Stadiums Sites

Bristol, Connecticut's Muzzy Field ballpark was constructed between 1938 and 1939 as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. It is still in use today. The PWA provided a $15,301 grant toward the $34,071 total cost of the project. 1317.]

Multiple New Deal agencies performed work in and around Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming, notably constructing athletic facilities. The Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) began construction of "a stadium for the athletic field at Natrona County High School in Casper," work that was completed under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.). Casper Star-Tribune: "CONSTRUCTION of Casper's new $48,000 stadium under the CWA end later the ERA during 1934 rounded out the athletic facilities of Natrona County High school to the most complete and finest of any school from colleges on down in the Rocky Mountain states, and further boosted Carper's eminence...

An amphitheater type football stadium was constructed in 1934 using WPA funds. The stadium was designed by City Manager, R.J. Brule and the field was named in his honor. Mr. Brule is remembered today as being a resourceful manager who used available resources to make what the city needed. He negotiated several beneficial WPA grants for the City of Navasota. Brule Field was used by the high school team until 2006 when a new, modern facility opened. Today Navasota Intermediate School uses the facility for their games. Note: All available records list completion date as 1934 and agency as WPA, but the...

From 1934-1936 the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed North Lake Park, including Lake Garnett. "The project included a 48-acre (840 acre-feet) man-made lake with dam and spillway, a road, and the planting of over 300 cedar trees, lilac bushes, rose bushes and shrubs." Other construction included roads, plantings, two shelter houses, restrooms, a football stadium, and a swimming pool.

In 1940 and 1941, the Marietta Board of Education and the WPA collaborated on modernizing the athletic field of Marietta High School. Work included grading the field to facilitate drainage, the construction of concrete stands, the installation of lights for outdoor games, and the erection of a reticulated rock wall around the entire stadium. According to Guy Northcutt, a member of the city's board of education who oversaw the work, as long as the city provided the materials, the WPA would cover the labor expenses. Upon completion of the project, the Marietta Daily Journal boasted that the city had the...

"The construction of Oakley High School Stadium in 1938 was financed through the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) and has hosted football games and track meets since its completion in 1939. Lewis Mershon was the lead builder and used a team of unskilled WPA laborers made up of financially struggling local farmers. The limestone and concrete stadium faces a standard 100-yard football field with natural grass surface encircled by a 400-meter track and includes two locker rooms, restrooms, a tornado shelter, and outdoor bleacher seating. It exhibits symmetry, vertical and horizontal lines, and rounded features, all of which gives...

The WPA built this stadium on the beach in Oceanside, CA.

"A sports stadium was constructed at the Norfolk Division in 1936. The stadium cost approximately $300,000; money was appropriated through municipal funds and from the Virginia Emergency Relief Administration and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). During the summers, the stadium and a swimming pool in the Administration Building were used as a temporary summer camp for approximately 125 Norfolk boys and girls. ...The stadium continues to serve as a home to ODU's field hockey and lacrosse teams."   (https://www.lib.odu.edu)

Originally known as the Roddey Burdine Stadium, the historic former Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida was built with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1936-1937. The structure was demolished in 2008.

"The Madrid ballpark, the first lighted ballpark in New Mexico and possibly North America, was built in 1920 by the Employees Club in the old coal mine days. The Grandstand with it's unusual tin roof was added in 1928. Extensive stonework was later added by the WPA in 1935. In a town of 3000 at its height as many as 6000 visitors per event attended ball games, rodeos, multicultural events, and Toyland during the Madrid Christmas celebrations. The Madrid Miners were New Mexico's only AA Minor League Team, and their reputation for winning pennants became widespread. The Madrid Employees Club supplied...

Palmyra High School's football stadium was originally constructed by the WPA in 1936, with a full grandstand, quarter mile cinder track, and football field with accompanying locker rooms. It was recently renovated by the Aliano Brothers and Garrison Architects, who describe the outcome as "A fully functioning stadium that stands once more as a monument to WPA and the restoration of the American spirit during the Great Depression"   (https://www.alianoconstruction.com).

These football field bleachers were constructed of native rock in the valley by the CCC, Company 3747 which was based in Paris from 1935-1939.  During that time, their primary work was agricultural terracing and drainage improvement.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Paris Junior College Stadium in Paris TX. A 1941 article published in the Paris News provides details about the new project: "Construction of Noyes Stadium, a $100.000 athletic' plant for Paris Junior College, begins Monday (Feb. 10, 1941). Upon receiving a work order from the state WPA office, Walter Phelan, Lamar County's general superintendent. Friday afternoon notified President J. R. McLemore that work would get under way next week. One hundred and twenty-five men have already been assigned to the project. The same administrative force that constructed the main building and is now building a gymnasium at the new...

1933 Mayor Alvin Lucier in his inaugural address listed 4 major projects done in cooperation with Federal Relief agencies. 3. PARKS AND COMMONS AND RECREATION FACILITIES. This project was designed to further develop the Artillery Pond project and includes some building. This would bring nearer to realization a well thought out plan for the development of an area particularly well suited by nature for a recreational center. It also includes work to be done at the South Common and at the swimming pool at Field's Grove. 1934 Mayor Lucier in his annual report wrote: "No less than seven Federal programs have directly affected our people. During...

Football stadium constructed 1938-1939 by the Public Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration for $246,000. Currently home of the Massillon Washington High School football team.

The Pecan Bowl was constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. “Stadiums, like schools, came in many styles and colors, perhaps according to available rock or style of the nearby school. The Pecan Bowl in Okemah is especially attractive. The Okemah Stadium was built in an amphitheatre style, using a natural slope in the ground. It has dark red sandstone, typical of central and western Oklahoma.”

"Now a standard Nashville tradition, Iroquois Steeplechase traces roots back to 1936, when Marcellus Frost suggested a racecourse to take over a piece of Warner Parks. Mason Houghland, master of the Hillsboro Hounds, along with foxhunter Con. Thompson Ball, and President Franklin Roosevelt confidant Harry Hopkins created the course in response, as a parks improvement project of the Works Progress Administration. The race has continued each year since, except in 1945 due to World War II."   (https://www.tennessean.com)

This baseball stadium was part of the WPA Perris Hill project.

2 baseball fields were constructed at Pettingill Park by either the CWA, FERA, or ERA. 27,500 cubic yards of dirt were moved by hand. One of the parks was finished by January 3, 1935.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the following: Playing field, north and south seating. Former Pittsburg High School is currently (2014) Pittsburg Middle School.

This horseshoe-shaped stadium was built by the New Deal Public Works Administration in 1937 for the Ashland Public Schools at a cost of $6,500.00. The stadium was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day that same year. The building remains in good condition and continues to serve the Ashland Public Schools and the community of Paul Blazer High School. In 1996, the district added a new entrance gate to augment the original structure.    

A WPA project for $21,000 improvements at the Laurel Municipal Stadium included brick seats to accommodate 3,000, a brick stadium house, brick wall at the south end of the stadium, permanent parking space, brick walls, brick ticket booths and replacing wooden curbs with brick curbs. The facility remains in use.

A 1938 report from the Los Angeles Department of Playground and Recreation describes the WPA's role in creating the Rancho Cienega recreation area: "Forerunner of the great regional recreation centers of the future, the Rancho Cienega Playground was the outstanding addition to the Los Angeles recreation system in 1938. The area comprises thirty acres in the southwest section of the city, along Exposition Boulevard near La Brea Avenue. It is the largest municipal playground devoted exclusively to sports and recreation within the city. The site was donated by Mrs. Anita M. Baldwin in response to a request made by the Los...

Randall's Island Park cover more than 400 acres of the 500+ acre island.  It contains dozens of tennis courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, playgrounds and other recreational facilities, as well as paths, greenways and a marsh.  Frank da Cruz summarizes the extensive New Deal renovation and expansion of Randall's Island Park: "Randall's Island itself, which (with neighboring Ward's Island, now joined to it) lies in the East River between East Harlem, the South Bronx, and Astoria, Queens... Prior to the New Deal it housed institutions such as an orphanage, a poor house, a reform school, a potters field, a refuge for sick and/or...

"On June 19, 1936, the Parks Department announced the opening of the Randall's Island stadium, with tickets available for the final American Olympic men's track and field tryouts on July 11 and 12, reserved seats costing 75 cents, $1.00, and $2.00 (see press release); 15,000 tickets were sold. The first day of the Olympics tryouts was preceded by an opening ceremony presided over by Robert Moses and featuring Harry Hopkins, FDR's federal relief administrator, and Mayor La Guardia. Lest any doubt remain as to the stadium's WPA pedigree, Robert Moses states (in response to a reference to its "shoddy construction" in...

Two steel-reinforced concrete stadium bleachers facing each other are set in a man-made slope. The bleachers are supported at the rear by concrete columns attached with segmental arches.

The primary baseball field at Montpelier Recreation Field was built in 1939. Frequently mis-attributed to the Work Projects Administration (WPA), the facility was part of a larger park project undertaken with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The stadium was home to the New England Collegiate Baseball League, and since 2003 it has been the home field of the Mountaineers. The field has a 1,200-seat capacity grandstand. While the baseball facility itself has been referred to as "Recreation Field," this was just one part of the greater park project—which included a pool, bath house, and football field—that the City of Montpelier originally referred to as Recreation Field. Description, from the city annual report...

The Works Progress Administration built Rhea Stadium in Russellville, Kentucky. The stadium is part of the Russellville High School. A historical sign on site reads, "Rhea Stadium was named for Thomas S. Rhea, a local & state political figure. It was a project of the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program started under Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first game was played on Nov. 23, 1939. Dedication of the stadium occurred on Sept. 20, 1940. Added to Nat'l Register of Historic Places 2008."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted numerous projects at Riverside Park in Iola, Kansas. "It wasn't until the WPA projects were built that Riverside Park received the beautiful football stadium, pool, pool building, community building, shelters, and one baseball diamond."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a stunning grandstand / municipal stadium in Riverside Park in Iola, Kansas, which features a running track and football field. The project was likely completed in 1939.

In April 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) approved a project for the construction of a new grandstand and tunnel at the Riverside Speedway in Neligh. The project would necessitate the razing of the existing grandstand, which was too small, and erecting a new one along with a tunnel under the speedway at the south end of the grandstand. Plans called for seating of approximately 2000, which would greatly improve the seating capacity of the speedway. The cost was anticipated to be approximately $4,200.00, 20% of which would be borne by the city. Work on the grandstand began in September 1936....

Robertson Stadium was "constructed as a joint project between HISD and the Works Progress Administration by the Fretz Construction Company." Originally Named Public School Stadium it was completes in 1942. Houston Independent School District renamed the stadium Jeppesen Stadium. In the 1970's the stadium was renamed Robertson Stadium after being aquired by the University of Houston. It was home to many University of Houston, Texass Southern, and Houston Independents School District events until it was demolished in 2012.

Washington State University's old Rogers Field, in Pullman, Washington was reconstructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1936. The stadium was "severely damaged by a fire in April 1970. Demolished in early 1971, Rogers Field was replaced by the concrete Martin Stadium, which was built on the same site and opened in 1972." (Wikipedia) PWA Docket No. WA 1336

In 1940, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed the rodeo grounds at the Municipal Park, now Rohner Park, in Fortuna.  WPA relief workers built the grandstand, judges stand, concession stands, restrooms and more – most of which appear to still be in place.   Next to the rodeo grounds is a large building called "Firemen's Hall", which may well be the barn  indicated in the original WPA work order (see image). At the entrance to the rodeo grounds, there is a marker crediting the WPA and the city of Fortuna with creating the Municipal Park.

Municipal reports for the town of Concord document New Deal improvements to the park throughout the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1935, the CWA funded a stone wall along Broadway, enlarged the park's wading pool and removed dead trees and stumps. In 1936, the PWA completed a new bathing pool in Rollins Park. A further 75 foot addition was added to the old pool in 1941. In 1939, acres of land were graded at the park. In 1940, 400 feet of ashlar wall was constructed and a new baseball diamond was developed. Rollins Park bleachers were relocated.

"Roosevelt Stadium was a baseball park at Droyer's Point in Jersey City, New Jersey...It was home to the Jersey City Giants. Roosevelt Stadium was finally built in 1937, as a Works Progress Administration project on the grounds of what was the Jersey City Airport at Droyer's Point. The airport was operated by Eddie August Schneider starting in 1935. It was named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the author of that New Deal agency. It was designed in Art Deco style. The ballpark's opening was scheduled for April 22, 1937 with the opening of the 1937 International League season... In November 1982, the Jersey...

Union City, New Jersey's old Roosevelt Stadium was constructed by the federal Works Progress Administration between 1936 and 1937. Heavily renovated and modernized during the 1990s, Roosevelt Stadium was demolished and replaced with a new high school building and a new sports facility of the same name. "Originally the site of the Hudson County Consumers Brewery Company, the property was purchased by what is now Union City for $456,000, and turned it into a gated playground. Later, through the efforts of Director of Public Affairs Harry J. Thourot, the stadium’s construction was funded by the federal Works Progress Administration Project, which...

"One of seven Lattice Steel Toilets and Concession Stands at Pasadena Rose Bowl. W.P.A. #25 Jan. 1936" A description and photo of the toilet pictured here appears in a photo album compiled by New Deal officials. It is unclear whether the other buildings mentioned here are still extant. The condition of the toilet is poor.

"W.P.A. #25 Jan. 1936" 4 photographs in a New Deal album show construction work of rubble walls along the base of the Rose Bowl. From the outside, much of the rubble wall tunnels and ramps around the stadium can be seen. All of it looks to be in good shape and the good use of landscaping built into the design helps hide the bare construction of the outside of the stadium.

"The Rubber Bowl is a stadium in Akron, Ohio, United States, primarily used for American football... The movement to build a stadium in Akron began in 1939 when Akron Beacon Journal sports editor James Schlemmer and Akron Municipal Airport director Bain Fulton began a campaign asking patrons to donate $1 each. Later that year, the Works Progress Administration authorized construction of a horseshoe-shaped stadium in southern Akron adjacent to Derby Downs, the home of the Soap Box Derby that had been built in 1936. Construction lasted approximately one year and the first event hosted was a state music and drill competition...