Parks and Recreation Sites

The seven-acre Montclair Park in Oakland was built with the aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-40.  This gem of a park lies just north of Montclair Village in the Oakland hills and below Montclair Elementary School.   The Recreation Center is a fine Mission Revival building at the north end of the park, built in 1939-40 by the WPA. The park also includes a duck pond, extensive rock walls and stairs, large lawns and trees, tennis courts, a baseball field, picnic area, children's play area, and more.   The City of Oakland Recreation Department put in $90,000 for the park and...

The seven-acre Montclair Park in Oakland was built with the aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-40.  This gem of a park lies just north of Montclair Village in the Oakland hills and below Montclair Elementary School. The park includes a recreation center, duck pond, large grass fields, a baseball field, pickleball courts, a picnic area, children's playground and a play area under a group of large trees.     The most striking feature of Montclair Park is its extensive stonework, which has held up admirably over the years.  The west side of the park, along Moraga Avenue, has a...

The seven-acre Montclair Park in Oakland was built with the aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-40.  This gem of a park lies just north of Montclair Village in the Oakland hills and below Montclair Elementary School.   The park features large grass fields, a baseball field, and 4 pickleball courts – originally a single tennis court (renovated c. 2021).  There are two ranks of stone bleachers on the hill above for viewing.  The tennis courts by the school are much more recent. The park also includes a recreation center, duck pond, picnic areas, play areas and extensive rock walls...

The federal Works Progress Administration constructed an amphitheater for what was then known as Montclair State Teachers College. The 2,000-seat theater was constructed into a hillside, its 22 tiers of seats measuring between 92 and 190 feet long. The stage, at construction, measured 70 feet by 40 feet and contained a tree in the middle. An orchestra pit in front of the stage measured 70'-by-30'.

The federal Works Progress Administration conducted several construction projects ca. 1936 at what was then known as Montclair State Teachers College. The largest project was the 2,000-seat amphitheater, still in use today. Other work at the college included construction of an athletic field (the original Sprague Field) "to care care of track, football and baseball;" and a parking lot with a capacity of 125 cars. The exact location and status of the latter project is unknown to Living New Deal.

The federal Works Progress Administration constructed an athletic field between 1936 and 1937 "to care care of track, football and baseball." This facility is believed to be the original iteration of Sprague Field, which was inaugurated in 1937.

"Monte Sano State Park is a 2,140-acre (866 ha) mountaintop retreat located in Huntsville, Alabama. It has 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps rustic cottages, built during the Great Depression, and a prime location with hiking trails overlooking scenic views, picnic areas, and modern campsites. The park officially opened August 25, 1938."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed the Monterey County Fairgrounds in 1939-40, building exhibit halls, barns, a racetrack and more. There is a WPA plaque on the grounds. (Note: in the second phase of the WPA's life, it was called the Works Projects Administration and was placed under the new Federal Works Administration) "Covering 22 acres, the Monterey county fairgrounds is the site of the annual county fair, as well as other events large and small which throughout the year. There are two arenas, livestock barns, and several exhibit halls. Probably only a handful of the millions of people who...

"Montgomery Bell State Park is a Tennessee state park in Dickson County, Tennessee in the United States. The park is 3,782 acres (1,531 ha) and sits at an elevation of 758 feet (231 m). The park is open for year-round recreation including boating, hiking, camping, fishing and golf. Montgomery Bell State Park was built during the Great Depression by members of the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps as Montgomery Bell Recreational Demonstration Area."  

The Montlake Playfield and Shelter House were constructed partially on fill in former marshlands on the shores of Portage Bay between 1933 and 1936. In the 1910s and 1920s, houseboats moored there, and Dahlialand, a local garden store, utilized nearby acreage to grow dahlia bulbs for commercial use. Montlake mothers, desiring to ward off boredom that might propel their teenagers into juvenile delinquency, pushed for the creation of the playfield, which—with the field house structure that initially housed the community center—were built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers. The playfield was expanded in the early 1960s when material dredged for...

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 14 Montrose Ave. were constructed in 1903; the building has since been demolished. The facilities identified as part of the WPA project were: 209 Wilson Ave. Municipal Baths, Coney Island Duffield Street Hicks Street Pitkin Ave. Huron St. Montrose Ave.

"With extensive funding available through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the park district began many park improvements, including the Montrose to Foster landfill extension. The plan for the extension included several buildings, and all of them were designed by E.V. Buchsbaum, one of which was the beach house. It was modeled after the North Avenue Beach House, and looks like a lake steamer. Unfortunately, in the 1950s, the east wing of the beach house burned in a fire, which was not rebuilt. Instead, the Park District constructed an open-air changing addition to the south side of the building. Today, the...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration funded improvements at the Montrose Park Playground in Washington DC between, 1934-1935. The work consisted of “egraded basketball and volley ball courts.”  

Monument Valley Park is a two mile stretch of public park land along Monument Creek. It was originally created in 1904-1907. Multiple New Deal agencies contributed to the park's development and improvement during the 1930s. Flood control was a huge component of Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) work. "The park was a major focus of Works Progress Administration efforts in the city following the Memorial Day flood of 1935.  Projects such as cleaning flood debris from the park grounds, rechannelizing and riprapping Monument Creek, restoring the buildings and structures that survived the cataclysm, and erecting a variety of stone monuments and structures...

An annual town report for 1939 describes WPA improvements to Moody Park: "The Commissioners of the Park are pleased to report that the interest in the Park is increasing each year. More and more people are finding out about it and going there to get the view, enjoy the opportunity for recreation and the facilities that the fireplaces and tables afford for picnics. The Commissioners have had the assistance of the W. P. A. in the building of the tables and fireplaces and clearing up of the woods. This work is very much appreciated and has helped to accomplish much more...

By 1935, FERA had done significant work at Moore Park, including installing a sprinkler system, 11 tennis courts and a fence. Moore Park remains a popular tennis spot.

The Moore Recreation Center, including a swimming pool, bath house, and possibly a playground, were constructed in 1939-40 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $124,700 grant for project, whose total cost was $272,577. "The grand opening of the swimming pool was held on August 9, 1940." A plaque marks the bathhouse as a PWA project. PWA Docket No. PA 2208-F

"The 87 park acres and surrounding 668 acres of state forest were purchased by the state in 1934. The swimming area, bathhouse, campground, and administration building were built at that time and the park opened to the public in 1936. The original administration building, still in use, is an excellent example of classic Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) design and construction. "

"Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is a northern treasure in the National Wildlife Refuge System. It consists of nearly 30,000 acres of federally protected lands in northeastern coastal Maine. The refuge's landscape is varied, with rolling hills, large ledge outcroppings, streams, lakes, bogs, and marshes. The diversity of forests and wetlands provides habitat for over 225 species of birds, endangered species, resident wildlife and rare plants. A northern hardwood forest of aspen, maple, birch, spruce and fir dominates the upland. Scattered stands of majestic white pine are common. The Edmunds Division boasts several miles of rocky shoreline where tidal fluctuations of...

Moraine Park, a large valley in the southeastern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, was  purchased in 1931 by the National Park Service, which cleared the area of most of its former private resort structures. In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a thorough remodeling of the building to convert it into Rocky Mountain National park’s primary museum. In 1935-36, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was called upon to build an amphitheater, designed by the National Park Service, next to the museum. It an seat 500 people. (Brock, p 43). It was added to the national register listing for Moraine Park...

Moraine Park, a large valley in the southeastern portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, is home to the Moraine Park Museum.  The building was formerly a private lodge built in 1923.  Both Moraine Park (a glacial valley) and Moraine Lodge were purchased in 1931 by the National Park Service, which cleared the area of most of its former private resort structures. In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a thorough remodeling of the building to convert it into Rocky Mountain National park’s primary museum. The exterior of the museum building has been preserved in its original form as a typical rustic...

Moran State Park was created in 1921 when Robert Moran, shipbuilder and former mayor of Seattle, donated more than 2,700-acres to the state for a park. Like many state parks at the time, it was not well developed for public recreation until the coming of the New Deal. Most of the trails, roads, bridges, and buildings in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. The CCC typically used native materials on site to construct the many stone and wooden shelters and buildings. The Moran State Park website offers a few more details on its History page: "In...

Moran State Park was created in 1921 when Robert Moran, shipbuilder and former mayor of Seattle, donated more than 2,700-acres to the state for a park. Like many state parks at the time, it was not well developed for public recreation until the coming of the New Deal. Most of the trails, roads, bridges, and buildings in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. The CCC typically used native materials on site to construct the many stone and wooden shelters and buildings. The most notable of the CCC's structures is the stone observation tower at the...

The Morcom Amphitheater of Roses – originally known as the Municipal Rose Garden – is one of the grandest city rose gardens in the country.  It began as a project of the Oakland Businessmen's Garden Club in 1930 and the main force behind it (and the later Berkeley Rose Garden) was Dr. Charles Vernon Covell, a dentist and member of the Garden Club. The New Deal played a vital role in building the rose garden, but it was not the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that did the work, as commonly thought. Instead, help came from the State Employment Relief Administration (SERA),...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) "built a caretaker's cabin, bath houses and facilities for swimmers at Morey Pond" at Nipmuck State Forest. These days, Interstate 84 runs right through the middle of Morey Pond, and these facilities no longer exist.

The CCC built a campground near Morgan Falls in the Chequamegon National Forest of northern Wisconsin. The campground flooded in 1946 and closed in 1960 due to over-saturation and unsafe camping conditions. Today, hikers and snowshoers can see fieldstone fireplaces, a well, and a round cistern along the trail that connects Morgan Falls to St. Peter's Dome, a granite outcrop offering views of Lake Superior.

Concrete foundation, board and batten walls, clapboard in gable ends, gabled roof, asphalt shingles. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934.

Stone foundation, board and batten walls, wood shingles, gabled roof, and stone chimney. Virtually identical to Bryant Creek shelter house. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934.

Earth dam, now partly destroyed, that until recently impounded a lake originally of 17 acre. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1934 an 1935.

Approx. 3-4 acre lake impounded by earth dam at west end. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934.

Stone Foundation, gabled roof. Typical of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) national construction on state lands. From 1934.

Extensive remnants of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, constructed between 1933 and 1938; concrete foundations, roadbeds, ditches, excavations- overgrown and with a more recent pared road bisecting the area. This site encompasses a larger area and more extensive remnants than are usually found at such locations, perhaps become, as evidence indicate, there were two companies encompassed here. (At one point there was a third company, but scant evidence indicates, its camp was elsewhere, along Anderson Road)

Roughly 1.5-acre lake impounded by earth dam with riprap, concrete outlet. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.

Limestone and concrete foundation, board and batten walls, gabled rood, wood shingles, and two stone fireplace chimneys. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.

Concrete foundation, large stone fireplace chimneys on East, gabled roof, and asphalt shingles. Possibly a remodeling of an earlier building. Garage constructed 1940 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

Stone foundation, hipped roof, asphalt shingles, stone fireplace chimney, 2-sided fireplace oven, and stone floor. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.

Concrete foundation, hipped roof, and asphalt shingles. Virtually identical to another shelter on the main forest road. Construction appears later than - on at least a typical of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)-built shelter houses.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped develop Morganfield Legion Park in Morganfield, Kentucky.  The WPA relief workers built a recreation hall (known locally as the "Legion Hut"); a pool and pool house; tennis courts; playgrounds; and a football stadium and field (for Morganfield High School).  These were built in 1936. The city of Morganfield, the local American Legion, and the public school district all sponsored the project.  We do not know when the park was originally set aside or what, if any, improvements had been made before the WPA arrived. Much of the WPA work at the park is still in place. The...

The playground in Morningside Park located at Morningside Avenue, between W 113th and 114th Streets, was one of seven Works Progress Administration (WPA) playgrounds opened in New York City on November 22, 1935.

On September 29, 1941, the Parks Department announced the completion of a reconstructed playground in the northeast corner of Morningside Park: "Two bench-lined tree shaded malls extend along the entire north and east sides of the playground connecting the park entrances with the resurfaced park walks. Sloping ground necessitated the construction of the various subdivisions on different levels retained by high curbs and interconnected by short stairways. The following equipment is provided: Brick comfort station 2 handball courts Wading pool 3 shuffleboard courts 3 basketball courts with removable backstops Pipe frame exercise unit Swings 2 slides Kindergarten Apparatus Area: 2 irrigated sand pits and sitting areas Swings 3 slides 8 seesaws The balance of the work...