“This high school in Union County accommodates the students of 7 communities which formerly had no high-school facilities within their boundaries. Its site has an area of 16 1/2 acres and has been graded and landscaped and provided with playing… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work on all school buildings in the city of Bayonne ca. 1939. Work on the Junior High School building included “painting, repairing, and general improvement work.”
“BUTLER – Work is expected to start soon on the erecting of a dam for the proposed Kakeout reservoir. Engineering details have been completed under the direction of Cornelius C. Vermeule, engineer of the Butler Borough Water works. Three hundred… read more
Constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this public library was completed and opened to the public in 1936. In 1981, the town of Kenilworth added an addition to the existing New Deal Structure. Located in the heart of downtown,… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve what was then known as Killeen Park in Bayonne. The project involved grading 20 acres and seeding 17 acres in the park. It is now part of Mayor Dennis P. Collins… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed crushed-stone footpaths around what was the Klockner School in Hamilton Township, New Jersey in 1936. The project was undertaken to advance the safety of children attending the school.
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a sewer and resurfaced the pavement of Lafayette Avenue in Passaic, New Jersey between what was then the Erie Railroad tracks and River Drive. “The present conditions there,” reported the city’s Director of… read more
The Bureau of Public Roads provided funds to construct an overpass carrying Lake avenue over the railroad in Scotch Plains, N.J. The project was undertaken as part of a larger grade crossing elimination initiative during that era. New Jersey Board of Public… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a boat house along Lake Carasaljo in Lakewood, New Jersey in 1936. The structure was constructed “from wood and stone salvaged from the surrounding countryside.” The exact location of the house and its current status… read more
A Paterson landmark dating back to 1892, Lambert’s Castle was originally home to the Lamberts, a wealthy family that owned area silk mills. The building fell into disrepair in the early twentieth century, was purchased by the city of Paterson… read more
The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant for the construction of an underpass to carry Leesville Avenue under the train tracks in Avenel, Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The project was undertaken as part of a larger grade crossing elimination initiative… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed an artificial lake in Lenape Park, in Cranford / Springfield Township, New Jersey, along the Rahway River Parkway, ca. 1936.
The Harrison N.J. Public Library was constructed in 1936-8 as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $42,476 grant for the project. “The overall dimensions of the building are 94 by 60 feet. In the basement… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the Metuchen Borough Library in 1935-6. The library is still in use today. Quote “The Dawn,” a monthly WPA newsletter, June 1936: Laying of the cornerstone for the new Public Library in Metuchen… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a municipal building, now the town library, based on the design of—and using stones from—Oakland’s Old Ponds Church. In fact, the building’s façade was designed as an “exact replica of the old church.”
The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant for construction of the the former library in Linden, New Jersey. The building was completed in 1939, and was demolished in 2010 to make way for the “modern facility behind it on the same East Henry… read more
Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers conducted building repairs at the main public library in Bayonne, New Jersey. Furthermore, WPA workers were employed to re-bind thousands of damaged books at the library. An additional WPA project involved “organizing and operating… read more
Trenton, New Jersey’s old Lincoln School, then a segregated facility, was improved by the federal National Youth Administration (NYA) ca. 1936. The facility now operates as the Rivera School. Quote “The Dawn,” a monthly WPA newsletter, July 1936: Twelve colored… read more
The Lincoln Tunnel is a 1.5-mile long tunnel under the Hudson River, from Weehawken, New Jersey to the borough of Manhattan. The project was funded by the New Deal’s Public Works Administration and the design was by Ole Singstad. Construction began in March 1934 and… read more
Among a series of paving projects undertaken by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Irvington, New Jersey was the 3,000-foot stretch of Linden Avenue from Clinton Ave. to Silkman Pl. The WPA also constructed storm sewers along Linden Ave.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved Main Street in Oceanport, New Jersey, a $72,018 project. WPA Official Project Number: 265‐1‐22‐65
A 12’9″-span stone arch bridge in East Amwell Township, New Jersey (just off Wertsville Road, by Wertsville) was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital, constructed 1928 to 1931, underwent a $2,000,000 extension project undertaken in part with federal Public Works Administration funds. At one point this was among—if not the single—busiest maternity hospitals in the U.S. The massive addition, identifiable… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook the project in Bayonne, New Jersey of “reclaiming tidal marsh lands for recreational purposes at [what was then] East 49th St. and New York Bay.” It involved constructing a retaining wall; “grading, filling,… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work on all school buildings in the city of Bayonne ca. 1939. Work on the Mary J. Donohoe School building included “painting, repairing, and general improvement work.”
In 1935, the Works Progress Administration completed upgrades/repairs for the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library on Main Street, Matawan, NJ. “As the year draws to a close, a WPA-funded upgrading project begins. The project includes book repair, creation of local history scrapbooks,… read more
The website for Hudson County, New Jersey writes that Mercer Park in Bayonne, N.J. “was named after General Hugh Mercer, a famous American Revolution figure known for his bravery at the Battle of Princeton. The Park’s development was made possible… read more
The bridge carrying what was then known as Ocean Highway (presently known as County Road 621, or Ocean Drive) over Middle Thorofare was constructed as part of the largest New Deal construction effort in Cape May County, New Jersey. The bridge… read more
“The Millville airport was dedicated on August 2, 1941, by local, state, and federal officials. The first contingent of Air Corps personnel arrived on 17 December 1942. In less than a year construction of base facilities began, and in January… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed Milton Lake Park in Rahway, New Jersey during the Great Depression.
The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $93,300 loan and $37,399 grant for construction what is now the Mohawk Avenue School in Sparta, New Jersey. Total cost of the project was $136,628. PWA Docket No. NJ 8215
The federal Works Progress Administration constructed an amphitheater for what was then known as Montclair State Teachers College. The 2,000-seat theater was constructed into a hillside, its 22 tiers of seats measuring between 92 and 190 feet long. The stage,… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration conducted several construction projects ca. 1936 at what was then known as Montclair State Teachers College. The largest project was the 2,000-seat amphitheater, still in use today. Other work at the college included construction of… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration constructed an athletic field between 1936 and 1937 “to care care of track, football and baseball.” This facility is believed to be the original iteration of Sprague Field, which was inaugurated in 1937.
“Twenty-nine WPA workers started today to rid the dry bed of old Morris Canal of rag weed, poison ivy and sumac, a $3,750 project for relief of hay fever victims. The workers will clear five miles of winding stream bed… read more
“Further important work on State Highway 10 through Morris County was ordered by the State Highway Commission yesterday after it had received $6,346,000 Federal funds under the National Recovery Act. The Commission approved a number of large jobs, all of… read more
“Work was started on the Morristown Municipal Airport this morning by an engineering party ….It is expected that about 100 men will be put to work tomorrow and Wednesday will see the balance of the men at work… The money… read more
“Morristown’s Other Army: The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) …In Jockey Hollow the [CCC] men built many of the trails, performed extensive archeology around the Soldiers Huts, Wick Farm and Guerin House. They also constructed the tour road, Wick House garden… read more
Ten federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers constructed more than two miles of drainage ditches (and re-dug many old ditches) over a period of six months between 1935 and 1936. The effort was undertaken to combat mosquito infestations in Morristown,… read more
Anti-malaria efforts were undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Pennsauken, New Jersey west of Pennsauken Creek and near the Delaware River. The work involved “revamping of the drainage areas” in an effort to combat the spread of the… read more
Check out our latest map and guide to the work of the New Deal in Washington, D.C. It includes 500 New Deal sites in the District alone, highlighting 34 notable sites, and includes an inset map of the area around the National Mall which can be used for self-guided walking tours.
Take a look at our previous guides, equally comprehensive, covering key New Deal sites in San Francisco and New York City.
