New York Sites

Dryden Elementary School was originally constructed as the Dryden Central Grade & High School during the 1930s. The building was financed in part with federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. NY 1257 ). The building has since been expanded.

Freeville Elementary School in Freeville, New York, was the Central Grade School. Construction of the school was enabled by federal Public Works Administration funding (PWA Docket No. NY 1257), which gave a grant of $137,025 to the school district for the project. The project's total cost was $344,769. Construction began February 1936 and was completed June 1937.

The Elizabeth Cady Stanton School in Seneca Falls, New York was constructed in 1935 as a New Deal project with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), the P.W.A. provided a $24,355 grant for the project, whose total cost was $93,193. P.W.A. Docket No. NY 5651

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) developed what is now Elizabeth Field on Fishers Island, as part of what was then Fort H. G. Wright. The following projects were sponsored by the Commanding Officer, Fort H. G. Wright, U.S. Army. Description: Develop airport facilities Official Project Number: 165‐2‐15‐138 Total project cost: $145,765.00 Description: Develop airport Official Project Number: 165‐3‐15‐151 Total project cost: $250,423.00

Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry states that "The majority of the original park was acquired through the purchasing of private land and County tax foreclosures (1936 & 1937).... WPA crews built structural construction. The WPA structures included the Boathouse & concession stand (1939), shelters, recreation facilities, and the boat dock. Ellicott Island, A.K.A Island at "three mile bend" was constructed to make the creek more navigable and divert canal traffic. Charles Ellicott, a Landscape Architect, heavily influenced the island in the design process. The spur in development in the late 30's through the 40's created the peak popularity...

"This building was designed and carried out by the Public Buildings Branch of the Procurement Division for the Immigration Service of the Department of Labor and constitutes one unit of a large project to improve ferry facilities at Ellis Island. The building has two one-story wings and consists of a high central pavilion surmounted by a copper covered cupola. The central pavilion houses a waiting room for the immigrants, the left wing is devoted to the Customs Service, and the right wing has a lunch room with kitchen facilities. The construction is fireproof throughout, with a steel frame and reinforced-concrete...

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) describes the New Deal's extensive work on Ellis Island, which included building this new immigration building: "The New Immigration Building is one of three major New Deal-era buildings at Ellis Island created to meet the changing scope of immigration services at the facility. Constructed on fill joining Island 1 and Island 2, the New Immigration Building was intended as the new processing center for the diminishing numbers of arriving immigrants, while the existing Baggage and Dormitory Building and the Main Immigration building on Island 1 handled the increasing number of deportees. The clean lines and...

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) describes the New Deal's extensive work on Ellis Island, which included building this and another long covered passageway: "A system of covered passageways connected the three islands, providing sheltered circulation during inclement weather. Pipes and electrical conduits were also located above the ceiling in these corridors. The one-story brick passageways between Islands 1 and 2 were built with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funding in 1934-35 and are now designated C7. These corridors include a short connection from the east facade of the New Immigration Building (HABS NY-6086-O) and the long section that runs parallel to...

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) describes the New Deal's extensive work on Ellis Island, which included building this and another long covered passageway: "The one-story brick passageways on the west side of Islands 2 and 3 are now designated C8. A system of covered passageways connected the three islands, providing sheltered circulation during inclement weather. Pipes and electrical conduits were also located above the ceiling or in a side service passage. The two curving sections at the northwest side of Island 2 were first built around 1900, connecting the Hospital outbuilding (HABS NY-6086-K). The rest of this long corridor travels...

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) describes the New Deal's extensive work on Ellis Island, which included building this recreation building: "The Recreation Building at the Ellis Island U.S. Immigration Station was designed and built between 1933 and 1937 as part of a series of projects made possible through New Deal public works funding. In 1933 the federally-appointed Ellis Island Committee completed a report that recommended widespread improvements to the immigration facilities, among which was the development of adequate accommodations for recreation. The Recreation Building was designed for Ellis Island by consulting architect Chester Aldrich and the Public Buildings Service, along...

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) describes the New Deal's extensive work on Ellis Island, which included building this recreation shelter: "The Recreation Shelter on Islands 2 and 3 was part of the last active phase of construction at the Ellis Island U.S. Immigration Station during the 1930s. The Recreation Building and two Recreation Shelters were designed for Ellis Island alongside the New Immigration Building (1934-1936) and Ferry Building (1934), all of which were financed through New Deal funding. The construction of these new facilities contributed to a reconfiguration of the island into clearly demarcated spaces for patients, immigrants and deportees,...

A new Elm Park railway station was constructed during the mid-1930s as one link in a massive grade separation project along what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway). Developed as a two-track, two-side platform facility, located just east off Morningstar Road, the structure has long since been abandoned. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

A federal WPA-sponsored set of alterations, repairs, and general improvements was undertaken at the old Elmhurst branch library in Elmhurst, New York during the 1930s. The building was demolished in 2012.

As of 2009, this 1938 WPA mural by William Palmer entitled "The Development of Medicine" is located in the Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens. It may have originally been installed in the Queens General Hospital (now the Queens Hospital Center). According to a 1964 interview with the artist: "It was stated in a recent book on the WPA - that the panel Controlled Medicine was in effect a plea for and propaganda for socialized medicine. This statement is without any basis of fact, and the author never contacted me for my analysis panel. To put the record straight - the mural Development...

The historic Elmira Academy (most recently the Ernie Davis Middle School) was the recipient of a large annex constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. "n 1938 an annex was built on the north side of the Academy to make room for the industrial and vocational arts departments. The commercial department was expanded and more rooms were added to the east side of the building. The teachers found themselves competing with bulldozers, hammers and saws, concrete mixers, and derricks, far more attractive to the pupils than their daily school lessons. By the Fall of 1939 the...

The WPA was responsible for the demolition of Elmwood Music Hall in Buffalo, NY in September 1938. The building, which previously served as an armory, was located at the northeast corner of Elmwood Avenue and Virginia Street. "The building was declared unsafe and condemned in February, 1938. Edward and Mary Seaton Kleinhans had already left a bequest in 1934 expressly for the construction of a new music hall. Music performances were held at the Buffalo Consistory (Cansisius High School) for the next two years while the Kleinhans Music Hall was being constructed on Pennsylvania Street."

The Eltingville station of the Staten Island Railway was redeveloped during the late 1930s, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). Work included construction of a new station house on Richmond Avenue, which is still in use and bears a 1939 PWA dedication plaque.

Emery Park in South Wales, New York was one of a number of parks in Erie County improved ca. 1936 by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The old incinerators are among the historic stone structures that remain from the WPA improvement project (Erie County).

The WPA photo shown here shows the new Firemen's Building constructed for the Erie County Fairgrounds. The building remains in place today and "houses antique fire engines and other artifacts" (www.ecfair.org)

Originally the Erie County Jail, the Erie County Sheriff's Office in Buffalo, New York was constructed with federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. 1282-D). Construction began February 1937 and the building was completed in 1938. According to a local newspaper at the time, the jail, Architect Maxwell James claimed was "so escape-proof neither wall nor fence is needed." The fifth floor of the structure was set aside for female inmantes. The building has since been integrated into a larger law enforcement and penal complex that includes the Erie County Holding Center.

New York's 15,000-square-foot Essex Street Market, located along the east side of Essex Street between Rivington and Delancey Streets, was constructed with the assistance of the Work Projects Administration (WPA). The market opened in 1940. It was "one of eight similar markets built by LaGuardia and financed in part by federal money from the WPA." (blogs.forward.com) After many years of vibrant activity, first with Jewish and Italian residents and vendors, and then with Puerto Ricans as neighborhood demographics shifted, the increasing popularity of supermarkets had reduced the number of vendors in the Essex Street Market from 475 to 59. In the...

An enormous mural called The Evolution of Western Civilization is located in the library of the former Evander Childs High School. The Federal Arts Project (FAP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned the mural cycle in 1935 and it was completed in 1938. It is true fresco, rather than a painting, and covers 1,400 square feet.   (https://newdeal.feri.org) A film made by the WPA depicts the creation of the mural by artist James Michael Newell, aided by students at the high school. It can be viewed on the Living New Deal video page. The murals have generated significant controversy over the years, as discussed in...

In 1937 Romuald Kraus completed this sculpture entitled "Alma Mater" for Evander Childs High School with funding from the WPA's Federal Art Project (Archives of American Art).

Today's NYC Parks website explains: "The City of New York acquired the property for this park in January 1941. At that time, the park was divided by 60th Street, which cut through the property. The City then assigned Evergreen Park to the Board of Education and Parks in the spring of 1942. In order to expand the parkland and unify the two sections, the City closed 60th Street and gave the area to Parks. Part of the park is jointly operated with the adjacent P.S. 68. The playground opened officially on January 11, 1943." A 1943 press release announcing the park's...

"'In the Bronx, the reconstruction of an outfall sewer under Exterior Street near Broadway developed into one of the big engineering jobs at the NYC WPA. This sewer had been laid in the bed of the old Harlem River after the building of the Ship Canal.' It saved neighboring buildings from flooding with sewage."

According to the NYC Parks Department: "In 1935, the City of New York acquired this property and it underwent renovations performed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s (1882-1945) Works Progress Administration (WPA). In addition to removing the deteriorating music halls, carousels, and shooting galleries, the WPA also laid down the present two and a half-mile long boardwalk. In 1939, it was dedicated to the former governor and president." The WPA Guide to New York City reported that this was "a two-million-dollar board-walk, constructed by the WPA in 1938." The boardwalk runs along the eastern border of the neighborhood of Dongan Hills on...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to develop Fair Haven Beach State Park during the 1930s.

Originally constructed as Fairport's library, what is now Fairport Historical Museum was constructed with Works Progress Administration labor during the Great Depression. The building also houses an example of New Deal artwork.

The Fairport Historical Museum houses an example of New Deal artwork commissioned by the federal Works Progress Administration. "In 1937, Rochester’s WPA art project was called "the most interesting and effective outside of New York City” by the regional director of the Federal Art Project. Rochester’s model program—hosted and administered by the Memorial Art Gallery—funded several mural groups by the artist Carl W. Peters." (https://mag.rochester.edu/murals/) "The Fairport Library building was constructed under the WPA and is now home to the Perinton Historical Society. When Peters received the commission in 1938 to paint a mural for the building, it was brand new. Fairport...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a sizable public building improvement project in Brooklyn, New York beginning in 1935.  The project involved the "Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices" at more than 30 locations, including the no-longer-extant Family Court building at 327 Schermerhorn St.

The Suffolk County News reported that the WPA conducted many improvement projects on Long Island between 1935 and 1936, among which were "repairs and painting (exterior and interior) of ... the State Institute of Applied Agriculture at Farmingdale" (the former name of Farmingdale State College).

The New York Times reported in late 1941 that WPA laborers had begun construction of a new playground at 3rd Ave. and 64th St. in Brooklyn, NY. The 1.25-acre plot was to contain several recreational facilities.

Originally built as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse and now the Federal Building and Courthouse, the building was completed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project with Treasury Department funding in 1935. Construction took approximately one year (~Sept. 1934 to Sept. 1935), and a striking set of New Deal murals resides in the lobby.

Originally built as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse and now the Federal Building and Courthouse, the building was completed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project with Treasury Department funding in 1935. "Commissioned by the Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts, eight murals painted by artist and Cornell University art professor Kenneth Leland Washburn (1904-1989) on the lobby's upper walls depict scenes pertaining to local agriculture, industry, transportation, and the U.S. mail service." (www.gsa.gov) Kenneth Washburn Modern Worker In Industry & Agriculture Modern & Ancient Methods Of Communication Communication By Earth, Water, & Air Thrift & Postal Savings System 1938 Oil on canvas: 57” x 58” each Installed...

Edward Laning completed a mural entitled "The Role of the Immigrant in the Industrial Development of America" in 1938 for the Dining Hall in the Administration Building on Ellis Island with funding from the WPA's Federal Art Project. "The mural was 10 feet tall by 190 feet long...The sweep of the mural’s length echoed the grand scope of its narrative" that spanned American immigration history, geography, and industrial development.  Unfortunately, "Most of the mural was ruined in the 1950s when a storm damaged the roof of the facility. Portions of original were salvaged in 1970, when Judge Jacob Mishler of the Eastern Court of New York...

The Federal Office Building at 90 Church Street was constructed between 1934 and 1935 by the Treasury Department Public Buildings Bureau, and includes the Church Street Station Post Office. A multi-story addition on top of the building was completed a few years later. It occupies the entire city block bounded by between Church Street and West Broadway and Vesey and Barclay Streets. The architecture spans neo-Classical and Art Deco styles and was designed by a team of Cross & Cross, Pennington, Lewis & Mills, under the direction of Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury.  The...

Ferry Point Park is a large park in the Bronx located at the site of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge on the East River. New York City acquired the land in 1937. It was planned under Robert Moses and constructed by the WPA. A NYC Parks Department press release from August 11, 1941, announced that the park had been completed. The release describes several of the features constructed by the WPA, including: an overlook above the water, "a combination comfort station and storage building," "two baseball diamonds," picnic areas, tree plantings and more. Unfortunately the large portion of the park West of the...

The Works Progress Administration constructed the firehouse on the Henry Hudson Parkway East in the Fieldston section of the Bronx. Frank da Cruz with the Kermit Project describes the history of the firehouse thus: "The Engine 52 / Hook & Ladder 52 firehouse at 4550 Henry Hudson Parkway East in the Fieldston section of Bronx NY (MAP), serving Fieldston, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge, and Marble Hill since 1884. The present building was designed and constructed in 1939 by the US Works Projects Administration: Public Buildings ... The new house built by the WPA for Engine Company 52 at 4550 Riverdale Avenue replaces an old...

A railway-crossing bridge carrying Fingerboard Road was built during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The line has long since been abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953) and the space beneath the bridge has been filled in, though there is still a drop-down from the south side of the road. The bridge had been imprinted with a 1935 date stamp. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in...

The federal Public Works Administration provided a $182,970 grant for the construction of a new headquarters building for Rochester, New York's Fire Department during the Great Depression. Construction began November 1935. The project was completed at a total cost of $404,319 in May 1937. (PWA Docket No. NY 1154.) "Rochester Fire Department Headquarters and Shops is a historic fire department complex located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. The complex incorporates two structures: the headquarters building and shops building. The Headquarters Building is triangular in plan and is two stories in height and of buff colored brick construction with light...