|
|
|
|
>HOME
>HISTORIC SITES
>FUN AND FUNKY BUILDINGS
|
|
|
 |
| Photo: Eric J. Vath |
WPA Structures
Fairmount Park has several WPA buildings in its repertoire. Not sure what WPA stands for? Think back to the
Depression. Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a Federal program during the 1930's which put unemployed men
back to work. Thousands of men worked in our park system to build shelters, dams, trails and walls. Much of the
infrastructure we find in portions of the park today stems from this massive effort. The WPA built thirteen stone
and log trail shelters, guard boxes, and comfort stations throughout Wissahickon Park between 1938 and 1939.
In 1996, the Friends of the Wissahickon started a program to restore these neglected buildings as active park
facilities, www.fow.org.
Second only to the Wissahickon, the Pennypack also has several surviving structures built
by the WPA. Other examples include the Belmont Concession stand in West Fairmount Park, the Edgeley Fields Refreshment
Stand in East Park, the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center and the Belmont Stables on Martin Luther King Drive (West River
Drive). The Environmental Education Center and Belmont Stables are matching stable buildings.
|
|
|
|
