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  • Abilene Stadium - Abilene KS
    Abilene Stadium, part of Eisenhower Park, was constructed by the Works Progress Administation (WPA). WPA Project 4711.
  • Al Kreuger Field (former) - Perham MN
    Al Krueger Field, located at the EOT County Fairgrounds in Perham, Minnesota, was originally constructed as a federal Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression. The original structure was torn down in 2012 and replaced; the site is now known as Al Kreuger Field at Tuffy Stadium.
  • Alamo Stadium - San Antonio TX
    San Antonio's historic Alamo Stadium was constructed at/near the site of an abandoned rock quarry by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-40. The facility was dedicated September 20, 1940. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a much loved place for many San Antonians who grew up here. In 2013 Alamo Stadium underwent a $35 million renovation which restored the facades, including plaques and markers.
  • Allen Field Bleachers - Washington IN
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the bleachers at Allen Field in Washington, Indiana.
  • American Legion Memorial Stadium - Charlotte NC
    The 17,000-seat stadium was built in the Elizabeth community of Charlotte in 1936. The stadium recently underwent a renovation following structural issues and had its capacity reduced following the removal of the east end stands, and a downsizing of the visitors side. "Memorial Stadium is mainly used for high school sporting events and also serves as a public venue. Prior to the construction of nearby Bank of America Stadium, Memorial Stadium was Charlotte's largest outdoor venue, and is still the largest municipal venue in the city. Ground was broken on the stadium in 1934 and the gates were officially opened two years...
  • Appalachian State University: Stadium (demolished) - Boone NC
    The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed a stadium and athletic field at what was then known as Appalachian State Teachers College (A.S.T.C.). Work was completed in 1939. Per The News and Observer, the college has "a class one field on which to display their prowess. Naturally, the main item is a 2500-seat steel and concrete stadium. No, the college is not an adjunct to its football team. The sport is just a normal college activity here." The facility, which was located north / east of Rivers Street at what is now the site of Rankin Hall and Edwin Duncan Hall, has...
  • Ashford University Field - Clinton IA
    Originally the Riverview Stadium and then the Alliant Energy Field. This stadium was built by the WPA in 1935-1937. It still has its WPA plaque.
  • Athletic Field - Gorman TX
    The Works Progress Administration built an athletic field in Gorman TX. A rock masonry fence with concrete coping encloses the athletic field. The fence is 8'-4" tall and 12" wide. The rock entrance and ticket booths with the plaque are dated 1938-1940. There is stadium seating on both sides of the field (unmarked, but appear to match). Official Project No. 65-1-66-2823.
  • Athletic Field and Stadium - East Central University, Ada OK
    "On the far east side of the East Central University campus is a football stadium constructed by the WPA during the period 1936-1941. The stadium is rectangular, 199 ft by 56 ft. and constructed of poured concrete, with an exterior of rusticated and coursed white native stone. "The stadium rises 20 tiers and has a stepped cornice on the back wall. Arched windows are boarded up on the back side. Large arched entrances have been reduced in size with opaque glass, wood and concrete block. "A 254 ft. native stone wall runs from the stadium north. Documentation of WPA status is from the...
  • Avalon Park - Chicago IL
    Avalon Park was one of the last projects of the WPA that was approved by Harry Hopkins and Controller General J.R. McCarl in 1935 and was an example during the Great Depression of how the government was interested in giving pleasurable entertainment and culture to the community of the Chicago South Side. The park is located between 83rd and 85th streets, with South Kimbark Avenue on the east side and is approximately 28 acres . Pre-New Deal, in 1931 landscape architect Robert Moore created a plan for the park and Alderman Michael F. Mulcahy was also involved in jumpstarting plans...
  • Banks High School Athletic Fields - Banks OR
    "During the Great Depression the Works Progress Administration paid for work on the school's athletic fields, with the project completed in 1936."   (wikipedia.org)
  • Banneker Recreation Center Development - Washington DC
    During the 1930s, Banneker Recreation Area was developed as part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program undertaken by the Public Works Administration (PWA), Civil Work Adminstration (CWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Notably, the CWA was responsible for the completion of the historic Banneker Swimming Pool and Bath House in 1933-34.  Those facilities are still in place. Other New Deal work at Banneker included: “...tennis courts built; baseball diamond, football and soccer fields graded and equipped; running track and horseshoe courts installed; landscaping around field house completed.”   (National Archives) Most of this was probably done by the WPA, which...
  • Baseball Park - Rock Valley IA
    The Rock Valley Baseball Park was built in 1937, and the Works Progress Administration built the grandstand several years later. 
  • Baseball Stadium - Pittsburg KS
    "Concrete bleachers have a concrete shed roof structure supported on steel beams. Brick walls with a concrete cap surround the ball field on the north, east and west, with an entrance at the NE corner. A chain link fence encloses the south side of the ball field. The brick wall surrounding stadium is divided into bays by pilasters on the interior and exterior. On the field side, the wall has with advertising signs painted within each bay...The concession stand and toilet building appear to post-date the original construction. Current bleachers and roof structure are also recent modifications. An appropriation of...
  • Bauerle Field Improvements - Paterson NJ
    The federal National Youth Administration (NYA) worked to improve the stadium for Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey in 1938. The NYA "weeded, rolled and marked the stadium track; prepared the broad jump pit; laid out the course of the javelin and discus throw; cut and raked the field; cleaned the field of weeds and debris and cleaned the stadium stands and walked." 18 workers completed the job in two and a half days. Bauerle Field is part of what is now known as Roberto Clemente Park.
  • Blaine Stadium and Fieldhouse - Ponca City OK
    The Works Progress Administration built the Blaine Stadium and Fieldhouse in Ponca City OK in 1936-1937. The stadium is built with rusticated stone. It is still used by Ponca City High School football. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination for the Blaine Stadium, the stadium project created "wages for 32,000 man-hours of labor into the local economy, helping to revitalize the mainstreet hit hard by the decline of the oil industry and of the value of agricultural products."
  • Bleecker Stadium - Albany NY
    The Federal Writers' Project's guide to New York State explained: "Bleecker Stadium, Clinton Ave. between Swinburne Park and Ontario St., with a field house of Georgian Colonial design, was built by the WPA. It seats 10,000 and has two baseball fields, a football field, a quarter-mile track, jumping and vaulting pits, and tennis courts." "The stadium opened on Thanksgiving Day 1934. The clubhouse was built in 1940 under the Works Progress Administration..."   (wikipedia.org)
  • Bloomfield High School Grandstands - Bloomfield NJ
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed "concrete stands" at Bloomington High School in New Jersey, 1934. The location and status of the project is presently unknown to Living New Deal.
  • Borger High School Stadium (former) Improvements - Borger TX
    In June 1938 the PWA approved an $8,181 grant toward the construction of Borger High School's football stadium. However, due to delays in obtaining the grant the stadium had been already built. "The school board undoubtedly will seek to keep the money to make improvements on the stadium and increase the seating capacity," the Borger Daily Herald stated. The stadium was then two blocks north of the high school. Presently, the school system's football facilities are located at Johnson Park.
  • Bowditch Field - Framingham MA
    Sometimes referred to as the Union Avenue Athletic Field, "Bowditch Field is the town's main athletic facility. It is located on Union Avenue midway between Downtown and Framingham Center and was the main athletic facility for the town. It houses a large multi-purpose football stadium that included permanent bleachers on both sides of the field. There is still a baseball field, tennis courts, a track and field practice area, and the headquarters of the town Parks Department. Bowditch, along with Butterworth and Winch Parks, were all built during the Great Depression of the 1930s as WPA projects. It underwent a...
  • Bowman Gray Stadium - Winston-Salem NC
    "Bowman Gray Memorial Stadium was built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project aided by private funds from the Bowman Gray family."
  • Boyle Stadium - Stamford CT
    The history of Boyle Stadium, which is located behind Stamford High School, is detailed on the school's website: "Beginning in 1935, federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds helped support the construction behind Stamford High of the high school stadium in Connecticut. The stadium was completed over several years and, like today, was the site of athletic competitions and graduation ceremonies. It was named the Michael A. Boyle Stadium in 1942, after SHS' famous athletic director and football coach. In the 1940s, Boyle Stadium was the training field for students preparing for military service in World War II." "The first baseball game...
  • Braithwaite Park - Braithwaite LA
    Braithwaite Park is "a 32-acre WPA-built recreation area containing picnic grounds, a bathing beach, tennis courts, a baseball diamond, and a dance pavilion." The park, with different amenities, is still in use today.
  • Breese Stevens Field - Madison WI
    Breese Stevens Field was constructed as a Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) project.
  • Brookside Park Improvements - Pasadena CA
    "The Brookside Park Improvements, WP 25, WP 5702, WP 5704, WP 6978, WP 7716, WP 8101, WP 9534, WP 9624 and WP 9810, sponsored by the City of Pasadena, comprise a diversified construction program to improve the facilities and beauty of the park for the comfort, safety, and convenience of the public. Brookside Park, in the City of Pasadena, is a major recreational center, located in the Arroyo Seco and is one of the most popular parks in Los Angeles County. Many major golf tournaments are held on the Brookside course each year and the annual New Year's Day football...
  • Campbell Stadium - Campbell CA
    The stadium was originally constructed by the WPA as part of the Campbell Union High School. The high school ceased operations in the 1970s, but the campus remains largely intact. The stadium and other facilities are now part of the Campbell Community Center, run by the City of Campbell. The stadium and its track are still heavily used. Two WPA plaques remain at the site, one on the north wall and the other on the south wall of the bleachers (pictured below).
  • Capitol Hill High School Stadium - Oklahoma City OK
    "The native sandstone wall around the football field is a WPA project. Capitol Hill High School is located at 500 S.W. 36th Street. Built in 1928, it is still in use today. On the west side of the school, the C.B. Speegle Stadium is home to the Capitol Hill Redskins. Surrounding the field is an approximately 8 ft. high wall made of the traditional Oklahoma sandstone seen in the greatest number of WPA projects in the State. At the east end of the football field, the sandstone wall attaches to a 10 ft. high white stone ticket booth area. This wall has a...
  • Capitol Hill Stadium (Webster High School) - Tulsa OK
    “Stadiums and field houses became important additions for many school systems. In Oklahoma, competitive sports added quality of life for residents during the Great Depression. Small school districts were especially proud to receive an ‘indoor’ gym. High school stadiums such as Taft Stadium and Capitol Hill Stadium were built in Oklahoma City and Webster High School in Tulsa."
  • Cardines Field - Newport RI
    "Cardines Field, "a small urban gem of a ballpark" is a baseball stadium located at 20 America’s Cup Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Wikipedia: "Stone and concrete bleachers were built along the third-base line by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936-1937. The plaque at the entrance that reads "1937" refers to this date. The current grandstand was built by the WPA following the devastating hurricane of 1938. The distinctive curving grandstand section behind home plate was built in 1939. Over the coming decades, the park continued to grow through construction projects to increase capacity, eventually creating the patchwork, overlapping stadium seen...
  • Carson Park Improvements and Baseball Stadium - Eau Claire WI
    "In the early 1930s the success of the Eau Claire Bears, a "farm" team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, encouraged Eau Claire to apply to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to fund recreational improvements in Carson Park. The centerpiece of these projects was the simple but elegant sandstone-walled stadium, built to seat over 1500 fans. The stone was quarried from a site in nearby Downsville, Wisconsin. Unemployed skilled laborers were given work on the stadium through 1936 and readied the ballpark for action by early 1937."
  • Citrus Bowl Stadium - Orlando FL
    "The stadium began life in 1936 as a modest 8,900-person venue, built as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal program in the Works Progress Administration...The Orlando Citrus Bowl -- then named Orlando Stadium -- was one of 116,000 buildings constructed in the program."   (https://www.themaneland.com) The stadium is still in use, though it has since been substantially refurbished.
  • Civic Stadium - Eugene OR
    "Civic Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Eugene, Oregon, owned by the Eugene School District. Civic Stadium, the vacant stadium located near East 20th Avenue and Willamette Street, adjacent to South Eugene High School, has a seating capacity of 6,800. The stadium was built in 1938 through a public-private partnership between the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Eugene School District 4J and the federal Works Progress Administration; it has been owned by the Eugene School District since its construction."   (wikipedia)
  • Clemens Field - Hannibal MO
    Clemens Field was constructed after the previous park was destroyed in 1935 and has recently been renovated. It is currently home to the Hannibal Cavemen baseball team.  It has been a minor league park for several teams and has seen the St. Louis Cardinals play there in the past.  During WW II, it was a German prisoner of war camp.  Rock for the walls that surround the field were obtained locally from the same quarry as the adjacent Admiral Coontz Armory.
  • Corbett Field - Minot ND
    The Federal Emergency Relief Administration funded the construction of the Corbett Field in Minot ND. Primarily a baseball stadium, although it has been used for football. Original cost was $60,000, of which $25-35,000 was borne by the city of Minot. Original capacity was 1500. Currently used as a home field for an assortment of high school, college, amateur, and minor league reams.
  • Cougar Stadium (former) - Charleroi PA
    Charleroi Stadium, or Cougar Stadium, was built in 1937 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $36,818 grant for the school construction project in Bradford, whose total cost was $84,311. "By any name, it has been home to Charleroi Area High School athletic teams since it opened on Sept. 10, 1937. That long and memorable chapter in the community's history will end Oct. 22 when Charleroi plays host to Freedom High School in a WPIAL inter-conference game. The Charleroi Area School Board decided earlier this year to close the stadium at the end of the 2010 football season...
  • Cranston Field - Cranston RI
    A large, vaguely classical styled structure, built by the WPA as Cranston's main stadium. It was designed by Providence architects and engineers Frank P. Sheldon & Son. It is mainly used for high school athletics, but also occasionally hosts larger events.
  • Crump Stadium - Memphis TN
    Built by the Works Progress Administration used to hold high school games and major football games, such as Memphis State Tiger games. It was an estimated to hold 28,000 spectators before it downsizes in 2006.
  • Cy Sloan Stadium - Waurika OK
    Waurika's Cy Sloan Stadium (formerly Harmon Park Stadium) was built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, and it bears a WPA 1939 stamp. It has a current capacity of 1,300.
  • D.C. Armory and East Capitol Street Recreation Area - Washington DC
    The DC Armory was paid for by a congressional appropriation (part of the District’s general funding bill for fiscal year 1940), and probably also through local revenue sources such as real estate taxes and parking fees. The DC Municipal Architect’s Office was responsible for planning and supervising the construction. The Armory was completed in 1941 at a total cost of about $1.5 to $2.5 million. One year after the Armory opened, the New Deal’s Federal Works Agency (FWA) approved funding for a recreation area in the “stadium-armory area at the end of East Capitol Street” (Evening Star, 1942). It was reported...
  • Daniels Field - Perry OK
    This distinctive stone stadium was built by the WPA in 1939. A 1999 document from the Cherokee Strip Museum describes the stadium's origins: "This year we are celebrating the 60" anniversary of Perry Stadium, the home of Daniels Field. Men of the federal Works Project Administration (WPA) at an estimated cost of $100,000 built the sandstone structure in 1939. To those too young to remember, the WPA was an agency conceived by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help overcome the Great Depression. Originally the stadium included a baseball field as well as the football gridiron, but old age caught up with...
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