Royal Oak Sites

New Deal agencies undertook a variety of improvements at the Detroit Zoological Park in Royal Oak, Michigan. Between 1933 and 1937, the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded and built exhibits, service facilities, and buildings at the park. “The Federal Government, as means of alleviating the distressful unemployment condition in Detroit, appropriated funds in 1933-1934 under the CWA and the FERA for construction work at the Detroit Zoological Park. As a result, an extensive program was carried out which practically completed the western end of the park and comprised the...

New Deal agencies undertook a variety of improvements at the Detroit Zoological Park in Royal Oak, Michigan. Between 1933 and 1937, the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded and built exhibits, service facilities, and buildings at the park. The WPA carried out construction and landscaping in the park between 1935 and 1937. This investment resulted in the completion of an animal hospital and administration building.  (Detroit Zoo website)  

Three very large New Deal murals hang in the auditorium of the Royal Oak Middle School. The first two,  "The Naming of Royal Oak" and "The Value of Arts, Culture, and Science," were painted by Andrew Maglia. The third, "Career Paths," was painted by Bronislaw Makielski.   Maglia worked on the first two paintings, then bowed out for lack of funds; when funding was renewed, Makielski was commissioned to complete the project.  Apparently, Makielski was substantially aided by his brother on the third mural. The murals were commissioned by the Federal Arts Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), though exact information about...

The historic post office in Royal Oak, Michigan was constructed in 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building is still in service.