The sidewalk along Angell Street connecting Wayland Square to the Brown University campus through the Historic Wayland Square neighborhood is WPA-built. Angell runs adjacent to the Brown athletic facilities and the Wheeler School, and is heavily trafficked by joggers… read more
A standard, Colonial Revival post office. Examples of this building can be seen all over the country. This building serves as the central post office for the city of Warwick. The building is notable for its 1942 mural by Paul… read more
Completed in 1942, this mural “Apponaug Fishermen” by artist Paul Sample depicts local shellfishers in Apponaug Cove. It resides in the Apponaug Post Office, dedicated in 1940.
The PWA built an addition of several classrooms onto the rear of the original 1920s building. The building is in an abstracted Colonial Revival style. The addition was designed by Traficante & Niebuhr of East Providence. After being retired from… read more
Sidewalks lining Conimicut’s Beach Avenue. Parts have been replaced and removed over the years, but WPA stamps remain.
“One of my favorite places in Providence is Blackstone Boulevard, the tree-lined, two-mile stretch of road on the East Side that is a popular destination for joggers, walkers, readers and painters. At both ends of the boulevard, there are tiny… read more
The waterfront area of Blackstone Park in Providence was a WPA project. However, the photograph below comes from an archive of FERA projects, indicating that agency’s potential involvement as well.
The WPA-built stone wall runs 1000 feet along the Blackstone River through Pawtucket, adjacent to Pawtucket City Hall and Historic Slater Mill. Both of those sites are located on Roosevelt Ave and are on the National Registry of Historic Places. The… read more
The PWA built a two-story addition to the original 1922 building. Both the addition and original building have been demolished. The addition was designed by East Providence architects Traficante & Niebuhr.
Under the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), “a large drainage system was built along Bourne Avenue” in East Providence.
“At the southern-most tip of Aquidneck Island lies a WPA sea wall that helps protect the historic seaside city of Newport, Rhode Island. Just feet inland from the 10-foot-high concrete sea wall that runs over a mile sit some of… read more
“During 1934-35 the building was refurbished as a PWA project under the direction of Bristol architect Wallis E. Howe, a partner in the firm Howe & Church. The original Tuscan-columned portico was replaced with a “Gothic” design of clustered colonettes,… read more
“During the 1930s, taking advantage of the public works programs offered by the Depression-era New Deal, Burlingame became home to the 141st Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was the first, the state headquarters, and one of five such… read more
“Cardines Field, “a small urban gem of a ballpark” is a baseball stadium located at 20 America’s Cup Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Wikipedia: “Stone and concrete bleachers were built along the third-base line by the Works Progress Administration (WPA)… read more
In early 1935, PWA crews conducted renovations and improvements to the Henry R. A. Carey School, which dated to 1896. The school closed in 2010, and in 2014 was renovated again as luxury condominiums and renamed the Carey School Residences.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted a sewer installation / improvement project along Cass Avenue in Woonsocket.
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed greatly to the development of the park system in Woonsocket, R.I. Cass Park benefited as the result of multiple improvements. Woonsocket, RI: A Centennial History, states: The Woonsocket Call of September 28, 1935,… read more
A small brick school building, built to replace a wooden school on the same site. It was designed by Albert Harkness of Providence, who also designed the Harmony School at the same time. The school replaced five one-room schools in… read more
After winning the mayoralty in 1934, Ernest L. Sprague “called for the building of a new city hall because the existing one in Knightsville was a ‘fire hazard’ … Within a few months … Sprague had secured a federal grant… read more
“The new city hall provides quarters for all of the municipal departments and is part of a civic center group which includes the Central High School and the Memorial Bridge. Its over-all dimensions are 285 by 90 feet and the… read more
The W.P.A. constructed sidewalks in Newport, Rhode Island, including at what one photographer calls “Cliff Walk Beach.”
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed greatly to the development of the park system in Woonsocket, R.I. Cold Spring Park benefited from landscaping improvements and the development of athletic fields.
New Deal-funded crews built an addition to the Calvert School, now Cranston Calvert Elementary. The school closed in 2013, though the building remains standing as of May 2015. The Newport Mercury, linked below, suggests that funding was through the PWA:… read more
A large, vaguely classical styled structure, built by the WPA as Cranston’s main stadium. It was designed by Providence architects and engineers Frank P. Sheldon & Son. It is mainly used for high school athletics, but also occasionally hosts larger… read more
“Dawley Memorial Park [is] a 200-acre tract of woodland [in Rhode Island] that was given to the State in 1933 by Mrs. Mary W. Dawley of the village of Wyoming. It is a memorial to her husband, Amos J. Dawley,… read more
A two-story International Style building, intended to house the city’s Department of Public Works, built by the WPA in 1936.
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed greatly to the development of the park system in Woonsocket, R.I. Dunn Park benefited from landscaping improvements and construction of a 600-foot stone boundary wall.
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a 600-foot stone wall along the Mason Street and Asylum Street edges of Dunn Park. As of 2016 the wall remains in great condition. The wall bears four WPA stamps; see map provided… read more
Woonsocket, RI: A Centennial History, states: “some of Woonsocket’s [WPA] relief workers were involved in the demolition of a long-time textile operation in the city, the Eagle Mill below Court Street Bridge, which had been in operation for 105 years.”
“In 1939, … there were thirty-two men employed [by the WPA], eight of them on the East Ferry waterfront upgrade.” Work included construction of a seawall, in which are embedded “Built by Work Projects Administration; R.I. 1940” shield plaques.
In 1934 the PWA built this third floor addition to the existing high school building, which was completed in 1908. The Colonial Revival building was later occupied by the junior high, which itself later moved out. It is currently elderly… read more
“Elmwood Avenue, which connects the Boston Post Road to I-95 and is Route 1 in Providence, was widened by WPA workers.”
Smithfield, Rhode Island’s Fire Department building in Greenville was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project between December 1938 and June 1939. The PWA supplied a $14,040 grant; the total cost of the project was $31,427. (PWA Docket… read more
The W.P.A. constructed sidewalks in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, including along West Forest Ave. There is a Works Projects Administration 1941 medallion embedded in the sidewalk in front of 238 W. Forest Ave.
The WPA restored this fort at some point prior to 1938. From Rhode Island: A Guide to the Smallest State: “[T]he Works Progress Administration has restored the old fort, graded the land, and converted it into a park.” The site… read more
In Newport, Rhode Island “the WPA built sidewalks and most of the stone walls, grandstands, concession buildings and other facilities in Newport’s public parks. Vernon Park, Freebody Park and Cardines Field are the most visible examples.” At Freebody Park, the… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed greatly to the development of the park system in Woonsocket, R.I. Globe Park benefited from landscaping improvements and the construction of picnic areas and fireplaces.
WPA crews built fireplaces and reproduction Narragansett Indian villages for Warwick’s 300th anniversary in 1936. Crews also built a field house in the park, but it does not appear to be extant. The precise location of fireplaces is unclear in… read more
This PWA building was constructed in 1937-38 and demolished in 2013. A two-story Art Deco building intended to house both hangar and terminal facilities. The architects were Jackson, Robertson & Adams. The building was torn down as a safety measure… read more
