New Deal Daily, July 3, 2018: “While in the WPA, Zemnick created several sculptures highlighting the transportation history of Ohio. The pieces were created ca. 1935-1939. They are now incorporated into a multi-panel history display at the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (AMHA).”… read more
Birmingham School #2 in Birmingham, Ohio received an auditorium/gymnasium addition in 1936 as a New Deal project, with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The PWA provided a $11,371 grant for the project, whose total cost was $25,667. The building was… read more
“Brecksville Nature Center was created in 1939 by Works Progress Administration craftsmen. Excellent examples of chestnut carpentry with curved walnut leaves, wrought iron work and native stones grace the building inside and out.”
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) “constructed a new entrance to Brookside Drive” in Amherst, Ohio.
“Trailside Nature Museum: This fieldstone building was completed in 1939, a combined project between the PWA and the CCC and designed by Freund. It reflects the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright with its horizontal design and rustic stone work. All… read more
“Besides constructing the amphitheater, workers from the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) also helped drain the ravine which Cain Park is situated in, covering up and culverting the creek that ran through its center. Attractive landscaping, tennis courts, ball… read more
Workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the amphitheater at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, Ohio during the 1930s. “CAIN PARK THEATER was the first municipally owned and operated outdoor theater in the U.S. … A permanent 3,000-seat open-air… read more
During the Great Depression factory jobs were sparse, and unemployment was high because not many could afford consumer goods. Therefore, F.D.R. created programs, including the Works Progress Administration (WPA), to put people back to work through the development of public… read more
California Woods Nature Preserve was built in 1938 by Hubert M. Garriott and John W. Becker . The WPA hired local workers to built this modern 2 story pool house. Surrounded by woods and beautiful scenery, people got to enjoy… read more
According to an article in the Youngstown Vindicator, the Works Progress Administration expanded the grandstand at the Canfield Fairgrounds in 1936. A historical marker on the fairgrounds credits the “Works Progress Alliance” (presumably a typographical error) with the construction of… read more
“The Canfield WPA Memorial Building was constructed by the Works Progress Administration, a federal government program instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as an effort to aid the United States in its recovery from the Great Depression of the late… read more
Cleveland’s Carter Road Lift Bridge, which spans the Cuyahoga River, was constructed in 1940 with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The building is still in service.
CCC Camp Greene was located on W. 2nd St. in Xenia, OH from 1935 to 1942. CCC boy Harold Kilgore’s CCC papers (pictured below) lists some of the activities the CCC engaged in from Camp Greene, including: fence construction, timber… read more
The historic Cedar-Central public housing complex in Cleveland, Ohio was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds during the 1930s. “The Outhwaite Homes Estates, along with the Cedar Apartments and Lakeview Terrace, were the first three… read more
The Public Works Administration contributed $35,000 for the construction of a new auditorium and gymnasium for David Anderson High School. Ground was broken for the project on December 9th 1937 and the structure was dedicated on October 3rd 1938. The… read more
Completed in 1936 to provide space for community theater and musical performances, this beautiful Works Progress Administration stone amphitheater remains in good condition in Chestnut Ridge Park, off of East Avenue in Akron, Ohio. The amphitheater has been given Ohio… read more
The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Bear Pit at the Cincinnati Zoo in Cincinnati OH. The enclosure contained three pits for polar and brown bears. The design of the exhibit sought to emulate a natural environment for… read more
The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Reptile Building at the Cincinnati Zoo in Cincinnati OH. The design of the exhibits and air conditioning system sought to emulate the natural habitat for the animals. The diorama exhibits included… read more
“The new city hall at Delaware replaces a building which was built in 1873 and which was destroyed by fire in 1934. Following the fire, the city offices were housed in an abandoned school building, the fire department occupied rented… read more
Euclid, Ohio’s historic former city hall building was constructed with the assistance of the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the 1930s. The building now houses the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum (‘Polka Hall of Fame’). “Construction… read more
The Hamilton Municipal Building (city hall), now the Heritage Hall Museum, was constructed as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. “This project included, in addition to the construction of the municipal building, the purchase of a site which was selected… read more
“City Hall, located at 90 West Broad Street, occupied (with its park) an entire block in the civic center. The five-story structure of Indiana limestone, in Greco-Roman style, was designed by the Allied Architects Association of Columbus and cost $1,700,000…. read more
The felony division courthouse for Clermont County, Ohio, was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1936. The original Clermont County courthouse was built in 1829 by Arch/Contr- Ezekiel Dimmit. The new one that still stands today… read more
Now Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, what was then Cleveland Municipal Airport was dramatically developed as part of a massive federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) project.
“In the Cleveland region, the Cleveland Public Library was the largest recipient of art that was funded by Federal programs in the Depression era. The leadership of Linda Eastman, Library Director from 1918 to 1938, was crucial. She believed in… read more
“Cleveland has seen its share of blunders over the years, and each one has been well publicized. What receives little or no acknowledgement though is that Cleveland has produced its share of treasures as well. One such treasure is the… read more
“In the Cleveland region, the Cleveland Public Library was the largest recipient of art that was funded by Federal programs in the Depression era. The leadership of Linda Eastman, Library Director from 1918 to 1938, was crucial. She believed in… read more
“In the Cleveland region, the Cleveland Public Library was the largest recipient of art that was funded by Federal programs in the Depression era. The leadership of Linda Eastman, Library Director from 1918 to 1938, was crucial. She believed in… read more
“In Cleveland, William Milliken lobbied for a regionalist painting style. His brand, however, was slightly different from the national version. He encouraged local artists to interpret their immediate surroundings in ways that contributed toward a rapport with the public and… read more
The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: “MEMORIAL SHOREWAY (officially called Cleveland Memorial Shoreway), was the first east-west freeway in Greater Cleveland. Originally a strip of road along the lakefront from E. 9th to E. 55th, the 4-mile stretch of road was… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) supplied labor for the development of what is now known as the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
U.S. Route 50, commonly known in Cincinnati as Columbia Parkway, was a project built in association with the Works Progress Administration. The highway runs through Southern Ohio from east to west. It passes through Cincinnati, Chillicothe, and Athens. The highway… read more
BridgeHunter.com attributes the Columbus Road Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio as having been constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds.
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided labor to improve Crownhill Cemetery in Amherst, Ohio in 1934.
“The Gardens were developed as a joint effort between Cleveland’s ethnic communities, the City of Cleveland and the Federal Government – namely the Work Progress Administration. This is one of the aspects that sets this park aside as a historically… read more
Between 1933 and 1939, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided labor for the construction of the Virginia Kendall Park Reserve, now Cuyahoga Valley National Park (est. 2000), in Peninsula, Ohio during the Great Depression. 530 acres of land willed and… read more
“Established in 1867, the Central Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Dayton, Ohio (now the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center) was one of the three original branches in the National Home system, which provided medical and rehabilitative care… read more
“The first All-American race was held in Dayton in 1934. The following year, the race was moved to Akron because of its central location and hilly terrain. In 1936, Akron civic leaders recognized the need for a permanent track site… read more
The Public Works Administration financed the construction of the facility with an $8,990,000 grant. Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of three wastewater and sewerage treatment facilities in the Cleveland area. According to a 2015 Pittsburg Post and Gazette article,… read more
