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… read more
Mother Waldron Playground is an urban playground that is bounded by Halekauwila, Cooke, Pohukaina, and Coral streets. It was constructed in 1937 on a 1.76 acre (77,000 square feet) site in the Kakaako district of Honolulu, Hawaii. Built elements within… read more
On May 26, 1939, the Department of Parks announced the official opening of the new Mount Prospect Park behind the Brooklyn Public Library: “At Mount Prospect Park, the exercises will start at 12:00 Noon and besides Commissioner Moses and the… read more
Although the golf course is no longer being maintained or used, the fairways and recently constructed cart paths remain. It was part of a larger WPA project that included development of the municipal park and swimming pool construction. The park… read more
This land was first developed as a playground in 1903 and has been known by several names over the years, including the John J. Murphy Playground and Murphy Park, and now, according to NYC Parks, the Murphy’s Brother’s Playground. In… read more
In Sept. 1941 the New York Times described a playground being constructed by the WPA in Queens at “Forty-Fifth Avenue and Twenty-first Street.” This site, Murray Playground, is still in use today. New York City’s Parks Department writes: “The City… read more
In 1936, the Washington Post reported that Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews had done work on the New York Avenue Playground. This would have been part of a nearly $1 million WPA program of park and playground improvements in 1935-36…. read more
NYC Parks describes the origins of this playground in Queens: “This public space was acquired by the City of New York by consolidation on January 1, 1898, and transferred to the Department of Parks in 1917. It was not developed… read more
From NYC Parks: “In 1918, the War Memorial Fund was established to create a $1 million Memorial Arch to commemorate those killed in World War I. The organizers were forced to adjust their plans when they were only able to… read more
A Department of Parks press release from December 4, 1939 describes the completion of WPA work on Noble Playground, along with three other playgrounds: “At East 177th Street and Noble Avenue the 3.6 acre area contains a children’s playground and… read more
Researcher Frank da Cruz reasons persuasively here that this playground beside the Jerome Park Reservoir was a New Deal project: “[A]t Reservoir and Sedgwick Avenues [is the entrance] to Old Fort Four Park (its proper name according to the Parks… read more
Although the history of this park is difficult to pin down, researcher Frank da Cruz makes a compelling argument that this is one of many WPA playgrounds built during the New Deal. First, it is located at the North end… read more
The NYC Parks website explains that the park’s name comes from the fact that “Queens’ last one-room schoolhouse occupied this site from the time of its construction in 1879 until its demolition to make room for a public park in… read more
Acquired by the City of Portland in 1930, the ten-acre Overlook Park required improvements during the Depression years if it were to serve adequately the north Portland Overlook neighborhood, which had reached full development during the 1920s real estate boom…. read more
Overlook Park sits on a bluff above the east bank of the Willamette River in the north Portland Overlook neighborhood. Recognizing the demand for recreational opportunities in a neighborhood built-out during the 1920s, the City of Portland acquired land for… read more
A March 27, 1936 Department of Parks press release announced the opening of this new WPA playground: “The Department of Parks will open ten new playgrounds Saturday, March 28, making a total of 125 added to the recreational system in… read more
In 1942, the Lanham Act allocated 7 acres and funding for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to construct sports facilities at Oxon Run at Mississippi Avenue between 4th and 6th Streets, SE. It is unknown is the Oxon Run… read more
Palisades Playground and Park was developed by New Deal agencies in the mid-1930s. The field house was built with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1936. That same year, the Washington Post reported that Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers had… read more
Pangborn Park was one of 8,000 parks built, repaired, or improved by the WPA. Today, visitors to Pangborn Park can enjoy tennis courts, a horseshoe court, an athletic field, a picnic shelter, a children’s playground, and an artificial pond.
In 1936, the Washington Post reported that Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews had done work on the Park View playground. This would have been part of a nearly $1 million WPA program of park and playground improvements in 1935-36. The playground… read more
According to the NYC Parks website: “The site of this ballfield was acquired by the City of New York for the construction of the Independent Subway whose line curves from the Avenue of the Americas to West Houston Street. In… read more
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) funded improvements at the Payne Playground in Washington DC between 1934 and 1935. The work consisted of the following improvements: “Removed old shelter and wrecked it; replaced with shelter moved from Lincoln; remodeled, repaired, and… read more
Pelham Bay Park, the largest in the city of New York (three times the size of Central Park), sits on Pelham Bay in the northeast corner of The Bronx. It was established in 1888, when The Bronx was still separate… read more
“Peoples Park on Brook Avenue and East 141st Street in the Bronx, June 22, 2015. The New York City Parks Department press release for July 27, 1934, announces the opening of fourteen playgrounds on August 11, including: PLAYGROUND at 141st… read more
An August 1935 Parks Department press release lists the site now known as Peretz Square as one of seventy-three play areas developed in the preceding year with “city, state and federal relief funds.” The release describes this park as having… read more
The property for this playground and the adjacent school (P.S. 108 also known as the Peter Minuit School) were both acquired in 1941. The Board of Education cleared old buildings and constructed the school on the West half of the… read more
In 1936, the Washington Post reported improvement work at several city playgrounds, the Petworth Playground among them. This would have been part of a major New Deal park renovation effort across the district. The work was likely done by the… read more
The land for the Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto Park, known more commonly as the Smokey Oval Park, was acquired by the city in 1938. On October 31, 1939, the Department of Parks officially celebrated the opening of the park with a… read more
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration funded improvements at the Phillips Playground in Washington DC, between 1934 and 1935. The work consisted of the following improvements: “Graded ground, removing 200 cubic yards dirt; fencing (700 feet, 8-foot); 4 gates.”
On September 30, 1941, Parks announced the opening of a new playground behind Public School 119 to be shared by the Department of Parks and the Board of Education. The press release explained that the playground was divided in two… read more
The Works Progress Administration built a playground in Miami Springs FL. The location and condition of this facility are unknown to the Living New Deal.
The National Youth Administration built a playground in Williamson, Mingo County. The exact location of this facility is unknown to the Living New Deal.
This playground just across from the East River between 103rd and 104th Streets, was developed in relation to the adjacent East River Housing development with the cooperation of the Department of Parks and the NYC Housing Authority to serve both… read more
Garfield School, a public school located on upper Tombstone Canyon at the intersection of Pace Avenue, was completed in 1917. In 1939 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) enlarged the playground and tennis courts, and built retaining walls that contain multiple WPA… read more
Playground of the Americas was built circa 1935 with the help of the New Deal. The agency involved in funding or completing the work is unknown to the Living New Deal. During his tenure as Parks Commissioner, Robert Moses used… read more
Parks received the property for this park from the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity in 1940. It completed this playground, originally called the P.S. 166 Playground after the adjacent school, in June 1941. The press release announcing the… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the first toboggan slide. The original toboggan slide was built by the CCC ‘boys’ for their own recreational use while they were working on the park between 1934 and 1942. It was so… read more
In Battle Creek, Michigan the WPA undertook a $10,000 “project for construction of a playground in back of the Post school.” The status and exact location of the then-Post School and the playground are presently unknown to Living New Deal.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved San Francisco’s Potrero Hill Playground (the present Potrero Hill Recreation Center) in the late 1930s, when WPA relief workers built the children’s play area, tennis courts and a restroom (Healy, p. 66). Both the… read more
In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $21,010 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and improvements to the Powell Recreation Center on 16th Street NW.