New York Sites

The historic post office in New Rochelle, New York contains three Section murals painted by David Hutchison in 1940. They are entitled "The Huguenots Lay the Foundtions fo the City of New Rochelle," "John Pell Receives Partial Payment for 6,000 Acres," and "The Post Rider Brings News of the Battle of Lexington."

The post office contains several murals depicting scenes of local history in the colonial period. They were painted by Jacob Getlar Smith with TRAP support in 1936.

The lobby of the post office in Port Chester, New York features a stunning array of four large New Deal murals and nine smaller lunettes. Designed by Domenico Mortellito with Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) funding and installed in 1936, they depict a wide range of human activities, from ship building and fire fighting, to music and baking. (Construction of the Port Chester post office, itself, began prior to 1933, when FDR came into office; as such the building itself is not included on this site.)

The Poughkeepsie post office has five large murals on the walls depicting local scenes from the 17th to 20th centuries.  Two horizontal murals at either end of the lower lobby are views of Poughkeepsie from across the Hudson in 1839 and 1940; those are by Georgina Klitgaard and Charles Rosen, respectively. On the mezzanine floor are three murals by Gerald Foster. One depicts Pilgrims and Indians on the site of Poughkeepsie in 1692. The second shows the hamlet of Poughkeepsie in 1730 (not shown here).   The third and largest one shows delegates from New York meeting in Dutchess County to ratify...

The Rhinebeck post office contains a series of twelve murals (plus those over the windows) depicting scenes from local history. The murals were painted by Olin Dows in 1940 with Treasury Section of Fine Arts funding.  Dows was a Rhinebeck resident , trained at Vassar College and head of the Treasury Relief Art Program – no doubt brought in by the request of President Roosevelt, who had taken a keen interest in the Rhinebeck post office near his home in Hyde Park.   The artist provided a thorough explanation of all the panels in a pamphlet published in 1940 by the Civic...

The historic New Deal post office in Rockville Centre, New York contains four oil-on-canvas murals by Victor White. The murals are made with cut-out shapes, and are approximately 9 ft. x 7 ft. 10 in. They depict, respectively: a farmer with livestock; a fisherman and wife; harvesting wheat; and carpenters framing a house. They were funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1939.

The post office contains two murals entitled "Saratoga in Racing Season" painted by Guy Pene du Bois in 1937 under the TRAP (Treasury Relief Art Project). This office is now the Finance Unit, Downtown.

The post office contains two Section of Fine Arts murals by Gordon Samstag titled "Law and Order in Old Scarsdale" and "Caleb Heathcote Buys the Richbell Farm."

The post office contains two Section of Fine Arts murals painted by Waldo Peirce in 1939. The murals are entitled "Rip Van Winkle" and "Legends of the Hudson."

This 1936 post office contains multiple examples of New Deal artwork, all funded by the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP). "The prominent American artist illustrator and author Ernest Peixotto was commissioned to paint five murals which are in themselves, a tour of historic Oyster Bay, depicting scenes from 1653 to 1936. The vaulted ceiling was painted by Peixotto assistant, Arthur Sturges and depicts beautiful women representing different countries sending mail to North America on ships and planes. Mercury, the winged messenger, sits atop the dome to receive the mail with speed. Leo Lentelli, a noted Italian sculptor, whose work can be seen...

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts stone relief by Leopold F. Scholz: ""A Pioneer Woman's Bravery," a cast stone relief, 2' 7" x 6' 2 1/2" was sculpted by Leopold F. Scholz in 1940. Scholz (1877-1946) emigrated from Austria in 1916, having attended the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. In this scene, a pioneer woman, standing near a body of water, is using a boat hook to fend off an attack by bears while her four children hide behind her. His choice of a heroic woman pioneer was not uncommon in the post office art, which...

The historic post office building in Canton, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts relief entitled "Stillman Foote Acquires Homestead of John Harrington," completed in 1939 by Berta Margoulies and installed in the post office lobby.

The historic post office building in Cooperstown, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a bronze relief depicting James Fenimore Cooper, Natty Bumppo and Chief Chingachgook produced by Victor Salvatore under the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP) program.

The historic Cortland post office houses a wonderfully unique example of New Deal artwork: a painted wooden relief entitled "Valley of the Seven Hills" completed in 1943 by Ryah Ludins. The work, which was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts, can be seen in the post office lobby to this day.

The historic post office building in Frankfort, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts relief entitled "Growth" created by by Albert Wein. The work installed in the post office lobby in 1942 and continues to reside there today.  

The front entrance of the main post office in Great Neck, New York is decorated with a New Deal-funded bas relief of an eagle and stars installed by Gaetano Cecere. The work was financed by Section of Fine Arts funding and completed in 1940.

The historic post office building in Hamilton, New York  houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts terra-cotta relief entitled "The Messengers," created by Humbert Albrizio and installed in the post office lobby in 1938.

The historic post office building in Ilion, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts relief entitled "Eliphalet Remington," completed in 1937 by Edmond R. Amateis.

The historic post office building in Lowville, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned relief entitled "Joy in the Earth" by Helen Wilson and installed in the post office lobby in 1942.

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts terra-cotta relief made by Kenneth Washburn in 1952 and entitled "Jethro Wood Making the First Successful All-Metal Plough in 1819 in Moravia."

The historic post office in Suffern, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Communication", a relief by sculptor Elliot Means. "It depicts a partially clothed woman, surrounded by the moon, clouds, stars, mountains and waves, shooting a bow with flaming arrow" (Wikipedia). The relief was created under the Section of Fine Arts program in 1937.

The post office contains five cast stone reliefs created under the TRAP program. The reliefs, created by Vincent Glinsky and his assistant Leo Schulemowitz in 1934, depict the "Evolution of Transportation."  

A description of Works Progress Administration (WPA) work: "Potsdam Normal School was given a modern athletic field, with a baseball field, tennis courts, etc." What was then Potsdam Normal School now comprises part of SUNY Potsdam.

The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Bronx street repair and maintenance project along roads throughout the borough. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were surfaced with penetrated macadam. Roads improved included a modest stretch of Powell Avenue from Virginia Ave. to Olmstead Ave.

Prattsburg, New York's original Central School was made possible by federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. PWA Docket No. NY 1255 thus enabled the centralization of schools in the area. The town's website states: "We proudly began the 1936 school year as Central School District No. 1 of the Towns of Prattsburgh, Pulteney, Wheeler and Urbana, Steuben Co., and Italy and Jerusalem, Yates Co." Photos of the original construction show a 1936 cornerstone. The fate of the PWA-funded building is unknown, though it is similar in architectural detail to parts of the Prattsburgh Central School complex as it exists today.

Private First Class Thomas Norton Memorial Playground, located on Nostrand Avenue south of Kings Highway, was acquired by the Parks Department in 1940 and completed by the WPA in 1941. The press release announcing the playground's opening described the WPA's work: "The half-acre area has been intensively developed in units designed for various age groups. The kindergarten section contains a sand pit, slides, swings and see-saws together with seating accommodations for mothers and guardians of children. Adjoining this is a space devoted to older children equipped with swings, slides and exercise unit. The central area contains a shower basin and a...

The playground inside Prospect Park, located at the eastern end of 10th Street, was one of 11 Works Progress Administration (WPA) parks that opened April 4, 1936.

In August 1941, the WPA completed the construction of extensive improvements to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The work was focused along the West border of Prospect Park between Garfield Place and 15th st., where the WPA built "marginal playgrounds, two sitting areas with sand pits, walks and bicycle path" to supplement the new bandshell, which had been added in 1939. Specifically, this work included: “a semi-circular sitting area, 100 feet in diameter,” with “a large central sand pit and a continuous row of benches for guardians of the children“ opposite 13th St., as well as a similar sitting area and sand...

"This collection of animals was formalized as the Prospect Park Zoo on Flatbush Avenue that opened to the public on July 3, 1935. A Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, the zoo was part of a massive citywide park improvement program initiated and executed by former Parks Commissioner Robert Moses... As with its WPA cousin in Central Park, the Prospect Park Zoo showcased limestone relief work by F.G.R. Roth, still visible today; the eleven bas-reliefs are based on Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories and depict Mowgli, the boy raised by wolves... As was the case with the Central Park Zoo, time and better...

On August 23, 1941, Parks announced the completion of a new WPA playground at Lincoln Rd. and Ocean Avenue (now known as the Lincoln Road Playground): "The playground at Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Road, approximately one-half acre in size, is semi-circular in shape, paved with asphalt so as to provide year round usage and equipped with a shower basin-, a sand pit, kindergarten swings, slides, see-saws and a pipe frame exercise unit. A large open area provides space for general play, skating, and organized games. Around the perimeter continuous benches have been provided for mothers and guardians. A new brick comfort station...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve what was then known as Prospect Hill Road in Rouses Point, New York. 30 men were to be put to work on the project, scheduled to last between the late fall of 1936 and early 1937.

"The Lockport Public Library project was begun as the result of two generous bequests from citizens of the town. It was carried out with the assistance of municipal and P.W.A. funds . The building is H-shaped in plan and is set back from the street, which provides a small yard in front separated from the street by an iron fence. It contains an entrance hall, 2 reading rooms, exhibit room, stack room, an office for the librarian, cataloging room, and a director's room. In the basement are receiving and stack rooms, the children's room, and an auditorium seating 250. The construction is...

The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve New Rochelle's, New York's former Main Library (funded by Andrew Carnegie, opened 1914, and extended during the 1920s) during the 1930s. The library, which was used as such until 1983, is located at the southwest corner of Main St. and Pintard Ave. The building still stands, though it is now privately owned. One WPA project, which involved numerous municipal buildings in New Rochelle including this one, was described by the WPA in its project rolls: "Work includes performing carpentry, masonry, and sheet metal work; excavating and constructing walls; painting, placing tile, and roofing." WPA...

The public library in Mount Vernon, New York was expanded with a new addition during the 1930s, aided by federal Public Works Administration funds. The library is still in use today. The addition is located at the S. 2nd Avenue side of the building. PWA Docket No. NY 6504-D.

Public School 11, formerly Public School 91, and also known as the Highbridge School, is a Romanesque Revival building built in 1889. In 1937-39, a two-panel oil on canvas mural by Francis Costa was added over the stage. Painted under the auspices of the WPA's Federal Art Project, the murals depict The Old Bronx & The Bronx Today.

The Brooklyn school P.S. 253, presently The Magnet School of Multicultural Humanities, was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building possesses a 1933 cornerstone.

The NYC Department of Parks announced the official opening of Pulaski Park (named in honor of Revolutionary War soldier Casimir Pulaski) on October 11, 1939: "The park was named in honor of Pulaski ten years ago. The reconstruction was done by WPA forces under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks. Included in the development is a small children's playground, equipped with apparatus and shower basin, a sitting area for mothers and children, and a large paved recreation area containing softball diamonds. There are also four handball courts, four horseshoe pitching courts, four shuffleboard courts, a volleyball and basketball court included in...

According to the Suffolk County News the federal government granted $750,909 toward the construction of a new high school building in Riverhead in 1935. While the article cites the WPA as the source of the funds, this school was a Public Works Administration project (PWA Docket No. NY 1226 R). Now, this former high school serves as Riverhead's fifth- and sixth-grade Pulaski Street School.

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 water pumping station located at Ocean Parkway and Avenue V.

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), Nan Lurie's "Next" (1937), Elizabeth Olds's "Pittsburgh" (date unknown), and Raphael Soyer's "Portrait of a Man (A Transient)" and "Working Girls Going Home" (both 1936). The location and status of these works is presently unknown to Living New Deal.