- City:
- New York, New York City, NY
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Playgrounds
- New Deal Agencies:
- Works Progress Administration (WPA), Work Relief Programs
- Completed:
- 1937
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
NYC Parks states that this small park was acquired by the City in 1936-1938. It opened to the public on April 16, 1937. The press release announcing the opening explained: “the new playground has see-saws, swings, jungle gym, garden swings, slides, sand tables, play houses and game tables for chess, checkers and backgammon, and also benches and shade trees.”
The site was eventually renamed Mathews-Palmer Playground “after park and community advocates May Mathews and Alexandra Palmer.”
Although these sources do not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks Department projects between 1934 and 1943 were carried out with New Deal funds and/or labor, and that after April 1935, the WPA quickly became the main source of this support.
Source notes
NYC Parks - Mathews-Palmer Playground Department of Parks, Press Release, April 17, 1937 New York City Parks Department New Deal Projects 1934-43Site originally submitted by Frank da Cruz on October 23, 2016.
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