New York City Sites

This sizable park on Manhattan's west side includes vistas of the Hudson River and of the George Washington Bridge. It was acquired by the city in 1925, and opened by the Department of Parks in 1935. The press release announcing the opening listed the park's facilities as including "slides, swings, jungle gym, see-saws, horizontal ladders and bars, soft ball diamond, wading pool and two handball courts. The recreation building will include a playroom and two loggias. Floodlights will be installed for night use. Ten playground directors will supervise this three-acre playground." The recreation building referred to was completed in 1937,...

Now known as the J. J. Byrne Playground, this was one of five "model playgrounds" designed as templates for further playground development by Robert Moses and his team after Moses assumed control of the New York City Parks Department in 1934. J. J. Byrne Playground is located within Washington Park in Brooklyn. When it opened in August 1934, the playground contained handball courts, two "bo-uijo courts," and a wading pool and play area for small children. It also contained a unique recreation building now known as the the Old Stone House of Gowanus. The NYC Parks website describes the structure as...

An addition to the J.H.S. 80 school building in the Bronx was constructed in 1935-36 as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The  PWA funds were allotted in 1934-36, and the school opened in 1936.

The spacious Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem, originally called Colonial Park and known for many years as Bradhurst Park, first opened in 1911, but was only fully developed under the New Deal. When the Department of Parks announced the planned reconstruction in August 1935, they gave an unusual level of detail about this important project: "The Department of Parks has determined the location and completed the development plan of a major recreational center in Harlem. For over a year the Department has been searching this section of the city for an area large enough to provide space for the active play...

The playground inside Jackie Robinson Park (originally Colonial Park), located at Bradhurst Ave. and W 153rd St., was one of 11 Works Progress Administration (WPA) parks that opened April 4, 1936. Excerpt from Frank da Cruz, Kermit Project, Jackie Robinson Park and Pool: "Even though this park was designed, paid for, and built by Federal New Deal agencies of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, there is no plaque, cornerstone, or other marker anywhere in or around the park crediting the New Deal in any way for this magnificent community resource. It is not unique in this respect; most New Deal creations in New...

Originally known as "Colonial Park Pool" this was the tenth of eleven pools to be constructed by the WPA in New York. 25,000 people attended the opening ceremony on August 7, 1936, which was presided over by Mayor LaGuardia and Robert Mose. The pool is 82 feet x 235 feet and the diving pool is 65 feet x 82 feet. The press release announcing the opening explained: "While only the south half of the two story brick bathhouse building, of medieval architecture with Roman arched windows, buttresses and towers, accommodating 1800 persons, will be ready for the opening, there will be...

The Jackson Heights Station post office of Flushing in Queens, New York "is a historic post office building located at Jackson Heights ... The original section was built in 1936-1937, and was designed by architect Benjamin C. Flournoy (1876-ca. 1939) as a consultant to the Office of the Supervising Architect. The original section is a symmetrically massed one story brick building with a nine bay wide principal facade in the Colonial Revival style. It features a three bay entrance pavilion with four simple brick Doric order pilasters which support a limestone triangular pediment. The building was extended four bays to...

The historic Jackson Heights Station post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Development of Jackson Heights," a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural by Peppino Mangravite.

This small triangular park at the intersection of 8th Ave., Horatio St. and Greenwich Ave. in Greenwich Village is one of New York City's oldest parks. It dates back to the 19th century. In 1934, it was renovated by the Department of Parks, which announced that the area had "been designed principally for the use of mothers and infants and will be provided very generously with shade trees and benches." The NYC Parks website further explains that during this renovation "seventeen pin oaks were planted on the perimeter, the shower basin was replaced by a new wading pool, and new...

The New York City Parks Department website provides a brief history of Jacob Riis Park: "260-acre Riis Park, stretching over a mile on the western section of the Rockaway Peninsula, was acquired by the city in 1913. In 1914, the beach was named for Danish-born photo journalist and social reformer Jacob August Riis, once a Queens resident. The original bathing pavilion was built in 1932 and could handle up to 8,000 users. In 1934, Commissioner Moses announced plans to upgrade Riis Park with a $1.7 million investment, including a new bathing pavilion, parking field, pitch-'n-put golf course, and a 40–foot wide...

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 in Jamaica, NY. From Wikipedia: "Office of the Register, also known as Queens Register of Titles and Deeds Building, is a historic government building located in the Jamaica section of the New York City borough of Queens. It was built between 1895 and 1913 and is an imposing, three-story building with a limestone facade in the Neo-Italian Renaissance style. A rear five-story...

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 work to be accomplished: "Twenty-three one to two and a half story frame buildings are being demolished in preparation for the new development which will provide the following facilities: eight concrete surfaced handball courts, wading pool, brick comfort station, irrigated sand Pit and sitting area, seesaws, slides and swings for pre-school and older children, a pipe frame exercise unit, two large open...

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 original structures don't appear to be standing, but a municipal sanitation department storage lot is still located at the intersection.

The James Baldwin School is one of several schools housed in the Bayard Rustin Educational Complex. When it was constructed in 1931, the whole campus was created as the Textile High School. Though fairly austere outside, the inside of the school was made more interesting by New Deal artists. The lobby of what is now the James Baldwin School contains two, large stained glass windows, collectively titled "Aesthetic Motive." Created by artist G. Gerard Recke in 1936 under the WPA Federal Art Project, the windows are composed of a variety of panels depicting, as one visitor puts it, "students learning grammar,...

The colossal James Farley Post Office Building, so named in 1982, is home to the Main Post Office of New York, New York. The building was originally constructed in 1912, facing Eighth Avenue; a 1934-6 Treasury Department-funded addition doubled the size of the building and extended it to Ninth Avenue. Hence, the building now occupies two full New York City blocks: 8th to 9th Ave. from 31st to 33rd Street. The U.S. Postal Service houses just retail operations at this regal facility—as well as a couple of examples of New Deal artwork—on the 8th Avenue-facing side of the building. With most...

This 1912 post office building serves as the Main Post Office for New York and houses two 1938 murals by Louis Lozowick, entitled "Triboro Bridge in Process of Construction'' and ''Sky Line and Waterfront Traffic as Seen from Manhattan Bridge." The murals are located at the Eighth Avenue side of the building. They were funded under the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP).

James J. Walker Park was improved and extended circa 1935 with the help of the New Deal. The agency involved in funding and completing the work is unknown to the Living New Deal. During the 1930s Robert Moses used New Deal funding and labor, yet he  rarely credited New Deal agencies. New Deal plaques in New York parks are rare. For a detailed discussion see, Kermit Project, New Deal Assistance in NYC Parks Department Projects, 1934-43. The NYC Parks site describes the origins of the park: "Bordered by Hudson Street, Clarkson Street, St. Luke’s Place, and the Carmine Street Recreation Center,...

Jane Addams High School, located in the southern Bronx, was constructed during the 1930s with federal Public Works Administration funds. It opened in 1937. The project was PWA Docket No. NY 1178. The school closed in 2012, and the building now houses two smaller charter schools. In 1935, the Department of Parks had also opened a new playground on the site with federal funds, most likely FERA and possibly CWA funds. It is unclear whether that playground became part of the school's recreational facilities, or whether it was demolished in order to build the school.  

Jay Street was widened in the 1930s as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project.

As researcher Frank da Cruz explains, "Jerome Park Reservoir has seven gatehouses: three offsite and four onsite such as the two shown here, the darker brick Gatehouse No.7 at left and the lighter brick Gatehouse No.5 at right. Gatehouses control the flow of water into and out of the reservoir via gates, sluices, and pumps and may also perform other functions such as filtering and chlorination. The original 1906 reservoir had gates and sluices but the buildings to contain them were not built as planned for lack of funds, which did not appear until the New Deal. The above-grade...

The reservoir itself dates to 1906, but, this report at nyc.gov describing the history of the reservoir and its surroundings explains that: ”The WPA funded a significant number of New York City projects relating to the water system, including surveys, water main installations, and the alteration, repair, and construction of buildings ... WPA work force moved into the area to complete many Reservoir repairs and new construction.“ As researcher Frank da Cruz documents here, in addition to repairs to the reservoir itself, "New construction included at least three, and possibly all seven, of the red brick and stone gate...

Jewish Memorial Hospital, no longer extant, was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds during the 1930s. Located at the northeast corner of Broadway and 196th Street, the hospital closed in 1983 and the Art Deco facility has since been demolished.

Originally a high school, Junior High School 113 ("Richard R. Green", formerly Olinville Junior High) was constructed during the 1930s with Public Works Administration funds. The project was PWA Docket No. NY 1180.

Junior High School 113 ("Richard R. Green", formerly Olinville Junior High) contains a two-panel oil on canvas mural entitled "Industry and Farming" painted by Edna Hershman in 1941. The murals were funded by the WPA Federal Art Project. The label of the archival photo pictured here reads: Edna Hershman went to the School of Fine Arts at Yale on several scholarships. She won medals from the Beaux Arts in mural painting. One of her murals hangs in the nurses' recreation room of the Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island. She is at present executing a mural "Constructive Effort of Man" for the...

The land for what is now the John Allen Payne Park was acquired in 1940. "It is one of more than a dozen parks and playgrounds that line the highway now known as the Gowanus Expressway" (NYC Parks). The WPA and the Department of Parks announced the beginning of work on a playground at the site in October 1941. The press release explained that, when completed, the playground would contain: Irrigated sand pit Seesaws Slides 1 pipe frame exercise unit 4 shuffleboard courts Brick comfort station Concrete wading pool 1 combination volleyball and basketball court 3 paddle tennis courts with removable posts and nets Roller skating area 6 concrete surfaced handball courts The...

The New York Times reported in Sept. 1941 that the WPA worked on the "reconstruction of John Jay Park along the East River Drive, between Seventy-sixth and Seventy-eighth Streets." Specific improvements included the installation of a new diving pool with concrete bleachers; the remodeling of an "old bath building" to "include a recreation room, gymnasium and auditorium"; and a new "completely equipped playground." A May 1942 Department of Parks press release further reported that the WPA had relocated the concession building, paved areas of the park, installed benches and planted trees.

Today's NYC Parks site explains: "The swimming complex was opened in stages between 1940 and 1942 as part of a massive Work Projects Administration (WPA) capital construction program. The outdoor swimming pool was opened in 1940 and measured 50 by 145 feet. Legend has it that Parks Commissioner Robert Moses required the pool to be five feet short of the length necessary for 150-foot sprints. In 1941 the bathhouse was remodeled and reopened with an auditorium, large recreation room, gym, and changing facility which could accommodate 1,002 male and 590 female bathers. Systems were installed to filter, purify, and re-circulate...

From NYC Parks: "Sauer Park is one of nine playgrounds that were built by the Parks Department through the War Memorial Fund, and were opened simultaneously on July 15, 1934. The War Memorial Fund was established in 1921 with $250,000 collected by the Police Department, and by 1934 the fund—never spent—had grown in value to $350,000. Seeking additional open spaces for children, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses obtained a legal ruling which permitted use of the fund for playground development. The properties were intended to honor the memories of individual soldiers who gave their lives in combat. The Fund was transferred to...

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...

"Joseph H. Lyons Pool, the largest public pool on Staten Island, was built in 1936. Constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Lyons Pool was one of eleven pools that opened throughout New York City in a single summer during the Great Depression." (NYC Parks) "Opened July 7, 1936, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia summed up one of the main goals of the WPA pools, calling the facility "a monument to the progressive government which would not and could not see unemployed men on the breadline." (NYC Parks - Pools history) The year of the pool’s opening – 1936 – became known in...

The sign on this park says Josephine Caminiti Playground. The NYC Parks website also refers to it as Alstyne Playground and notes that it was formerly known as Corona Playground. The land for this park was purchased by the City in 1930. The press release announcing its opening in October 1934 described the new facilities: "A new playground for small children will be opened at Corona Avenue and 102nd Street in the Borough of Queens. The area includes a recreational building outdoor play apparatus. A unique feature of this playground is its oval, concrete surfaced roller skating rink around the...

A 1935 New York City Department of Parks Press release announced a: 'plan for the reconstruction of Joyce Kilmer Park, north of the Bronx County Court House between Walton Avenue and the Grand Concourse and extending from 161st Street to 164th Street... The new plan calls for the continuation of the Grand Concourse through these small triangles. The panels planted with Linden trees will be also carried through to 161st Street, The diagonal street through the south end of the Park will be closed and the open well on 161st Street in front of the Court House will be covered over... It will...

In 1936, Ben Knott completed an oil on canvas mural entitled 'Decorative Map of the World' for the fourth floor corridor, East School, of what was then Julia Richman High School, with funding from the Federal Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP). The high school building that housed the mural has since been converted into the Julia Richman Education Complex. The building complex now serves as the site of six separate small schools. The Living New Deal needs further information to determine the current status of the mural.

On January 4, 1938, the Department of Parks announced the opening of a new playground: "In Queens, at 34th Avenue between 96th Street and Junction Boulevard, the new playground has slides, swings, see-saws, sand table, shuffleboard and handball courts. A rectangular wading pool which can be used for basketball and volleyball in spring and fall is also provided. Shade trees and permanent concrete benches are included in the landscape treatment. In this playground there is also a new building of brick construction, with comfort facilities for boys and girls." There is still a playground located at this site today. Although the 1938 press...

This large park in the Middle Village neighborhood of Queens provides a wealth of leisure and recreational attractions to local residents. Before it became a park, "it was used variously as a farm, a cemetery, a source for peat moss, the property of a racketeer, and a garbage dump...In the early 1930s the City of New York acquired the bog to settle a $225,000 claim in back taxes against the estate of the infamous Arnold Rothstein (1882-1928), who had been accused of fixing the 1919 World Series" (nycgovparks). The WPA greatly transformed the park, first in 1936 and again in...

NYC Parks describes the history of this park: "The property on which the park is located was acquired by Parks from the Sinking Fund in two parcels. The first parcel was assigned on July 11, 1934, the second on June 23, 1937. Kaiser Park was formerly known as the Coney Island Lots because the northwestern corner of the park is situated on Coney Island." A Department of Parks press release from November 1936 announced the completion of new facilities at the site, including "a wading pool 54' x 96', two hard ball diamonds for older boys and see-saws, swings, jungle gym,...

This park area consists of Kelly Park to the West of the BMT Brighton Beach transit line and the smaller Kelly Playground to the East of the line. Both were developed by the WPA in 1940. Kelly Park was first acquired by Parks in 1924, but expanded and improved by the WPA in 1940 to include "new baseball diamonds and tennis courts (adaptable for ice-skating after flooding and freezing), shuffleboard and volleyball courts, game tables, horseshoe pits, and children’s play structures" (NYC Parks). Kelly Playground, just east of the tracks was first acquired in 1937 and developed as part of...

Brooklyn, New York's Kensington Station post office "is a historic post office building ... was built in 1935, and designed by consulting architect Lorimer Rich for the Office of the Supervising Architect. The building is a two-story, six-bay-wide brick building in the Colonial Revival style. For much of its history it was painted white. It features a projecting pedimented wooden portico supported on Doric order piers." (Wikipedia) The post office became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.