The Living New Deal

Living New Deal is a site that records the projects of the New Deal.

No city, town, or rural area was untouched by the New Deal. Hundreds of thousands of roads, schools, theaters, libraries, hospitals, post offices, courthouses, airports, parks, forests, gardens, and artworks—created in only one decade by our parents and grandparents—are still in use today. The long-term payoff from this public investment helped propel American economic growth after the world war and is still working for the American people today.

Because these public works were rarely marked, the New Deal’s ongoing contribution to American life goes largely unseen. Given the scale and impact of the Roosevelt years across America, it seems inconceivable that no national register exists of what the New Deal built. The Living New Deal is making visible that enduring legacy.

There are lists of projects by state and categories, but there's also this interactive New Deal Project Map. Turns out that a senior center a few blocks from me was originally a local branch library funded by the New Deal. Also a small bridge I pass over a few times a week was a project.