An Illustrated lecture by Grant Johnson, Cultural Resource Analyst with Environmental Design and Research.
April 8, 2015 marks the 80th anniversary of the creation of the Works Progress Administration, better known as the WPA. The WPA was part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s series of New Deal programs to relieve the woes of the Great Depression. It was responsible for thousands of public improvements across the nation, especially notable in parks, historic sites and the arts. Previous to the WPA, the Onondaga County Emergency Work Bureau was a pilot work relief effort during the early 1930s, supported by then New York Governor Roosevelt, which completely transformed the east shore of Onondaga Lake, giving birth to today’s Onondaga Lake Park. This program will explore the local work that helped lead to the WPA.