Ranaqua, the working headquarters of the Parks Department, as opposed to the Arsenal in Central Park, which contains only administrative offices and galleries. Ranaqua is storehouses, loading docks, workshops, and parking areas for Parks vehicles. The construction is of the cheapest possible brick (hence the discoloration) but artfully done. Cheap construction materials were a hallmark of WPA projects because its job was to create the maximum number of jobs.

The New Deal in NYC 1932-1943 | Frank da Cruz | fdc@columbia.edu