Survival: Extant

The "Old Arsenal," as it is known, was built in 1809, and remodeled by the WPA. From Waymarking.com: "'It was repaired and remodeled in 1936, partly as a project of the Works Progress Administration and leased (1937) to the Unemployment Compensation Commission of Delaware' . The building was later used by the National Youth Administration.  During World War II the building was used as offices for the Bellanca Aircraft Corporation which was building aircraft for the war effort.  In the late 1940s the building was again used as a school building.  By 1950 the building was owned by the State of Delaware...

On June 25, 1936, the Department of Parks announced the completion of a reconstructed area at this neighborhood park in Chelsea, explaining: "...the reconstructed area will have a large play area with one ball field, handball courts, complete play equipment for small children and a wading pool." The park was further redesigned by the WPA in 1940, which added a new asphalt surface to west section of the park "graded so that it can be flooded for ice-skating when sub-freezing temperatures permit. In season it will be used for roller skating, roller hockey, softball, basketball and other group games." The WPA also...

This small park near the waterfront in Chelsea was first acquired by the NYC Parks Department in 1915. In 1923, the park was named in honor of Thomas F. Smith, a Chelsea native turned successful politician. It was further transformed in the 1930s: "In 1931 the park was compromised by the opening of the West Side also known as the Miller Elevated Highway, which bisected the property. Improvements were made to the easterly portion in the mid-1930s, including the introduction of handball and shuffle-bard courts, horseshoe pits, and London planetrees (Platanus x acerifolia)." More precisely, the Department of Parks press release announced...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of Northwest Junior High School, completed in 1935. Windows and doors were recently replaced, but the school retains its original elements. Muhlenberg Greene Architects (at the time of construction was called Muhlenberg, Yerkes, and Muhlenberg), was one of the six Architectural Firms coordinating with the School District of Reading, Pennsylvania to create the new Junior High School Building. The photographs and a blueprints of the floor plan are from the Muhlenberg Greene Architects archives.

A June 1936 press release announced the opening of a new playground at Lexington and 106th. It was equipped with "horseshoe pitching courts as well as an open play area for adult children." The NYC Parks site expands on the history of this park: "This small playground has been a part of the Harlem community since the early part of the twentieth century. The Italian Benevolent Institute was the first organization to operate a playground on this site. In 1936, the City of New York acquired a 0.52-acre plot of land from the Institute and transferred jurisdiction over the property to Parks....

A June 1936 press release announced the opening of a new playground in Canarsie Park "fully equipped with play apparatus for young and older children." The NYC Parks site confirms this date and explains the history of this site: "Located at East 93rd Street and Seaview Avenue, this playground is situated in the northeastern part of Canarsie Park, which takes its name from the Canarsie Indians who once lived there. It stands on the oldest parcel of land, acquired in 1895 by the City of Brooklyn and transferred to Parks in 1898, in the 132 acre park which is bounded by Paedergat...

A June 1936 press release from the Department of Parks announced the opening of a newly reconstructed playground at the site of what is now McLaughlin Park. It contained a girl's playground "fully equipped with play apparatus, basketball, volley ball and paddle tennis courts." In October 1936, the Department announced the completion of the "reconstruction of the entire park. The area to be opened includes a wading pool and a large boys' playground with a soft ball diamond." Although the announcement does not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New...

A June 1936 press release announced the opening of a new playground at this site in Crocheron Park with "a large central grass panel surrounded by play apparatus for small children." NYC Parks confirms that this playground was built on land "acquired by the City in 1925 and turned into a park in 1936 at the request of the Bayside Civic Association." Although the 1936 press release does 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...

Lewis Maire Elementary was built in 1936 with PWA funding. From Waymarking.com: "The Lewis Maire Elementary School opened on October 20, 1936. Designed by Detroit architects, H. August O'Dell and Wirt C. Rowland, the school reflects the English Gothic Revival style. Copper moldings and gutters, multi-paned windows and the steeply pitched gabled entrance typify Rowland's Gothic designs. The interior is distinguished by Pewabic tile fireplaces and fishponds. The school's namesake, Lewis E. Maire, was a prominent ophthalmologist who served on the Grosse Pointe Boards of Education and Health as well as the village board of supervisors."

This playground on the edge of Forest Park in Queens is named after Glendale's original name: Dry Harbor. The NYC Parks site explains that it was "constructed in 1934 with swings, see-saws, a wavy slide, a flagpole, and a schoolyard gymnasium." A June 1936 press release also announced the completion of the reconstruction of an area in this playground to contain "a wading pool, complete equipment for small children and a play area with a soft ball diamond and horseshoe pitching court for boys," and in December 1936 Parks announced the completion of the second half of the remodeled playground...