“The Maine Monument at the southwest entrance to Central Park at 59th Street and Central Park West, created by Harold Van Buren Magonigle (architect) and Attilio Piggirilli (sculptor), dedicated in 1913. By the 1930s, fingers and toes of many of… read more
A June 1936 press release from the Department of Parks announced the opening of four new playgrounds along Central Park West at 81st, 84th, 96th and 100th Streets. This playground at 84th St. is now known as Mariners’ Playground. It… read more
The Model Boathouse on Conservatory Lake in Central Park was designed and built by Robert Moses’ “force of relief workers” (www.kermitproject.org).
Frederick Roths’s Mother Goose Statue at the entrance to Rumsey Playground in Central Park. The 1938 Parks Department press release announced the erection of the statue: “The Department of Parks announces that an interesting statue depicting famed characters of the… read more
Though Central Park was created in the 19th century by Olmsted and Vaux, the New Deal help the Parks Department carry out massive improvements to the park from 1934 to 1938. Work relief funds and labor were used to create 15… read more
On May 4, 1936, the Department of Parks announced the opening of “three new perimeter playgrounds for children of pre-school age” in Central Park. One, at 100th St. and 5th Ave., is now called the Robert Bendheim Playground. Although the… read more
A June 1936 press release from the Department of Parks announced the opening of four new playgrounds along Central Park West at 81st, 84th, 96th and 100th Streets. This playground at 96th St. is now known as the Rudin Family… read more
The history of Rumsey Playfield, the site of the City’s popular SummerStage festival and other performances, is closely tied to the WPA. In 1864, a building was constructed on this site first as the Ladies Refreshment Saloon and soon became… read more
This sculpture of a panther was created by Edward Kemeys in 1885. It was refurbished and remounted in 1937 by WPA workers and continues to be maintained by the Central Park Conservancy today.
A June 1936 press release from the Department of Parks announced the opening of four new playgrounds along Central Park West at 81st, 84th, 96th and 100th Streets. This playground at 100th St. is now known as the Tarr Family… read more
Based on Department of Parks press releases from the 1930s, researcher Frank da Cruz describes the role of federal funding in constructing this restaurant in Central Park: “What we know today as the Tavern on the Green in Central Park… read more
The Central School in DeRuyter, NY was originally known as the Central Grade and High School. This PWA project (Docket No. NY 6983) was completed during the 1930s. The building has since been expanded. The school was designed by Carl… read more
The Downsville Central School in Downsville, New York was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $108,245 grant for the project, whose total cost was $232,607. Construction occurred between Nov. 1938 and… read more
Romulus Central School was constructed as a New Deal project during the Great Depression. Funding was financed in part by the federal Public Works Administration, which contributed a $129,681 grant toward the project’s $289,095 final cost. Construction occurred between 1938… read more
The Central School in Salem, New York was constructed during the 1930s with the benefit of federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. 1505-DS). The original building is now part of an expanded educational facility.
Truxton, New York’s Central School was built during the 1930s. The project’s construction was aided by federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. NY 6488).
The Central and High School in Union Springs, New York was constructed during the 1930s. The federal Public Works Administration contributed funds that enabled the project’s development. PWA Docket No. NY 1233 provided a grant of $146,250 to the school… read more
The former Mt. Upton Central School, located on the west side of NY-8 just north of the intersection in central Mt. Upton, was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $62,000 loan… read more
Altona, New York’s Central School was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration funds (PWA Docket No. NY 1236). The building was designed by Plattsburgh architect Alvin W. Inman. The former school is now part… read more
Chestertown, New York’s Central Grade & High School was constructed during the 1930s with the assistance federal Public Works Administration funds (Docket No. NY 3629). The old Central School, on State Route 9, still stands, though its current use is… read more
Rochester, New York’s Charlotte High School contains a series of murals commissioned by the federal Works Progress Administration. “The eight murals, each 19 feet tall, were painted in oil on canvas in 1942 by Carl Peters for the Works Progress… read more
The Charlotte Valley Central School in Davenport, New York was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $94,091 grant for the project, whose total cost was $200,180. Construction was completed in Nov…. read more
The neighborhood news source “Our Town” reports that in Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia’s speech at the dedication of the Chelsea Health Center on July 14, 1937, he “…insisted that he shouldn’t be praised for building the center – it was President… read more
On June 25, 1936, the Department of Parks announced the completion of a reconstructed area at this neighborhood park in Chelsea, explaining: “…the reconstructed area will have a large play area with one ball field, handball courts, complete play equipment… read more
This small park near the waterfront in Chelsea was first acquired by the NYC Parks Department in 1915. In 1923, the park was named in honor of Thomas F. Smith, a Chelsea native turned successful politician. It was further transformed… read more
The Works Progress Administration photo above shows the dikes constructed along Chemung River in Big Flats, New York to mitigate the flood hazard that the river posed to the town. Living New Deal does not know the present status and… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a dike at Liberty Street in Elmira, New York to mitigate the flood hazard posed by the Chemung River. Living New Deal does not know the current status of this project.
“[Stone] buildings were erected by workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. Two programs of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program to pull the country out of the Great Depression. They began working in 1933 — only… read more
NYSParks.com: “Located in Chenango Valley State Park in scenic Broome County, the original 9-hole course, known as Riverside Golf Course, was designed by engineer James Evans and landscape architect Laurie Cox and constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the… read more
Today’s NYC Parks website explains that: “The land now occupied by Cherry Clinton Playground was owned by the Board of Education through the first few decades of the 20th century, and was used as the Seventh Ward Athletic Field until… read more
Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park, New York was one of a number of parks in Erie County improved ca. 1936 by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA).
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 Children’s Court… read more
In November 1935 the WPA approved the provision of labor for the construction of curbs and gutters along Church Street in Bohemia, NY.
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) transformed what is now Plattsburgh’s City Beach “from a small inadequate watering place to its present high state. The bath house was enlarged, board walk constructed, nearly a mile of sandy beach graded and… read more
The main buildings of City College were constructed between 1903 and 1907 and the library was built in 1929. A new wing to the library was constructed in 1939 with funds labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
The historic Peekskill City Hall was constructed between May 1936 and 1937 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $57,272 grant for the project, whose total cost was $134,601. PWA Docket No. NY… read more
Alterations to City Hall were undertaken and the labor funded by the federal Civil Works Administration in 1934. In addition to physical modifications, the CWA funded clerical assistance: “The city has also been notified that salaries of an auditor and… read more
The federal Work Projects Administration worked to improve New Rochelle’s, New York’s city hall during the 1930s. One project, which involved numerous municipal buildings in New Rochelle, was described by the WPA in its project rolls: “Work includes performing carpentry,… read more
Wendell Jones painted the oil-on-canvas mural “Barn Raising” in 1942 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Originally painted for the city’s then-new post office, the mural is currently viewable in the lobby of Rome’s City Hall.
Artist Rosalind Bengelsdorf was “[o]ne of the youngest members of the American Abstract Artists… In 1935, she entered Hans Hofmann’s atelier as one of the many scholarship students he took on. The following year, she joined the abstract artists working… 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.
