In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of $17,586 in funding for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to build and/or make improvements to the Phoebe Hearst Playground, now the Hearst Recreation Center. It is not certain if any of… read more
The NYC Parks website explains that, “This playground received its name after the city purchased the land from the Heckscher Foundation for Children in 1935. The property had served as a public playground since 1934. When Parks took over, the… read more
In December 1936, the Department of Parks announced the completion of a new playground in Highbridge Park “equipped with wading pool, swings, see-saws, slides and jungle gym for younger children and a large play area with horizontal bars and ladders,… read more
Highland Park on the border of Queens and Brooklyn received new playground equipment for small children from the Department of Parks in August 1935. As explained here, all Parks projects at the time were carried out with New Deal labor… read more
In 1925, the Seattle Park Department purchased the site for Highland Park Playground at Thistle Street and 10th Avenue SW. The playground site saw few improvements during the late 1920s and early 1930s. A series of WPA projects between 1935… read more
“In Clovis, the Curry County Court House is listed as one of the buildings built in 1936. Twila Ky Rutter, Grant Facilitator and Procurement Clerk, unable to locate a photograph of the building as it was originally, referred me to… read more
A New York City Park’s Department press release from December 4, 1939 announces the opening of three new WPA playgrounds, including Hines Park: “Hine’s Park at Fulton Avenue and East 167 Street is a triangular-shaped area containing a small children’s… read more
The New York Times reported that WPA laborers had begun work in late 1941 on a playground consisting of “two and one-third acres … The facilities will include a brick comfort station, concrete wading pool, irrigated sandpit and mothers’ sitting… read more
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Works Progress Administration, and the Civil Works Administration (WPA) funded improvements at the Hoover Playground in Washington DC. The work consisted of the following improvements: CWA and FERA, “Graded, fenced, 3 gates.” (Report of the… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded improvements at Howard Playground in Washington DC between 1936-1937. The work included the following improvements: “Demolished pool, filled and graded in preparation for installing wading pool.”
From NYC Parks: “Howard Von Dohlen Playground opened on July 15, 1934, and is one of nine playgrounds built by Parks through the War Memorial Fund. The fund was established in 1921 with $250,000 collected by the New York City… read more
In October 1935, the New York City Department of Parks announced the opening of twelve new playgrounds, including this one at Hunts Point. Although the release does not specify federal involvement, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that “it is… read more
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
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
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
This sizable park on Manhattan’s west side includes vistas of the Hudson River and of the George Washington Bridge. It was acquired by the city in 1925, and opened by the Department of Parks in 1935. The press release announcing… read more
Now known as the J. J. Byrne Playground, this was one of five “model playgrounds” designed as templates for further playground development by Robert Moses and his team after Moses assumed control of the New York City Parks Department in… read more
The spacious Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem, originally called Colonial Park and known for many years as Bradhurst Park, first opened in 1911, but was only fully developed under the New Deal. When the Department of Parks announced the planned… read more
The playground inside Jackie Robinson Park (originally Colonial Park), located at Bradhurst Ave. and W 153rd St., was one of 11 Works Progress Administration (WPA) parks that opened April 4, 1936. Excerpt from Frank da Cruz, Kermit Project, Jackie Robinson Park… read more
In early 1942, the WPA began work on a new park and playground to be operated jointly by the adjacent P.S. 40 (Samuel Huntington School) and the Department of Parks. A press release announcing the start of construction described the… read more
James J. Walker Park was improved and extended circa 1935 with the help of the New Deal. The agency involved in funding and completing the work is unknown to the Living New Deal. During the 1930s Robert Moses used New… read more
Jane Addams High School, located in the southern Bronx, was constructed during the 1930s with federal Public Works Administration funds. It opened in 1937. The project was PWA Docket No. NY 1178. The school closed in 2012, and the building… read more
The Civil Works Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration funded improvements at the Janney Playground in Washington DC. The work consisted of building one or more new shelters.
The land for what is now the John Allen Payne Park was acquired in 1940. “It is one of more than a dozen parks and playgrounds that line the highway now known as the Gowanus Expressway” (NYC Parks). The WPA… read more
The New York Times reported in Sept. 1941 that the WPA worked on the “reconstruction of John Jay Park along the East River Drive, between Seventy-sixth and Seventy-eighth Streets.” Specific improvements included the installation of a new diving pool with… read more
All 17 schoolhouses in Framingham, Massachusetts were painted, remodeled, and/or repaired with federally funded labor during the Great Depression. At the former Jonathon Maynard School the Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) graded the land behind the school and built a new… read more
From NYC Parks: “Sauer Park is one of nine playgrounds that were built by the Parks Department through the War Memorial Fund, and were opened simultaneously on July 15, 1934. The War Memorial Fund was established in 1921 with $250,000… read more
A June 1936 press release announced the opening of a new playground in Canarsie Park “fully equipped with play apparatus for young and older children.” The NYC Parks site confirms this date and explains the history of this site: “Located… read more
The sign on this park says Josephine Caminiti Playground. The NYC Parks website also refers to it as Alstyne Playground and notes that it was formerly known as Corona Playground. The land for this park was purchased by the City… read more
On January 4, 1938, the Department of Parks announced the opening of a new playground: “In Queens, at 34th Avenue between 96th Street and Junction Boulevard, the new playground has slides, swings, see-saws, sand table, shuffleboard and handball courts. A… read more
This large park in the Middle Village neighborhood of Queens provides a wealth of leisure and recreational attractions to local residents. Before it became a park, “it was used variously as a farm, a cemetery, a source for peat moss,… read more
NYC Parks describes the history of this park: “The property on which the park is located was acquired by Parks from the Sinking Fund in two parcels. The first parcel was assigned on July 11, 1934, the second on June… read more
This park area consists of Kelly Park to the West of the BMT Brighton Beach transit line and the smaller Kelly Playground to the East of the line. Both were developed by the WPA in 1940. Kelly Park was first… read more
“Repairing and painting of buildings, including band shells, bathhouses, pavilions, bridges, residences, service buildings and playground buildings in the following parks…Kern Park.”
In 1942, the Washington Post reported four acres allocated by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for a play field at Fort Dupont Park (now Fort Circle Park). This is likely the present site of Kimball Playground baseball fields. It is… read more
Constructed by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1938. Four large stone rings and elaborate stone entrance for walk in entry only; picnic area, playground and boat ramp. Memorial to Civil War Veterans. Concrete wall high on east side of… read more
NYC Parks describes the origins of this small park: “In August 1936, the City of New York acquired this property by condemnation for the sum of $87,938.40. That year, Parks assumed jurisdiction over the property, removing sections of both Ocean… read more
“Repairing and painting of park board buildings, including band shells, bath houses, pavilions, bridges, residences, service buildings and play ground buildings in the following parks…Lake Park.”
In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of $16,500 in funding for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to build and/or make improvements to the Langston Recreation Center (now the Langston Playground) in Anacostia Park, next to the Langston Golf… read more
The Seattle Park Department acquired the site for Laurelhurst Playfield along NE 41st Street between 45th Avenue NE and 48th Avenue NE in 1927. Although a few improvements to the site were completed between 1929 and 1932, a series of… read more