75 Years of the New Deal

From San Francisco's Aquatic Park to West Berkeley's paved roads -- to our local airports and the myriad WPA murals -- a network of New Deal projects underlies a significant portion of our public infrastructure, largely unnoticed.

The Living New Deal Project formed in an effort to document the legacy of these works, and to make public and visible the grand heritage we owe to the policies and agencies of FDR's New Deal.

The Living New Deal Project celebrates this year (the 75th anniversary of Roosevelt's inaugural address of 1933) with multimedia presentations, a book, an online database, exhibits, public presentations and more. You can also see a map of New Deal projects throughout the Bay Area.

An additional nod to the New Deal . . . LaborFest 2008 celebrates the 75th anniversary with a month's worth of programs, films and city tours on the subject. This weekend's events include: a boat tour on the topic of "building bridges and labor maritime history," and a tour of the Redstone Building (formerly the San Francisco Labor Temple) in the Mission District. See the full LaborFest schedule here.

More Resources:

• Living New Deal Project
• LaborFest 2008 Event Schedule
• Photos of WPA Murals at Coit Tower
• Photos of WPA Murals at Rincon Center Postal Annex
• Overview of Bloody Thursday in San Francisco

^{WPA Mural at Beach Chalet - San Francisco
Photo © Ingrid Taylar}