- City:
- Boston, MA
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Zoos
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1938
- Contractor:
- John J. Murphy
- Quality of Information:
- Good
- Site Survival:
- No Longer Extant
Description
The Works Progress Administration made improvements to the Franklin Park Zoo. This project sought to improve the lion house, monkey house, and build machine and carpenter shop and garage extensions and a storage building. The total cost of the proposed project was $137,050.14 of which $94,349.50 would be provided by federal funding. This would account for the cost of materials and labor. This federal project was controversial and ended in litigation. The federal government sued the city of Boston for $4787.65 due to diversion of WPA of wages, although there were claims totaling nearly $11,000.
Source notes
Boston City Archives. WPA documents housed at the Boston City Archives in a collection gathered based on the legal cases surrounding this project.
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:6682xp706
Franklin Park by Julie Arrison
Site originally submitted by Kylie Nelson on May 2, 2019.
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