails, bridges, camps, shelter, and more.” (http://friendofindianadunes.org/historic-page/) The CCC also built roads, gatehouses and other facilities. “A CCC… read more
The Wilson Shelter is located at the Indiana Dunes State Park. The shelter was completed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) laborers in 1935. The style of the shelter is classified as Parks Rustic.
Multiple New Deal agencies: the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) and the Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) contributed to the development of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Projects included the Coliseum, WPA Barns, and a WPA Tunnel.
“Architect Merritt Harrison considered this building his finest creation. PWA (Public Works Administration) funds made it possible for the Fair Board to build this structure, which was to be a “Livestock Pavilion.” Harrison used tan brick and Indiana limestone on… read more
“Built by WPA as an example of an ideal modern farmhouse and later used as an officer’s club during WW II. Built of concrete block, the house includes an attached garage, wiring, plumbing, and other modern conveniences.”
“This building was originally constructed by the WPA in 1936 as an exhibition hall. From this area behind the Home and Family Arts Building you can see the upper floor living quarters for seasonal fair workers. Also, this open parking… read more
“The State Fair Board has recently restored a number of these wooden buildings. They were all built with WPA funds. The WPA was one of several of FDR’s New Deal alphabet soup programs designed to help jobless workers during the… read more
“Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the tunnel provided a way for automobiles to park in the infield.”
W.P.A. Bulletin, 1937: “Before work relief began building things in Winthrop, the high school athletic teams were forced to play at Ingleside Park which was partly a swamp. This is also being reclaimed by WPA.”
(2.25 Acres) … Built one football field and one soccer field with parking facilities, demolished old jail and prepared material for future use. The property was transferred to Department of Education for San Francisco Junior College, which is now under… read more
In 1938, the Public Works Administration, which had dam construction projects along the Colorado River in Texas, proposed the establishment of a federal fish hatchery in the area to provide fish for the newly created lakes. Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson… read more
“With its dependable water source, abundant fish and game, and natural beauty, the region of Central Texas around the Colorado River and present Inks Lake has been an inviting location for centuries, attracting Native American and German and Anglo settlers…. read more
‘Embracing less than one half acre. … Excavation of 880 cubic yards soft rock, construction of 37 cubic yards of rubble wall, 6 sets of reinforced concrete steps containing 27 cubic yards, installation of irrigation system of 500 pipe feet,… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the International Peace Garden during the 1930s.
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
Payson Playground, in the Southeast corner of Inwood Hill Park, is one of three playgrounds in the park. The current Department of Parks website says the playground was built by Robert Moses in 1939, but Parks Department press releases from… read more
The WPA undertook extensive construction and improvements at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in the mid 1930s. The Iowa State Fair information page describes the history of the site and the extent of the work carried out by the WPA: “Extensive improvements… read more
