Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects in New York City during the Great Depression. Aerial view of New York City as a plane flies by and clouds part to show Manhattan island below. Buildings and skyscrapers of New York City as seen from river and harbor views, with some ships and tugboats seen. Trucks on roads of Governor's Island at tip of Manhattan. An older home seen under renovation and reconstruction. View of the Brooklyn Navy Yard with WPA workers busy building and improving new roads and shops and warehouses near the docks. A bulkhead construction project is shown at Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, to reclaim land from the waters of the Bay. The work includes construction of a new Boulevard and sanitary and sewer system improvements. View of the front entrance of the Beaux Arts style Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House on Bowling Green at the tip of Manhattan. Pedestrians and WPA workers are seen in front of the building. WPA laborers on an unidentified Manhattan street (with elevated railway running in background) are busy removing old street car rail lines from the streets, in sections, and loading them into truck beds to haul away. Large public swimming pool and bath house construction projects are shown, influenced by city planner and avid swimmer Robert Moses (scene possibly shows McCarren Park pool - note archway seen under construction). WPA workers are seen building the new East River Drive, including highways, walks, and flanking parks. Construction workers seen building the roadway, with the Williamsburg Bridge in the background. A model of the project is shown with the new drive from Grand Street to 14th Street. Camera pans down from the Empire State Building to show the roof of the New York Public Library teeming with WPA workers as they remove the old corroded copper roof and replace it with a new metal roof. View of busy Manhattan streets below the workers, including a street car passing by.
A film titled 'Panorama of Blackwell's Island, N.Y.'. Shore of Blackwell's Island seen, from boat . The lighthouse, at extreme Southern end of the island. Smoke from the Island's power plant stacks is visible. Sea wall built by inmates. Insane Asylum, including octagonal Lunatic asylum for women; Large Workhouse. Piers for construction of the Queensboro (59th street) Bridge. The Penetentiary Warden's home nearby; and the Penetentiary, itself. Finally, we see the Charity Hospital.
A film titled 'Emigrants (i.e. immigrants) landing at Ellis Island'. Immigrants on dock at the Ellis Island Immigration Station. Crowd of immigrant passengers with their luggage are guided by officers on arrival.
The U.S. Naval torpedo testing range in Montauk, Long Island. Torpedoes on the wings of U.S. Navy PBY Catalina. PBY in flight over the sea. The torpedoes being dropped. Men enter a boat. They hoist a torpedo to the PBY wing.
From the Ford Motor Company produced film, "Scenes From the World of Tomorrow" documenting the 1939-1940 World's Fair in New York City. View of buildings of the New York World's Fair of 1940. The Brooklyn Bridge. Aerial view of Manhattan Island, New York City. Skyscrapers of New York City including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. New York Harbor and ships in the harbor. View of the buildings of the New York Worlds Fair in the distance in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, as seen from high in a skyscraper of New York City. The Fair's Trylon and Perisphere stand out. People walk along the sides of fountains and waterways at the fair. Crowds milling about, bands marching, dancers performing. Flags of many nations flying on the flag poles. Celebration of the 150th anniversary of George Washington, as the first President of the United States and a statue of George Washington. A bus moves on the street. Fountains and a small bridge near a waterway. Pavilions of nations of England, Japan, and Italy. The USA building and some of the buildings of U.S. States including Maine and Florida. Fountains and waterways of the fair. Woman and two girls eat ice cream cones. A Raymond Loewy - designed S1 experimental streamlined locomotive created for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Pavilions of American Telephone & Telegraph and of United States Steel Corporation, also of Westinghouse, Goodrich, Chrysler, and General Motors.
New York City ceremony honoring American Olympic Team on their return to the United States. Olympians march into Randall's Island Stadium in New York City as a band plays, following a celebration parade from The Battery to Randall's Island. Audience claps and cheers them. The members of the team take seats on a stage of the stadium. Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City extends welcome and La Guardia congratulates the Olympic Team. and expresses the sincere gratitude of the seven million people of New York City. He states that the City has cast special medals to be presented to the members of the Team, on this occasion. He begins calling the names of athletes, who come forward as they are called. The medals are arranged on a large table by the microphones. The mayor suddenly calls on Champion runner, Helen Stephens, to speak. She comes to the mike and says Hello and Goodbye, and returns to her seat. Former Heavyweight Champion, Jack Dempsey, assists with the presentations.
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