📖 How the WPA Built America’s Parks & Playgrounds: Expanding Public Recreation in the Great Depression (1938)

📌 This 1938 WPA report details how federal work relief programs created thousands of parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and cultural spaces. A crucial resource for historians, teachers, and genealogists studying the impact of New Deal policies on public recreation.

Collage of Parks and Playgrounds, Recreation Facilities Constructed by the WPA Include: Band Shell (Ohio); University Stadium (Louisiana); Grandstand (Arizona); Golf Course (Connecticut); Gymnasium (California); Playground (District of Columbia); Swimming Pool (California); Wading Pool (Nebraska); Tennis Courts (Ohio). WPA Inventory and Appraisal of Results, 30 June 1938. GGA Image ID # 22240d6655

🏞️ WPA Parks & Playgrounds - 1938

Transforming Public Recreation in America Through the New Deal

📖 The 1938 WPA report on parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities showcases one of the most transformative public works programs of the Great Depression. More than 11 percent of the WPA’s total effort was devoted to developing public spaces for leisure, fitness, and community engagement—second only to road and bridge construction. This initiative provided employment to thousands of workers while creating permanent recreational assets that improved quality of life across the United States.

For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this report offers a wealth of primary source material on how the federal government reshaped American cities and rural areas through the development of parks, sports facilities, swimming pools, golf courses, and even ski trails. The WPA’s efforts laid the foundation for modern recreational infrastructure, making outdoor activities accessible to millions.

Construction of public parks and facilities for recreation constitutes more than 11 percent of the WPA program. It is exceeded in volume only by the work on roads, streets, and bridges.

Parks and Playgrounds—11 percent of the total program. WPA Inventory and Appraisal of Results, 30 June 1938. GGA Image ID # 22247dc6c5

The 3,777 new recreational buildings which WPA workers have built, and the 2,902 they have improved or enlarged, are described under "Public Buildings."

Other recreational facilities of the WPA:

• Parks—881 newly developed, with a total area of 26,707 acres, or an average of about 30 acres each. Also, improvements to 3,210 existing parks, averaging nearly twice the size of the new ones.
• Athletic fields—1,534 newly constructed, 1,360 others improved.
• Playgrounds—1,303 newly built, improvements made on 3,792 others. About three-fourths of these (751 new and 3,087 improved) are on school grounds.
• Swimming pools—433 built new, 143 renovated.
• Wading pools—324 built new, 47 renovated.
• Golf courses—123 newly constructed, improvement or enlargement of 186 others. Nearly half of these are 18-hole courses, while a number of the 9-hole courses are extensions of existing 9-hole facilities. The area of these improvements aggregates 26,210 acres.
• Tennis courts—3,535 new, 1,174 repaired or improved.
• Fairgrounds—20 new plants, 104 others improved. Total area, 5,961 acres.
• Ice-skating rinks—731 new, 159 improved. Average area, about 50,000 square feet.
• Ski jumps—29 new, 4 renovated.
• Ski trails—28 miles new, 31 miles improved.
• Outdoor theatres—48 new, 10 reconstructed.
• Bandstands or shells—88 new, 25 repaired.
• Handball courts—569 new, 50 improved.
• Horseshoe courts—716 constructed.

In this broad program of park and recreation facilities, as in 98 percent of all WPA projects, each improvement is based upon the expression of local officials that it is needed and wanted by the community, and is supported by local funds to help pay for materials and other non-labor costs.

One of the most exciting projects completed by the WPA in this field is the complete construction, from material dredged out of San Francisco Bay, of the level 400-acre island, which is the site of San Francisco's great exposition in 1939.

 Other unusual improvements include Timberline Lodge, on the upper slopes of Mount Hood, Oregon; many vital additions to the Toledo Zoo, constructed in no small measure out of reclaimed materials salvaged from demolition work; an unusual outdoor aquarium at Key West, Fla.; extensive additions to Audubon Park in New Orleans, and construction of a swimming pool at the municipal airport in the same city; and creation of an elaborate botanical garden in Fort Worth, Tex.

The size of the program indicates that local officials throughout the country recognize the growing problem of leisure time in America, and have taken widespread advantage of the manpower offered by the WPA to renovate and extend their facilities for public recreation. Many of the projects provide little or no maintenance problem because the costs of upkeep can be supplied from the nominal fees paid by those who use them.

From the standpoint of mass employment, also, this program is especially suitable, since much of the work, such as park development, requires a high proportion of labor and a relatively small outlay for materials.

The general public, on the other hand, is being given many recreation opportunities which hitherto have been largely beyond the reach of the average citizen.

Collage of Recreation Facilities Constructed by WPA Include: Outdoor Theatre (California); Skating Shelter (Indiana); Zoo Building (California); Swimming Pool (California); Athletic Field (New Hampshire); Fairgrounds (California); Winter Sports Shelter (Wisconsin); Parking Facilities (New Jersey); Stadium (Rhode Island); Band Shell (California); Grandstand (New Jersey). WPA Inventory and Appraisal of Results, 30 June 1938. GGA Image ID # 222481ee71

ADDENDA

If the accomplishments of relief workers on prior work-relief projects are added to the above figures for the WPA, the total facilities which have benefited are more than tripled in number. Parks built or improved under the three successive agencies, total 15,500, playgrounds and athletic fields, 25,600.

Again it should be explained that earlier projects, while more numerous, were somewhat lighter in character and ran more heavily to repair work than to new facilities. The combined three work-relief agencies (CWA, FERA, and WPA) have built or rehabilitated more than 1,900 swimming and wading pools, nearly 850 golf courses, and more than 2,800 stadiums and grandstands. 

"Parks and Playgrounds," in Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938, pp. 17-20.

Why This Document is Important

📜 Relevance for Different Audiences

✔ For Historians & Researchers

🔹 Documents the shift in federal policy—from emergency relief to long-term community investment.

🔹 Demonstrates how the WPA addressed social challenges, such as urbanization, industrialization, and growing leisure time.

🔹 Provides detailed statistics on the development of public spaces, making it a valuable source for urban planning history.

✔ For Genealogists & Family Historians

🔹 Traces where WPA workers were employed, providing context for family members who worked on parks and playground projects.

🔹 Identifies areas where communities benefited from WPA recreational facilities, potentially revealing past family ties to specific locations.

✔ For Teachers & Students

🔹 An engaging case study of the Great Depression, illustrating how work relief programs shaped American cities.

🔹 Provides real-world examples of government intervention in public health and recreation, making it relevant to studies of public policy, sociology, and physical education.

🔹 Encourages discussion on how investments in public infrastructure create long-term societal benefits.

📌 This document is essential for understanding how the New Deal went beyond economic recovery, actively reshaping the American landscape and providing opportunities for recreation and social engagement.

🌳 Parks & Playgrounds: A New Era for Public Leisure

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 881 new parks were built, totaling over 26,000 acres of newly developed green space.

🔹 3,210 existing parks were improved, nearly doubling their total size.

🔹 Playgrounds—essential for children’s physical and social development—were a major focus, with over 5,000 facilities built or improved.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 The WPA revolutionized access to parks and playgrounds, ensuring that low-income communities had the same recreational opportunities as wealthier areas.

📌 This section highlights the massive scale of the WPA’s commitment to public well-being and environmental beautification.

⛹️‍♂️ Athletic Fields, Tennis Courts & Golf Courses: Expanding Sports for All

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 1,534 new athletic fields were built, along with 1,360 improved fields.

🔹 3,535 new tennis courts and 123 golf courses were constructed, making sports more widely available to working-class citizens.

🔹 Nearly half of the golf courses built were full 18-hole courses, expanding recreational access beyond wealthy country clubs.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 The WPA democratized sports, ensuring that athletic facilities were no longer just for the elite.

🔹 These investments in sports infrastructure laid the groundwork for today’s public recreation programs.

📌 This section illustrates how the WPA helped reshape the accessibility of fitness and organized sports across America.

🏊‍♂️ Swimming Pools & Winter Sports: Investing in Year-Round Recreation

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 433 new swimming pools and 324 wading pools were built, making swimming accessible in cities nationwide.

🔹 731 new ice-skating rinks and 29 ski jumps were constructed, ensuring recreation extended into the winter months.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 The WPA helped popularize recreational swimming and winter sports, making safe, accessible, and professionally built facilities available to the public.

🔹 Many of these pools and ice rinks still exist today, proving their lasting value to communities.

📌 This section highlights the year-round nature of WPA recreational projects, ensuring that citizens had access to both summer and winter activities.

🎭 Outdoor Theaters, Bandstands & Community Spaces: Enriching Cultural Life

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 48 new outdoor theaters and 88 bandstands were built, providing spaces for public performances, concerts, and festivals.

🔹 25 fairgrounds and 10 renovated amphitheaters supported local agriculture and cultural events.

🔹 Parks and public spaces became hubs for arts and entertainment, ensuring that cultural enrichment was part of the WPA’s vision.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 The WPA recognized the importance of public entertainment and cultural spaces, ensuring that theater, music, and festivals became accessible to all citizens.

📌 This section illustrates the broader social impact of WPA projects, showing how they supported the arts and community engagement.

🖼 Noteworthy Images & Their Significance

🖼 🏞️ "Collage of Parks & Playgrounds Constructed by the WPA"

🔹 Features band shells, university stadiums, gymnasiums, swimming pools, and golf courses—illustrating the diversity of WPA projects.

🖼 ⛹️‍♀️ "WPA Parks and Playgrounds—11 Percent of Total Program"

🔹 A powerful visualization of the scale of WPA recreational projects, emphasizing that public spaces were a major focus of work relief efforts.

🖼 🎭 "Collage of Recreation Facilities Constructed by WPA"

🔹 Highlights zoo buildings, winter sports shelters, fairgrounds, and parking facilities, showing the variety of investments made in public spaces.

📌 These images reinforce how the WPA permanently changed the American landscape, creating recreational opportunities that still exist today.

Bias & Perspective Considerations

✔ Pro-WPA Tone:

🔹 The report praises the WPA’s achievements but does not discuss challenges, such as maintenance costs or local government resistance.

✔ Lack of Discussion on Racial & Class Access:

🔹 While the WPA built facilities nationwide, segregation and racial discrimination limited access to many of these parks and pools.

🔹 The report does not address disparities in who benefited most from these projects.

✔ Focus on Local Government Cooperation:

🔹 The report assumes all communities welcomed WPA projects, without discussing cases where local governments rejected federal aid.

📌 While this document is a valuable historical resource, researchers should seek additional sources to explore issues of racial segregation, long-term maintenance, and local resistance to WPA programs.

Final Thoughts: Why This Report Matters

"WPA Parks & Playgrounds - 1938" offers a comprehensive look at how New Deal policies reshaped public recreation in America. It shows that WPA investments not only provided jobs but also permanently improved urban and rural landscapes.

For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this report is an essential resource that demonstrates how government intervention expanded public leisure spaces, promoted social well-being, and left a lasting legacy that continues today.

🌳🏊‍♂️ The parks, pools, and playgrounds built under the WPA remain some of its most visible and enduring accomplishments. 🎭⛹️‍♂️