New York Sites

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 77th St. and 5th Ave., is now called the James Michael Levin Playground. Although the 1936 press release does not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, the New Deal transformed much of Central Park in the 1930s. Furthermore, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks Department projects between 1934 and 1943 were accomplished with New Deal funds and/or labor, and that after April 1935, the WPA quickly...

"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 the statues around the base had been broken off by vandals, the bronze sword was missing, and the joinery and surface of the marble base were badly stained. In 1934 new fingers and toes and sword were created and affixed and the monument thoroughly cleaned the New Deal Monument Restoration Project under Karl Gruppe."   (kermitproject.org) As Carol Lowrey explains, “Gruppe was...

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 was "commissioned by Robert Moses as one of his 18 original playscapes for the park" (dnainfo). A 2015 article explained that a renovation would soon restore some of the original features that had since been lost. Although these sources do not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks...

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 Mother Goose series of fairy tales, has been erected in the circle at the entrance to the Mary Harriman Rumsey children's playground in Central Park, Manhattan, formerly the site of the old Casino. The statue consists of a large figure of the witch who is astride the goose's back; then on the east and west sides in bas-relief there are figures of...

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 new baseball fields in the old North Meadow, where ball playing had long gone on informally.       

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 1936 press release does not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, the New Deal transformed much of Central Park in the 1930s. Furthermore, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks Department projects between 1934 and 1943 were accomplished with New Deal funds and/or labor, and that after April 1935, the WPA quickly became...

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 Playground. Today's Central Park Conservancy website confirms that this is the park that was built "between 1935 and 1936 as part of the perimeter playground system." Although these sources do not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks Department projects between 1934 and 1943 were carried out...

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 an expensive restaurant known as the "Casino." The building was torn down by the WPA after a long legal fight between the restaurant owners and Robert Moses. On May 7th, 1937, the Department of Parks announced the completion of the new Mary Harriman Rumsey Playground and explained the legal conflict that had preceded it: "The Park Department announces that the Mary...

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 Playground. Today's Central Park Conservancy website confirms that this is the park that was originally built between 1935 and 1936. Although these sources do not mention the WPA or other New Deal agencies, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks Department projects between 1934 and 1943 were carried out with New Deal funds and/or labor,...

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 at West 66th Street was originally a “sheep fold”; that is, a barn for the sheep that used to graze on the Sheep Meadow." Meanwhile the Central Park Casino, an exclusive club for the rich and powerful situated across the park, was deemed an improper use of public land and torn down and the sheep fold converted into a ”popular priced...

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 W. Clark of Cortland, NY and constructed by Kirkpatrick & Chappell of Binghampton.

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 Nov. 1939. PWA Docket No. NY 1634

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 and 1939. The facility has since been greatly enlarged. PWA Docket No. NY 1500

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 district for the building's construction. The total cost of the project was $326,961. Construction on the school began March 1936 and was finished November 1937. The building has since been added to.

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 and $26,757 grant for the project, whose total cost was $102,066. Construction occurred between Oct. 1934 and Nov. 1935. The school has since relocated, and this building is currently abandoned. PWA Docket No. NY 6049

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 of the Altona Correctional Facility, a medium-security institution, with the building serving as "the central administrative and school building." (Wikipedia)

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 unknown; a new central school has since been constructed on State Route 8.

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 Administration (WPA)." (rochesterpublicart.com) "Peters’ series captures his understanding of the history of the Lake Ontario region, starting from the Native Americans who originally inhabited the land, to the final scene he called the “Triumph of the American Ideal." (https://mag.rochester.edu/murals/charlotte-high-school/) "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...

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. 1939. PWA Docket No. NY 1776

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 Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal...that made it possible." In 1934 the Mayor announced plans to build eight district health centers. The Chelsea clinic was the third of these Depression-era clinics to be built. The Mayor filed the plans for the Chelsea clinic in 1935. The plans were for the construction of a "... a three-story clinic on 9th Avenue and 27th Street,...

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 for small children and a wading pool." The park was further redesigned by the WPA in 1940, which added a new asphalt surface to west section of the park "graded so that it can be flooded for ice-skating when sub-freezing temperatures permit. In season it will be used for roller skating, roller hockey, softball, basketball and other group games." The WPA also...

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 in the 1930s: "In 1931 the park was compromised by the opening of the West Side also known as the Miller Elevated Highway, which bisected the property. Improvements were made to the easterly portion in the mid-1930s, including the introduction of handball and shuffle-bard courts, horseshoe pits, and London planetrees (Platanus x acerifolia)." More precisely, the Department of Parks press release announced...

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 exact location of this project.

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.

" 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 three years after the park opened on Memorial Day in 1930. Roads were built and drainage systems were put in by those workers in a park designed by Dr. Laurie Coz and students of Syracuse University’s School of Forestry. Using nature and its environs, they carefully sculpted out a park with forested areas for cabins and clear fields for sports fields,...

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 1930s. In 1967 the course was redesigned by Hal Purdy and expanded to 18 holes."

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 jurisdiction was transferred to Parks on June 16, 1938. The park was opened to the public on April 3, 1940 and included four paddle tennis courts, four handball courts, and a basketball-volleyball court." The 1940 press release announcing the playground's opening further explained that the playground was "designed by the Park Department and built by the Work Projects Administration."

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 building at 113(?) Schermerhorn St.

In November 1935 the WPA approved the provision of labor for the construction of curbs and gutters along Church Street in Bohemia, NY.

Citizen Genet School in East Greenbush, New York was constructed as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project from 1939-40. The building bears a 1939 cornerstone. Originally a K-12 school, the facility now houses an elementary school and central offices. Striking reliefs along the front of the building (five on each side of the main entrance) depict the attributes of society the students should strive to attain. The ten reliefs depict, respectively: Parent - Interest Kindergarten Academic Studies Social Life Manual Arts Athletics Citizenship Graduation Manhood Womanhood According to the East Greenbush Central School District, "As the United States of America was...

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 cleared, diving floats installed and a refreshment stand and parking area constructed so that it is now possible to take care of more than 10,000 bathers at one time." (Plattsburgh Daily Press)

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 W1054.

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 two clerks engaged in the distribution of surplus foods will be paid by CWA."

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, masonry, and sheet metal work; excavating and constructing walls; painting, placing tile, and roofing." WPA Official Project No. 665-21-2-635.