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  • 21st Street Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the 21st Street Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 36 living units was built for African American national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It...
  • 25th Street Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the 25th Street Houses in Washington, DC in 1944. This development of 40 living units was built for white national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced...
  • 35th Street Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the 35th Street Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 75 living units was built for white national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced...
  • Alabama Avenue SE Water Main - Washington DC
    The Civil Works Administration (CWA) installed a 16-inch water main along Alabama Avenue SE in 1933-4. This was at the beginning of an extensive program of building new water mains and sewers all across the District of Columbia by New Deal agencies.
  • Albemarle Street NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made improvements to a segment of Albemarle Street NW, between Reno Road and Thirty-Eighth Street, in 1938-39.    The WPA graded the road and prepared it for paving with a foundation of salvaged material: “The old material is obtained from old roadways which have deteriorated due to the strain of heavy later-day traffic and were replaced by new standard type pavements.”   “The improvement of this roadway opened up traffic eastward to the new boulevard at Forty-sixth Street NW, between Massachusetts Avenue and River Road, and also served as an entrance to the new private developments in this vicinity.”   This...
  • Anacostia Drive SE Improvements - Washington DC
    Anacostia Drive, which runs through Anacostia Park and alongside the Anacostia River, was almost certainly worked on during the New Deal – more than once – though the evidence is not conclusive.  According to a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project card on file in the National Archives, the WPA office approved a project to grade Anacostia Road (now Drive) in 1935. This work has not been confirmed, but since the WPA did almost $1 million worth of road work in the district in 1935-36, including roads like Good Hope SE, and also did extensive work on Anacostia Park during that time, it...
  • Anacostia Interceptor Sewer and Pumping Station - Washington DC
    In fiscal year 1934, the DC Government reported that the Public Works Administration (PWA) had allotted $1,759,500 for five sewer projects in the District: northeast boundary sewer, Piney Branch relief sewer, outfall sewer, upper Potomac interceptor, and upper Anacostia main interceptor and pumping station. The initial PWA allotment for the Anacostia Interceptor and pumping station was $231,000. This was significantly reduced, however, after Maryland decided to limit its pollution into the Anacostia River by building treatment plants in the general area of the proposed Anacostia Interceptor. In March 1934, the Peter D’Amato Construction Company was awarded a contract for $47,504 to install...
  • Anacostia Park: Improvements - Washington DC
    Anacostia Park is one of Washington DC's two largest parks and recreation areas, along with Rock Creek Park.  It covers over 1200 acres along the Anacostia River from South Capitol Street SE to the Maryland boundary in NE.  The New Deal improved the park in major ways, after the Capital Parks system was put under the control of the National Park Service (NPS) by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. New Deal public works agencies developed such key features of the park as Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Langston Golf Course and Anacostia Pool (see linked pages). Besides those major elements, improvements included,...
  • Anacostia Park: Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens - Washington DC
    Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens is situated on the banks of the Anacostia River at the north end of Anacostia Park.  It is a marsh area that includes several cultivated ponds preserving rare waterlilies and lotuses. Originally known as the Shaw Lily Garden, it was saved from destruction by dredging in the Anacostia River in the 1930s. The park and gardens were taken under the wing of the National Park Service (NPS) as part of Anacostia Park and the Capitol Parks system and expanded with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which worked in Anacostia Park for several years...
  • Anacostia Park: Langston Golf Course - Washington DC
    The Langston Golf Course in Anacostia Park was opened as a 9-hole course in 1939 (and expanded to 18 holes in the 1950s). It was constructed with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Project Administration (WPA). The course is named for John Mercer Langston, an African American who was the first dean of the Howard University School of Law, first president of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (now Virginia State University), and first African American elected to the United States Congress from Virginia.  The black golfing community formed the Royal Golf Club in 1933 to agitate for a...
  • Anacostia Park: Pool and Recreation Center Building - Washington DC
    The present day Anacostia Pool & Recreation Center was constructed at the very end of the New Deal, as it overlapped with the country's entry into World War II.   On May 15, 1942, the Evening Star newspaper reported that “A $69,000 recreation center for servicemen to be erected in Anacostia and operated by the United Service Organization has been approved by President Roosevelt… the new center will include a large social hall, refreshment stand, reading, writing, and game rooms and other facilities. The hall will be used for dances, movies and sports.” The Federal Works Agency (FWA) was to plan...
  • Anacostia Park: Swimming Pool - Washington DC
    In 1936, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $69,036 for the construction of a swimming pool in Anacostia Park (about $1.3 million in 2020 dollars). The pool was built by the BZ Contracting Company of New York and completed in early 1937. It was reported that, “The new pool will accommodate about 500 swimmers” (Evening Star, January 24, 1937). In 1949, Anacostia Pool was the scene of fighting when black youths attempted to use the facility, which was formally not segregated but, in practice, used exclusively by whites. A pro-segregation group was irritated when white members of the “Young Progressives” handed...
  • Anacostia SE Water Main - Washington DC
    In 1942, the Washington Post reported the approval of funds for the Federal Works Agency (FWA) to construct a major water main from 18th Street and Minnesota Avenue to Firth Sterling Avenue and Stevens Road, to serve the Fairlawn, Anacostia and Barry Farm neighborhoods of the district's southeast quadrant. This project was part of a much larger program of water, sewer and road projects in the District in the early 1940s.
  • Anthony Bowen Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Anthony Bowen Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 86 living units was built for African American national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It...
  • Aqueduct Bridge Demolition - Washington DC
    Although the New Deal is best known for creation and construction, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) also put unemployed people to work demolishing obsolete structures. In the winter of 1933-34, CWA crews took down the old Aqueduct Bridge, a canal bridge built in 1843 that closed in 1923 when the nearby Key Bridge opened. An abutment of the bridge still remains, overlooking the Potomac Boat Club boathouse.
  • Arlington Memorial Bridge Approach - Washington DC
    The Arlington Memorial Bridge across the Potomac River was completed in 1932, but considerable finishing work remained to be done at each end.  In late 1933, the Washington Post reported that $32,000 was appropriated for the Public Works Administration (PWA) to construct retaining walls for the approaches and sidewalks leading to the bridge on the east (DC) side of the river. The work would have almost certainly been completed in 1934. The wonderful statues on the bridge approach have only a minor New Deal dimension: plans for the statues were drawn up in the 1920s, plaster casts were made in the...
  • Bald Eagle Hill Children’s Health Camp (former) - Washington DC
    The Bald Eagle Hill Children’s Health Camp was built in 1936-1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for children suffering from tuberculosis. The camp’s address was 4900 Nichols Avenue SE, which is now Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.  The camp was located at the southern end of the avenue, near its intersection with Joliet Street, which is the site of today’s Bald Eagle Recreation Center. This WPA-built camp replaced a smaller tuberculosis facility in Northwest DC and cost between $79,000 and $110,000 to construct. In 1939, the Sunday Star described the camp: “Scattered over nearly five acres of grassy hilltop land overlooking...
  • Banneker Recreation Center Development - Washington DC
    During the 1930s, Banneker Recreation Area was developed as part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program undertaken by the Public Works Administration (PWA), Civil Work Adminstration (CWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Notably, the CWA was responsible for the completion of the historic Banneker Swimming Pool and Bath House in 1933-34.  Those facilities are still in place. Other New Deal work at Banneker included: “...tennis courts built; baseball diamond, football and soccer fields graded and equipped; running track and horseshoe courts installed; landscaping around field house completed.”   (National Archives) Most of this was probably done by the WPA, which...
  • Barnaby Street NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Barnaby Street NW, from Utah Avenue to Arcadia Place. This was a WPA curb and gutter project: “This project was 1,200 feet long and serves the recent developments in this vicinity.”
  • Barry Farm Dwellings - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the United States Housing Authority (USHA) funded the construction of the Barry Farm Dwellings in Washington, DC between 1941 and 1943. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a federally controlled special authority. It then slowly evolved into today’s DC Housing Authority, an independent agency of the DC Government. Beginning in December 1941, the ADA was ordered to prioritize housing for war workers. Barry Farm...
  • Barry Farm Dwellings Administration and Community Building - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) funded the construction of an administration and community building for the Barry Farm Dwellings and surrounding community, ca. 1941-1943. It is unknown to the Living New Deal if this building still exists. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed from 1934-1943 as a federally controlled special authority. It then slowly evolved into today’s DC Housing Authority, an independent agency of the DC Government. The Barry Farm Dwellings Administration and...
  • Barry Farm Playground - Washington DC
    In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $18,204 by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for new construction and improvements to the Barry Farm Playground. As part of the PlayDC initiative, the recreation center on the site was demolished in 2014 to make way for a new facility. It is unclear if traces of the New Deal work at the playground were lost in the process.
  • Battery Kemble Park Improvements - Washington DC
    In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted cleanup efforts at Battery Kemble Park, the site of a Civil War-era fort in the city's western corner. Crews removed underbrush, poisonous plants, and dead trees to make the park more welcoming to the public.
  • Bellevue Magazine: Buildings and Roadway - Washington DC
    In 1940, the Washington Post reported allocation of funding to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for improvements to naval facilities in the city's southeast quadrant: "A group of 685 men working on an additional ammunition depot and buildings for the United States Naval Research Laboratory at Bellevue, a naval torpedo station in Alexandria, Va., and storage facilities at the Navy Yard proper for ordnance and improvement of all utility facilities. Cost, $400,000." In 1942, the Washington Post reported on cuts to WPA funding that were affecting military projects, but noted roadway improvements and new building construction at the Bellevue Magazine naval facility...
  • Benning Road Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Benning Road Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 138 living units was built for white national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced...
  • Benning Road NE Improvements - Washington DC
    The Public Works Administration (PWA) paid for pavement repair and other unspecified improvements to a long segment of Benning Road NE, from Minnesota Avenue to Central Avenue, between 1933 and 1934.  The labor was very likely provided by Civil Works Administration (CWA) or other relief workers.   This was one of a group of road projects funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1933: "Among projects approved here are paving of Sixteenth street, Constitution Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Columbia Road, Foxhall Road, Good Hope Road, New Hampshire Avenue, Benning Road and Conduit Road, widening of E Street back of the White House...
  • Benning Road SE Improvements - Washington DC
    The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) made improvements to Benning Road SE in Washington DC, from Central Avenue to Hillside Avenue. This dirt road was given an improved surface: “Old material from replacement jobs is hauled to the , broken by hand, and then rolled. After rolling, the pavement is treated with a bituminous material.” Note: The DC Government annual report credits this work to the Public Works Administration (PWA), but based on previous reports of similar work, and particular wording used, for example, “Public Administration forces,” we believe that this project was more likely carried out by the Work Division of...
  • Bladensburg Road NE Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Bladensburg Rd. NE, from New York Ave. to Twenty-Fourth Place NE. This project assisted regular District of Columbia municipal workers, and was described as follows: “Prior to the widening of Bladensburg Road, an open stream (storm water) paralleled the roadway on its east side for quite a distance to the north. In order to obtain the required width it was necessary to enclose this stormwater in a five-foot sewer. This work was difficult because the banks on each side of the stream consisted of filled ground. The project was completed by the forces...
  • Bloomingdale Playground Improvements - Washington DC
    The Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Civil Works Administration completed improvements at the Bloomingdale Playground in Washington DC, between 1933 and 1934. The work consisted of the following improvements: “Graded, completed drainage and water service system; fencing and 3-story recreation building 25 percent complete.”
  • Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant - Washington DC
    The New Deal was responsible for the original Blue Plains Disposal Plant at the southern end of the District of Columbia, as well as many miles of new sewer lines to collect Washington's growing flow of waste water.  Up to that time, the city discharged millions of gallons of raw sewage directly into the Potomac River, which had become foul. The system and treatment facility have been greatly expanded over time, but the mark of the New Deal is still evident. In 1934, the Washington Post reported that the Public Works Administration (PWA) had allotted $8,000,000 to Washington DC for the...
  • Branch Avenue SE Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Branch Avenue SE, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Randall Circle. This WPA project was described as follows: “This project requires heavy grading and eventual temporary roadway treatment. At the present time, grading has been completed to the extent of 40 percent. When completed, it will join with the permanently improved portion of Branch Avenue, south of Pennsylvania Avenue and this will form a direct route into southern Maryland. In connection with this project, the construction of a culvert under this roadway was approved. During a severe rainstorm, which occurred this summer, the old...
  • Broad Branch Road NW Improvements - Washington DC
    The Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Broad Branch Road NW, from Twenty-seventh Street to Grant Road. This was a “roadside beautification” project, described as follows: “Inspection of this project from time to time showed that, due to heavy rains, the banks on the branch side of this road were washing and scoring. So that in addition to seeding and shrubbery planting, numerous concrete spillways were constructed on the branch side of the roadway.”  
  • Brookland Avenue NE Improvements - Washington DC
    In 1936-37, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved a segment of Brookland Avenue NE between Michigan Avenue to Bates Road. WPA improved this road with recycled material and the “laying of a thin blanket of bituminous material.” Also, “this project required a fill of about 10 feet at the Michigan Avenue end, due to the necessity for raising the grade at this location in connection with the construction of the Michigan Avenue viaduct.”
  • Brookland Education Campus at Bunker Hill - Washington DC
    The Brookland Education Campus at Bunker Hill, NE, encompasses the former Bunker Hill Elementary School, which was built during the New Deal era.  The new facility includes middle school. Initial plans were made in 1938 for a full, two-story building for the Bunker Hill Elementary School to replace an earlier school building, but it ended up being built in stages. A grant of $111,200 from the Public Works Administration (PWA) allowed the construction of the basement and six rooms on a single floor, which became the west wing of the school. All but some finish work was completed in 1939 and the...
  • Brown’s Court Garages - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) funded the construction of the Brown’s Court Garages in Washington, DC between 1935 and 1936. These were located on Brown’s Court SE, and were leased by a funeral home for some period of time. Though there are several garages on Brown’s Court SE today, it is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of them are related to the original structures. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It replaced unsafe alley dwellings in Washington, DC with more modern and affordable houses and apartments. The ADA existed...
  • Bryant Street Houses - Washington DC
    The Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA) and the Federal Works Agency (FWA) funded the construction of the Bryant Street Houses in Washington, DC in 1943. This development of 32 living units was built for African American national defense workers (Washington, DC was highly segregated at the time). It is unknown to the Living New Deal if any of the structures still exist, but it is not likely since these homes were classified as “demountable,” i.e., intended to be taken down and salvaged sometime after the war. The ADA was one of the earliest New Deal initiatives to provide better housing for low-income Americans. It...
  • Bundy Recreation Center Improvements - Washington DC
    In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $32,800 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for work on the Bundy Recreation Center in the district's northwest quadrant. It is unclear whether funds were designated for new construction or improvements. Today, the site is known as Bundy Park, with a baseball field, soccer pitch and dog run. It appears to have been renovated in 2012.  It is likely that the baseball field has its origins in the New Deal work of the early 1940s.
  • Bunker Hill Road NE Improvements - Washington DC
    In 1933-34, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) carried out pavement repair and other unspecified improvements to a lengthy segment of Bunker Hill Road NE, from Twentieth Street to the District of Columbia line.   The road was paved with “temporary material consisting of broken-concrete base, broken stone, and slag. These large aggregates are choked with smaller material, and an application of asphaltic cement completes the operation. This construction forms a very good temporary roadway.”   The roadway has been repaved several times since and this work is undoubtedly invisible today.
  • Bureau of Engraving and Printing Annex - Washington DC
    A new annex was constructed for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1936-38. The building was authorized by Congress in 1935 for $6.3 million, but the funds flowed through the Public Works Administration (PWA).   The Treasury Department's Procurement Division handled the design through its architecture office, put out the contract and supervised construction, which was carried out by the John McShain Co. (Evening Star, 1936). In its 1936 fiscal year report, the U.S. Treasury noted: “On August 12, 1935, Congress authorized the construction of a new annex to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to be located on a site...
  • Burns Street NE Construction - Washington DC
    In 1940, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a new roadway at Burns Street between East Capitol and Blaine streets in the district's northeast quadrant. This project was part of a massive New Deal program of street paving and upgrades around the city of Washington DC.  Most such work is invisible today beneath subsequent repavings.
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