Angelica Dam (demolished) – Reading PA
Refurbishing of Reading, Pennsylvania’s former Angelica [Lake] Dam was made possible by the WPA. The dam was damaged in 2001 and is no longer extant.
Antietam Dam Refurbishing – Reading PA
Refurbishing of Reading, Pennsylvania’s Antietam Dam, which created the Antietam Reservoir, was conducted by the WPA.
Berks County Courthouse Improvements – Reading PA
A WPA project in Reading, Pennsylvania involved “washing all of the exterior of the old 19-story county courthouse” and painting its interior. The project provided work for 19 laborers during the summer of 1939.
City Hall Improvements – Reading PA
Reading, Pennsylvania’s City Hall was built in 1904 as a high school and became the city hall in 1928. The WPA helped to clean and paint the building during the New Deal.
City Park Fireman’s Memorial Bandshell – Reading PA
Reading, Pennsylvania’s historic City Park Fireman’s Memorial Bandshell was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. “The City Park Fireman’s Memorial Bandshell was dedicated on Labor Day in 1939. The Bandshell, located… read more
List Road Wall – Reading PA
WPA workers constructed a stone wall along part of the northern portions of Oak Lane in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Northwest Branch Library – Reading PA
Reading, Pennsylvania’s historic Northwest Branch Library was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. PWA Docket No. X2138
Northwest Junior High School – Reading PA
The Public Works Administration funded the construction of Northwest Junior High School, completed in 1935. Windows and doors were recently replaced, but the school retains its original elements. Muhlenberg Greene Architects (at the time of construction was called Muhlenberg, Yerkes,… read more
Oak Lane Wall – Reading PA
WPA workers constructed a stone wall along part of the northern portions of Oak Lane in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Reading Fire Department EMS Station – Reading PA
The Reading Fire Department EMS Station was built as a New Deal project: the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $33,789 grant for the project, whose total cost was $69,493. A 1939 cornerstone can be found at the northeast corner. The facility was dedicated October 9,… read more
Reading Regional Airport Improvements – Reading PA
The New Deal had an impact on the development of Reading Regional Airport. Reading Eagle: The Work Projects Administration (WPA) “built terminal buildings and created runways for Reading Regional Airport in 1941.” The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a grant… read more
Reservoir (former) – Reading PA
A reservoir serving Reading, Pennsylvania was constructed during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The reservoir has since been demolished. Reading Times: “[T]he new concrete reservoir on Mt. Penn, at the head of… read more
Schlegel Park Improvements – Reading PA
Schlegel Park in Reading, Pennsylvania is one of many local parks that was improved by the WPA during the New Deal. WPA workers constructed a new field house in the park.
Skyline Drive Improvements – Reading PA
Skyline Drive was improved and a stone wall built by WPA workers along the road “from the Pagoda to McKnight’s Gap,” a distance of nearly three miles through a large area park.
William Penn Memorial Fire Tower – Reading PA
The PWA completed this stone fire observation tower atop Mt. Penn, overlooking Reading, PA and the surrounding area, in 1939. From the Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania interactive website: “When President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal created the… read more
