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  • Albee Avenue Overpass - Staten Island NY
    The bridge carrying Albee Avenue over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1940, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
  • Annadale Railway Station - Staten Island NY
    The Annadale 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 Annadale Road, which is still in use.
  • Annadale Road Overpass - Staten Island NY
    The bridge carrying Annadale Road over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1938, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
  • Arbutus Woods Park Improvements - Staten Island NY
    "During the Great Depression, the federal government established the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to employ Americans in a series of public construction projects. Almost 19,000 New Yorkers labored on Staten Island. They built sidewalks through wooded areas that were supposed to eventually have roads laid through them. Many of these planned roads were never built, but the sidewalks remain in many of the island’s parks, including this one. Remnants of unfinished roadbeds for Eyelandt and Collins Avenues run through or near the park as well."
  • Austin J. McDonald Playground - Staten Island NY
    From NYC Parks: "In 1918, the War Memorial Fund was established to create a $1 million Memorial Arch to commemorate those killed in World War I. The organizers were forced to adjust their plans when they were only able to raise $210,000. By 1922 the project was scrapped and the money turned over to the City. Through time, the unspent fund earned interest, growing to nearly $340,000 by 1934. Commissioner Robert Moses (1888–1981), seeking additional open spaces for children, convinced the remaining members of the War Memorial Committee to allow the funds to be used for playgrounds... The War Memorial Fund was...
  • Bachmann Railway Station Demolition - Staten Island NY
    The Bachmann railway station was demolished 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 Bachmann Station "was located east of Tompkins Avenue, between Lynhurst and Chestnut Avenues." 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.
  • Bayley Seton Hospital - Staten Island NY
    Originally the United States Marine Hospital, what is now Richmond University Medical Center's Bayley Seton Hospital was a PWA project. It is described by the Federal Writers' Project: "United States Marine Hospital, Bay Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, a Federal hospital operated by the United States Public Health Service, is open to personnel of the Merchant Marine and Coast Guard, and to certain classes of Government employees. Constructed in 1933-6 by the PWA at a cost of two million dollars, the tawny-colored brick buildings with a silver tower cover an area of eighteen acres. Louis A. Simon was the supervising architect. This...
  • Belair Road Railway Station (demolished) Reconstruction - Staten Island NY
    The Belair Road railway station was rebuilt as a concrete structure 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 station "at Vermont Avenue, between Belair Road & St. Johns Avenue." Long since abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953), the structure has since been demolished. 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.
  • Borough Hall Improvements - Staten Island NY
    The federal Works Progress Administration worked to "renovate and repair" several buildings in Staten Island as part of a $225,507 project begun in 1935. Buildings improved included Staten Island's Borough Hall.
  • Borough Hall Murals - Staten Island NY
    The grand lobby of Borough Hall contains a series of Depression Era bas-reliefs and 13 large murals painted by Frederick Charles Stahr in 1940 under the auspices of the WPA Arts Project. The murals illustrate important events in Staten Island history. With only slight exaggeration, a local source claims that "the murals are the largest and most accessible WPA collection in New York City" (Staten Island USA)  They are, in any case, hugely impressive. There are thirteen 6.5 x 13-foot oil-on-canvas murals.  The individual titles are: Giovanni da Verrazzano Discovers Staten Island, 1524 Henry Hudson Anchors off Staaten Eylandt in 1609 Cornelius Melyn Trades...
  • Casleton Ave. Sewers - Staten Island NY
    This WPA photo shows WPA workers "cleaning, straightening, and improving storm drain" on Casleton Ave. in Staten Island (then known as the Borough of Richmond).
  • Cedar Avenue Railway Station (demolished) Reconstruction - Staten Island NY
    The Cedar Avenue railway station was rebuilt as a concrete structure 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 station was located around Cedar Avenue, at about Jackson Ave. and Retner St. Long since abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953), the structure has since been demolished. 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.
  • Clove Lakes Park Development - Staten Island NY
    SILive.com: "Among the other major WPA projects on the Island were ... development of park lands at Clove Lakes Park."
  • Conference House Restoration - Staten Island NY
    The Conference House (also known as the Billopp House) is located on the southernmost tip of Staten Island in the Tottenville neighborhood. "The Conference House, a grand stone manor house built in 1680, is named for the unsuccessful Revolutionary War peace conference that was held here on September 11, 1776 between the Americans and the English. Despite their negotiations to end the fighting, no agreement was reached and the Revolutionary War continued for another seven years" (www.nycgovparks.org). The house is now a historic landmark and a museum. The restoration of the house began in 1926 and continued through the 1930s....
  • Craig Avenue Surfacing - Staten Island NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Staten Island 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 bituminous macadam. Roads paved included the 0.6-mile stretch of Craig Avenue between Johnson Avenue and Bethel Avenue.
  • Curtis High School Addition - Staten Island NY
    In 1937 an addition to Staten Island's Curtis High School was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The building is still in use today.
  • Dehart Avenue Overpass - Staten Island NY
    The overpass carrying Dehart Avenue over what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway) was constructed during the mid-1930s, in conjunction with the lowering of the railroad right-of-way, as one link in a massive grade crossing removal project. 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.
  • Dubois Avenue Yard Improvements - Staten Island NY
    The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) put men to work beginning in 1935 on an improvement project at the city-owned Dubois Avenue Yard. A $125,473 project involved the construction of two extensions to garage buildings at the then-Highway Department facility: one 100' x 50' and the other 63' x 50'. A $84,000 project entailed "building repair and alterations" at the facility. The site (albeit with newer construction) is still in use by New York City's Department of Transportation.
  • Elm Park Railway Station (abandoned) - Staten Island NY
    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.
  • Eltingville Railway Station - Staten Island NY
    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.
  • F.D.R. Boardwalk - Staten Island NY
    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...
  • Fingerboard Road Grade Separation (no longer extant) - Staten Island NY
    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...
  • Fort Wadsworth Improvements - Staten Island NY
    The WPA undertook several projects to improve Staten Island's Fort Wadsworth during the 1930s and early 1940s. One project called for the WPA to repair and reconstruct buildings; improve the "water and lighting installations" as well as "sewer installation and other utilities" at; and "improve the roads and grounds" at the base.
  • Fort Wadsworth Railway Station (demolished) Reconstruction - Staten Island NY
    The Fort Wadsworth railway station was rebuilt as a concrete structure 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 station was located between Fingerboard Road and the intersection of Tompkins Ave. and Lyman Ave. Long since abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953), the structure has since been demolished. 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.
  • George Cromwell Recreation Center (demolished) - Staten Island NY
    "In 1934, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) converted an eleven-year-old pier into a waterside recreation center at a cost of one million dollars. ... Opened in 1936, the George Cromwell Recreation Center soon came to play a vital role in Staten Island’s sports and recreational activities. President Roosevelt hosted a gala ball there in 1939, and Sugar Ray Robinson fought his last amateur fight there in 1940." "(...) the city took $1 million from the federal Works Progress Administration, which was headquartered at the pier, to convert the structure — known as Pier 6, located on Murray Hulbert Avenue — into a...
  • Giffords Lane Overpass - Staten Island NY
    The bridge carrying Giffords Lane over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1939, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
  • Granite Avenue Overpass - Staten Island NY
    The overpass carrying Granite Avenue over what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway) was constructed in 1937, in conjunction with the lowering of the railroad right-of-way, as one link in a massive grade crossing removal project. 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.
  • Great Kills Railway Station - Staten Island NY
    The Great Kills 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 Giffords Lane, which is still in use.
  • Greaves Avenue Overpass (replaced) - Staten Island NY
    A bridge carrying Greaves Avenue over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in the late 1930s, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The project was referred in an article as Great Kills Road (possibly a former name for Greaves). National Bridge Inventory data indicate that the bridge has since been replaced.
  • Greenleaf Avenue Surfacing - Staten Island NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Staten Island 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 bituminous macadam. Roads paved included the stretch of Greenleaf Avenue between Constant Ave. and Sawyer Ave.
  • Grymes Hill-Area Road Surfacing - Staten Island NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Staten Island 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 bituminous macadam. Roads paved included the stretches of: Van Cortlandt Avenue between Clove Road and Rugby Ave. Rugby Avenue between Grand Ave. and Highland Ave. Grand Avenue between Rugby Ave. and Victory Blvd. Dudley Avenue between Clove Road and Rugby Ave.
  • Grymes Hill-Area Street Development - Staten Island NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Staten Island project that removed dangerous street ditches from roads throughout the borough. Granite block gutters and headers were installed by WPA laborers along nearly a dozen streets, including the stretches of adjacent Waverly Place and Irving Place between Van Duzer and Targee Streets.
  • Harbor Road Overpass - Staten Island NY
    The overpass carrying Harbor Road over what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway) was constructed during the mid-1930s, in conjunction with the lowering of the railroad right-of-way, as one link in a massive grade crossing removal project. 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.
  • Harbor Road Railway Station (demolished) - Staten Island NY
    The Harbor Road 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, island platform facility, it was located off Harbor Road to the west. The station was long since abandoned before its demolition in 2004. 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.
  • Hoffman Island Improvements - Staten Island NY
    The WPA worked during the late 1930s to improve "properties of the U.S. Maritime Commission on Hoffman and Swinburne Island in New York Bay" in New York City. Each island was previously artificially created and was, at the time, being used for the U.S. Merchant Marine as a training station. WPA work on the islands included "reconditioning buildings, grounds, utilities and facilities; excavating; back-filling; draining; painting; improving roads and walks; installing electrical and heating facilities; grading and landscaping grounds; doing carpentry and demolition work ..." Approximately $210,000 was dedicated to these projects as well as work to "the Maritime Ship 'Tusitala' at...
  • Hope Avenue Grade Separation (no longer extant) - Staten Island NY
    A railway-crossing bridge carrying Hope Avenue 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 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.
  • Howard Avenue Improvements - Staten Island NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with Staten Island street repair and maintenance projects along roads throughout the borough. One project involved the widening and paving of what was then known as Serpentine Road, now a part of Howard Avenue, in the Grymes Hill section of Staten Island. Additional work on the 4,000-foot stretch between Clove Road and Howard Avenue (now, about the intersection of Howard Avenue and Signal Hill Road) involved "reducing the curvature" to make bends less dangerous. (This was, after all, Serpentine Road!)
  • Huguenot Avenue Overpass - Staten Island NY
    The bridge carrying Huguenot Avenue over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1938, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).
  • Huguenot Park-Area Road Development - Staten Island NY
    The federal Work Projects Administration put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Staten Island project that removed dangerous street ditches from roads throughout the borough. Granite block gutters and headers were installed by WPA laborers along a dozen streets, including from Huguenot Avenue from Amboy Road to the Staten Island Railway tracks and along Amboy Road between Huguenot Avenue and the same railroad.
  • Huguenot Railway Station - Staten Island NY
    The Huguenot 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 Huguenot Avenue, which is still in use.
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