The CCC constructed firetowers on steel frameworks to help protect the new plantings and existing forests. The firetower at McCormick’s Creek was completed in 1934 by CCC laborers. The firetower stands around 100′ tall.
The Friendly Shelter is located at McCormick’s Creek. It was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. Friendly Shelter Fountain is located near the Friendly Shelter and was also completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The styles of both the shelter… read more
Using a variety of native materials, the CCC built gatehouses designed to appeal to the eye and draw in visitors with hints of the delights of nature within the park. The gatehouse at McCormick’s Creek was completed by CCC laborers… read more
The Old Concession Stand was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the Old Concession Stand is classified as Parks Rustic.
The Recreation Center was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the Recreation Center is Parks Rustic.
The CCC and the WPA completed many Parks Rustic style shelters at McCormick’s Creek State Park from 1935-1940. The coordinates shown are for the Beech Grove Shelter. Coordinates are listed for each of the other sites below: The Beech Grove… read more
The Stone Arch bridge located at McCormick’s Creek was completed in 1934 by CCC CO 589. The bridge spans fifty feet and was constructed with Indiana Limestone.
One of Rhode Island’s largest sports venues, McCoy Stadium was built between 1938 and 1940 by the City of Pawtucket. It was co-designed by Thomas E. Harding, the city engineer, and Mark Linenthal, associate engineer. Home to the Pawtucket Red… read more
“The Park Auditorium, completed in 1936 as a WPA project, is a domical building, the design of its facade carried out in the straight lines and angles of modern architecture. Constructed with laminated truss-type arches which support the entire roof… read more
President Roosevelt toured Jamestown, North Dakota in 1936, The New York Times reporting: “[he] saw a new $17,000 auditorium more than large enough to hold the town’s population, a current WPA project. It faces a stadium that was begun as a… read more
The McFadden Cabin was built by a City Park benefactor in the 1920’s as a recreational facility for New Orleans Girl Scouts (still in use today). The WPA made improvements as part of its many works projects in the park,… read more
“The pool at Silver Spring Park (now McGovern Park) was built by the CWA. The WPA built the new bathhouse.”
The WPA did extensive work in McKinley Park, most likely including the water fountain and rose garden pictured below. The brick rest station is also characteristic of WPA work although there is no marker.
The WPA built these unique stone “castles” at McKinley Park in Oklahoma City. “…[T]he most fascinating thing to see, as you come in the park from the east, are two small native stone buildings constructed to look like small castles…. read more
(426 Acres) The work consisted of bulding roads thru [sic] the park, involving the excavation of 14,350 cubic yards of rock, macadamizing 400,000 square feet of road and 125,400 square feet of foot paths and bridle paths, construction of 12,172… read more
A June 1936 press release from the Department of Parks announced the opening of a newly reconstructed playground at the site of what is now McLaughlin Park. It contained a girl’s playground “fully equipped with play apparatus, basketball, volley ball… read more
The since-demolished McLean Stadium of the University of Kentucky was one of many structures that was either constructed or improved with the assistance of federal New Deal funds. “Although unable to secure funding for expanded seating,” Eric Moyen writes, the… read more
Red oaks line a section of McLoughlin Boulevard on its southern entry into the City of Portland. The nearly ninety-year-old trees are the legacy of a highway beautification project funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1934. The Oregon… read more
As motorists travel southbound on the Milwaukie section of McLoughlin Boulevard they pass through a corridor of Giant Redwood trees. The Public Works Administration funded the planting of these Sequoia Giantea in 1934. The Oregon State Highway Commission selected six… read more
Oregon City’s Grand Staircase links the historic center with the town’s premier park located on a bluff 100-feet above it. Completed in 1939, the stone and cement pathway replaced an old wooden stairway in approximately the same location. Skilled and… read more
In 1851, Dr. John McLoughlin formally platted Oregon City reserving land along the city’s prominent bluff for use as a park and naming that public amenity the Promenade. For decades, the Promenade’s minimally improved walkway provided a view of the… read more
Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers began construction of the Singer Hill Creek Falls landscape feature in May 1936. Oregon City manager J L Franzen designed the series of five waterfalls as part of improvements to the McLoughlin Promenade. WPA funding… read more
Works Progress Administration (WPA) records in the National Archives report that the WPA constructed a recreation building at the McMillan Playground in northwest DC and that New Deal wood carvings were installed inside. The building opened in 1938. The playground… read more
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded improvements at the McMillan Playground in Washington DC. Completed between 1935 and 1938, the work consisted of “Fencing (2,400 feet, 8-foot); completed installation of drainage system.” The WPA completed… read more
“Built by Works Progress Administration volunteers in 1933, the Meadow Park Shelter House offered park-goers shady respite before the floods left it in ruins. The emergency grant allows this beloved shelter to remain and be enjoyed.” (http://www.historycolorado.org) The facility was… read more
Media Park is a small park at the intersection of Venice Blvd. and Culver Blvd. which got its name as a result of a contest sponsored by Harry Culver, Culver City’s founder. The park is leased to Culver City by… read more
Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in northeastern Montana between the Missouri River and the Canadian border. Medicine Lake NWR encompasses 31,702 acres and consists of the 28,438-acre north tract, which includes Medicine Lake, and seventeen smaller water units…. read more
The CCC company 1442 provided labor for the initial development of what was initially known as Shelby State Park, planting trees, damming the lake, and building trails. National Park Service funded the project and labor was provided by CCC, and… read more
This Sheepshead Bay playground was constructed in part using WPA funds. The New York City Parks Department writes: “This parcel of land was vested in the City of New York in 1938 and transferred by the Board of Estimate to… read more
In 1934, town officials resolved to use $2,500 of CWA money for constructing bleachers at Memorial Athletic Field. In 1940, more bleachers from nearby were moved and set up at Memorial Field.
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
“During the 1930s, UTNG used federal money, often supplied through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), to build or expand a number of UTNG facilities. The WPA funded eight armories and several garage and storage areas for the UTNG. By 1940,… read more
The development of Memorial Park in Mansfield, Massachusetts during the 1930s was made possible by the “Federal Relief Administration” and the Works Progress Administration. The park was dedicated November 11, 1936 and is still in use today.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed to the development Memorial Park. “At the close of the war, when the camp was abandoned, part of the site was acquired by the Hogg brothers, who, in 1924, turned 1,000 acres over to… read more
“A significant addition to the park occurred in 1941, with the construction of a large stone pavilion on high ground west of the memorial grove. Architect Leroy Bradley designed the pavilion, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided the labor… read more
Occasionally mis-attributed to the W.P.A., La Crosse’s Memorial Pool was constructed in 1938 with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. supplied an $31,500 grant for the project, whose total cost was $72,738. The pool was closed in 2016, though… read more
Grove City’s Memorial Park was improved by multiple New Deal programs. “During the late 1930s, a cascading waterfall was added to the memorial as a federal Works Progress Administration project.” The exact location of the waterfall in the park is… read more
Check out our latest map and guide to the work of the New Deal in Washington, D.C. It includes 500 New Deal sites in the District alone, highlighting 34 notable sites, and includes an inset map of the area around the National Mall which can be used for self-guided walking tours.
Take a look at our previous guides, equally comprehensive, covering key New Deal sites in San Francisco and New York City.
