56th St. Sidewalks and Driveways – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration built sidewalks and driveways on 56th St. in Oakland.
Alameda County Courthouse – Oakland CA
Alameda County courthouse is a striking example of Moderne Architecture. It consists of a large base filling a city block, a setback tower, two further stories of jail set farther back and a hipped roof with observation cupola at the… read more
Alameda County Courthouse: Marble Murals – Oakland CA
The former main entrance on the east side of the Alameda County Courthouse leads to an elegant lobby flanked by stairways and two large murals made of marble, backed with gold and silver leaf. The murals, which measure 10… read more
Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center – Oakland CA
Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center/Park was developed between 1936 and 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), working with the Oakland Recreation Department. The WPA funded the project for around $60,000 in 1935 (Chronicle 1935). The 16 acre site on Arroyo… read more
Broadway Terrace Sewer Extension – Oakland CA
In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built an extension of the sanitary sewer up Broadway Terrace from Harbord Drive to Sheridan Road (just below the brow of the hills near Lake Temescal). (Oakland Tribune 1937) The current state of… read more
Caldecott Tunnel – Oakland CA
The original Caldecott Tunnel was built with the aid of the Public Works Administration (PWA). Out of a total cost of $4 million, the PWA provided $1.1 million, the state $700,000 and the highway district sold $2.3 million in bonds,… read more
Caldecott Tunnel Approach Roads (former) – Oakland CA
The original two-bore Caldecott Tunnel was built with the aid of the Public Works Administration (PWA). Out of a total cost of $4 million, the PWA provided $1.1 million, the state $700,000 and the highway district $2.3 million in bonds,… read more
Chabot Elementary School Library Building – Oakland CA
Anthony Chabot Elementary School was originally built as the Claremont Annex School in 1927, but it was renamed in 1930 for Anthony Chabot, an early settler in Oakland who built the first city water works by damming nearby Temescal Creek…. read more
Davie Tennis Stadium – Oakland CA and Piedmont CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed the Davie Tennis Stadium in 1936-37 with an allocation of $65,000. WPA relief workers built five tennis courts, with lights for night play and bleachers for viewing, plus a community center in rustic style… read more
Dimond Park: Dimond Recreation Area – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the impressive Recreation Area in Dimond Park at the foot of the Sausal Creek canyon in East Oakland in 1936. In late 1935, the WPA approved $38,000 in grants for this project out of… read more
Dimond Park: Land Clearance and Trails – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) prepared the way for Dimond Park in 1936, in coordination with the Oakland Parks Department. The relief workers cleared trees and brush from the steep Sausal Creek Canyon before constructing the Recreation Area, reworking the… read more
Dimond Park: Sausal Creek Channelization – Oakland CA
In 1939-1940, the Work Projects Administration (WPA) channelized Sausal Creek as part of creating Dimond Park. The work consisted of building concrete walls to stop erosion, installing grade control step-downs, and putting culverts to let roads pass over the creek…. read more
East Bay Regional Parks: CCC Camps – Berkeley and Oakland CA
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up five camps in the East Bay hills, starting in 1933-34 and carrying on until 1942. From those camps, the “CCC boys” set out into the newly-created East Bay regional parks to do a… read more
East Bay Regional Parks: Clearing and Tree Planting – Berkeley and Oakland CA
New Deal work relief and conservation crews cleared hundreds of acres of trees and brush and planted hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs in three of the original units of the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD): Tilden, Temescal,… read more
East Bay Regional Parks: Other Improvements – Berkeley CA and Oakland CA
The East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD) was formed in 1934 and acquired land for parks from the East Bay Municipal Water District in 1936. The first parks were Tilden, Sibley, Temescal and Redwood in the East Bay Hills behind… read more
East Bay Regional Parks: Relief Maps – Berkeley CA and Oakland CA
The East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD) was formed in 1934 and acquired land for parks from the East Bay Municipal Water District in 1936. The first parks were Tilden, Sibley, Temescal and Redwood in the East Bay Hills behind… read more
East Bay Regional Parks: Roads and Trails – Berkeley CA and Oakland CA
The East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD) was formed in 1934 and acquired land for parks from the East Bay Municipal Water District. The first parks were Tilden, Sibley, Temescal and Redwood in the East Bay Hills behind Berkeley and… read more
Francis Marion Smith Recreation Center Renovation – Oakland CA
In 1942, the Oakland Recreation Department dedicated the newly renovated Recreation House at Park Boulevard and Newton Street – now the Recreation Center at Francis Marion Smith Park – which was completely remodeled with the help of the Works Progress… read more
Fremont High School Gymnasium (demolished) – Oakland CA
Oakland’s Fremont High School was destroyed by arson in 1930 and rebuilt in 1931. A new gymnasium for the school was financed with a 45% Public Works Administration (PWA) grant in 1938 and completed in 1939. The total cost was $192,000…. read more
Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center Renovation – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) did painting and reconditioning work on the former Oakland Civic Auditorium c. 1936. (Further confirmation is needed) Kaiser Convention Center is a city-owned, multi-purpose arena that included a 5,550-seat arena, a large theater, and a… read more
High Street Bridge – Alameda CA and Oakland CA
The High Street bridge crosses the Oakland Estuary to link up the cities of Oakland and Alameda near the south end of the later. Alameda was originally a peninsula connected to Oakland, but a cut was made to extend the… read more
Highland Hospital Clinic (Demolished) – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a central clinic building in the Highland Hospital in Oakland in 1935 or 1936. The exact location and design of that building are unknown. There is no evidence that the WPA clinic building is… read more
Lake Chabot Golf Course: Clubhouse – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the club house at the Lake Chabot Municipal Golf Course in 1939-40, in conjunction with the City of Oakland Parks Department. The Mission Revival style building is still intact, including most of the interior…. read more
Lake Chabot Golf Course: Improvements – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved and enlarged every hole at the Lake Chabot Municipal Golf Course, in conjunction with the City of Oakland Parks Department. The WPA workers also construction a two level parking area with stone walls. It is… read more
Lake Merritt Dock – Oakland CA
A photograph in the National Archives indicates that the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a boat dock on Lake Merritt, which appears to be at what is now the Lake Merritt Chalet, a bar and restaurant. Evidently, the dock has… read more
Marjorie Saunders Park – Oakland CA
The park has Works Progress Administration-built stone benches and a waterfall that connects Cottonwood Creek in Beaconsfield Canyon to Cobbledick Creek and eventually Sausal Creek in Dimond Park.
Melrose Leadership Academy – Oakland CA
Melrose Leadership Academy, a public school in the Oakland Unified School District, occupies the former Sherman Elementary School building – named for Margaret Sherman, a teacher and principal in the Oakland school system. Melrose Academy is a K-8 dual language immersion… read more
Montclair Park & Recreation Center – Oakland CA
The seven-acre Montclair Park in Oakland was built with the aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-39. This gem of a park lies just north of Montclair Village in the Oakland hills and below Montclair Elementary School. The… read more
Morcom Amphitheater of Roses – Oakland CA
The Morcom Amphitheater of Roses – originally known as the Municipal Rose Garden – is one of the grandest city rose gardens in the country. It began as a project of the Oakland Businessmen’s Garden Club in 1930 and the… read more
Oakland Airport (North Field): Administration Building Expansion – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) modernized and expanded the administration building at the original Oakland Municipal Airport (now the North Field of Oakland International Airport). The project was sponsored by the Port of Oakland and cost $70,000. The work added… read more
Oakland Airport (North Field): Hangar Improvements – Oakland CA
New Deal agencies did a variety of work on the five hangars at the Oakland Municipal Airport (now the North Field of the Oakland International Airport) and later built a new hangar for the Naval Reserve Air Base at the… read more
Oakland Airport (North Field): Naval Reserve Air Base – Oakland CA
The Works Projects Administration (WPA) built the first hanger, runway and road for the Navy Reserve Air Base at the Oakland Municipal Airport (now the North Field of the Oakland International Airport). Then, in 1940 the WPA authorized $237,000 for… read more
Oakland Airport (North Field): Runways – Oakland CA
New Deal agencies were called upon several times to expand the runways at the growing Oakland Municipal Airport (now the North Field of the Oakland International Airport). In the early 1930s, this involved bringing in quarried stone for fill to… read more
Oakland Airport (North Field): Water Lines and Drainage – Oakland CA
In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) installed a fire-fighting water supply system and laid drainage tile under the Oakland Municipal Airport (now the North Field of the Oakland International Airport). The drainage system covered 3.6 million square feet and… read more
Oakland Exposition Building (demolished) – Oakland CA
A WPA project involved “Improving the Exposition Building”, WPA Project No. 65-3-1779, Approval date 10-23-35, $5,673 The Oakland Exposition Building was a hall [across from] the Kaiser Convention Center. The California Garden Show was held there, as well as horse… read more
Oakland Municipal Zoo Improvements (former) – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to the Oakland city zoo in 1935-36 when it was located in Sequoia Park (now Joaquin Miller Park). In 1939, the zoo relocated to its present site in Durant Park in the East… read more
Park Street Bridge – Alameda CA and Oakland CA
The Park Street Bridge across the Oakland Estuary was built to connect the cities of Alameda and Oakland. The Park Street approach is on the Alameda side; from Oakland the approach is from 29th Street. The bridge was funded by… read more
Piedmont Avenue Elementary School – Oakland CA
The old Piedmont Elementary School burned on July 24, 1938. Federal aid was sought for building a new school, which was dedicated April 12, 1941. This Art Deco school building is complete with auditorium, library, kindergarten classroom, kitchen, offices, and… read more
Port of Oakland: Albers Brothers Milling Company Road Work (demolished) – Oakland CA
Funds for road improvements at the foot of Seventh Street in the Port of Oakland were secured through the State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) in 1935 (Minutes of the Port Commissioners). SERA was funded by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration… read more
Port of Oakland: Outer Harbor Enlargement – Oakland CA
The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided funding to the Port Authority of Oakland to enlarge the Outer Harbor area, just south of the Bay Bridge. The work was done as the bridge was under construction, c 1935-36. From PWA photographs… read more