The federal Work Projects Administration undertook a large road repair project starting in 1935 in the borough of Queens. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were repaired; particular emphasis was placed on fixing washout-damaged stretches… read more
New York City’s Parks Department website states: “During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Commissioner Robert Moses (1888-1981) and the Works Progress Administration constructed recreational facilities in the park, including a boat landing, several playgrounds, tennis and handball courts, baseball… read more
The City acquired Breininger Park (previously known as Braddock Park) in 1938. The Department of Parks officially announced the opening of the park in August 1939: “In Queens, the new playground is located at Braddock Avenue and 240 Street, in… read more
The former Queens Central Library, located at 89-14 Parsons Blvd., “opened in 1930 and was expanded with WPA funds in 1941.” “The current Central Library is a product of its era. In the mid-1960s, instead of renovating the existing library… read more
The Queens County Supreme Court building in Jamaica was constructed as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. Short and Stanley-Brown: “This structure houses the 23 civil courts of Queens County and provides quarters for the judges, the clerk of the… read more
The WPA made numerous improvements to the rapidly growing Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital in Jamaica, New York during the 1930s. Projects included: the installation of “underground piping for heating”; “excavation and construction of steam tunnels”; the “planting of trees and shrubs”;… read more
NYC Parks explains: “O’Connell Playground opened on July 15, 1934, and is one of nine playgrounds that were built by Parks through the War Memorial Fund. The Fund was established in 1921 with $250,000 collected by the Police Department. In… read more
Formerly known as Liberty Park, this site was acquired by the City in late 1936. In July 1937, Parks announced that “the new playground…is the first section of a large recreational area which is being constructed to be completed. It… read more
The federal Work Projects Administration undertook a large road repair project starting in 1935 in the borough of Queens. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were repaired; particular emphasis was placed on fixing washout-damaged stretches… read more
From NYC Parks: “Howard Von Dohlen Playground opened on July 15, 1934, and is one of nine playgrounds built by Parks through the War Memorial Fund. The fund was established in 1921 with $250,000 collected by the New York City… read more
The Queens Branch of New York City’s Independent Subway (IND) was extended during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The IND line completed in 1933 only went as far as Jackson Heights’ Roosevelt Street station. On December… read more
The Queens Branch of New York City’s Independent Subway was extended during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The first extension was completed in 1936. On April 21, 1937, four new subway stations opened… read more
The Queens Branch of New York City’s Independent Subway was extended during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The first extension was completed in 1936. On April 21, 1937, four more subway stations opened… read more
The Queens Branch of New York City’s Independent Subway was extended during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The first extension was completed in 1936. On April 21, 1937, four new subway stations opened… read more
The Queens Branch of New York City’s Independent Subway was extended during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The first extension opened in 1936. On April 21, 1937, four more subway stations opened in Jamaica,… read more
The WPA provided assistance in repairing and otherwise improving the One Hundred and Fourth Field Artillery / 172nd Street-Jamaica Armory in Jamaica, Queens. The building is no longer extant.
The paving of the 3.5-mile stretch of Jamaica Avenue between 168th St. and 225th St. in Jamaica, Queens was first undertaken as a nearly-half-million-dollar WPA project during the 1930s. WPA Official Project No. 65-97-11.
The federal Works Progress Administration worked to conduct repairs and alterations to several civic buildings in Queens as part of a $300,464 project begun in 1935. The project included the construction of an addition to what was the Registers Building… read more
In early 1942, the WPA began work on a new park and playground to be operated jointly by the adjacent P.S. 40 (Samuel Huntington School) and the Department of Parks. A press release announcing the start of construction described the… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration worked to conduct repairs and alterations to several civic facilities in Queens as part of a $300,464 project begun in 1935. Facilities improved included the “Jamaica Storage Sheds” at 132nd St. and 150th Ave. The… read more
Parks acquired what is now Marconi Park “on February 15, 1938, for the benefit of the adjacent P.S. 40 (William Wordsworth School) and the South Jamaica community. The playground opened on June 26, 1939, under the administration of Mayor Fiorello… read more
P.S. 136 in Cambria Heights was constructed in the late 1930s as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project.
P.S. 15, now called the Jackie Robinson School, in St. Albans, New York, was constructed in 1938-9 as a New Deal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $256,500 grant for the school, whose total construction cost was $430,448. PWA… read more
The original P.S. 48 school building, at the eastern corner of 108th Ave. and 155th St. was constructed during the mid-1930s as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The building bears a 1935 cornerstone.
The land for the Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto Park, known more commonly as the Smokey Oval Park, was acquired by the city in 1938. On October 31, 1939, the Department of Parks officially celebrated the opening of the park with a… read more
The Queens Borough Public Library features a number of murals completed through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The murals are: A. Grant Arnold’s “The Big Maple Tree” (1936), Philip Cheney’s “12th and Market Sts., Phila.” (1936), Louis Lozowick’s “Night Repairs” (1939),… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) tore up disused trolley tracks along, repaved, and otherwise beautified Queens Boulevard during the 1930s. 2,500 men, who would otherwise be unemployed, were put to work on the job. Work stretched along Queens Blvd…. read more
The PWA constructed the Queens General Hospital at 161st St. and 82d Drive. The hospital opened in 1935. The hospital was later greatly expanded and became part of the Queens Hospital Center. The current facility is located on the same… read more
The extension of the Richmond Hill branch library in Queens was undertaken as a sponsored federal WPA project during the 1930s.
The federal Work Projects Administration undertook a large road repair project starting in 1935 in the borough of Queens. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were repaired; particular emphasis was placed on fixing washout-damaged stretches… read more
Springfield [Pond] Park was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and were “turned over to the Park Department” on August 18, 1939. “A three-acre lake, once a mosquito-breeding swamp, is the center of the Springfield Gardens development,” wrote The New York… read more
The land for St. Albans Memorial Park in Queens was first acquired by Parks in 1914 and received its current name in 1932. A Department of Parks press release announced the opening of a new playground in St. Albans Park… read more
Triboro Hospital for Tuberculosis in Jamaica, Queens was established in 1941. The Public Works Administration (PWA) approved a $1,317,825 (45%) grant for construction of the project in 1938.
The historic Woodhaven Station post office in Jamaica, New York was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds between 1939 and 1940. The building, which contains a New Deal Ben Shahn mural in the lobby, is still in use today.
The Woodhaven Station post office in Jamaica, New York contains a 1941 Section of Fine Arts mural painted by Ben Shahn entitled “The First Amendment.”