This history of the neighborhood plays a vital part in the identity of its residents. If you have lived in the neighborhood for many years, the neighborhood history is a heartfelt reminder of days gone by. If you have just come to call the neighborhood home, it is a way to learn more about the new community you have joined. We would love nothing more than to be able to share the history of neighborhood name with all who reside there. If you are interested in writing a brief history of the neighborhood to share with the community, please contact us! |
-
Workers Building Gardner LakeConstruction of the Lake - A Little HistoryReprinted from the Johnson County Museum's newsletter ALBUM, Vol. XL #2, Spring 1998.
http://www.jocomuseum.org
Located on the west side of Gardner Lake is a small, unassuming stone structure. The one-story building, constructed of Kansas limestone in the rustic style, is one of the few remaining buildings from the construction of the Gardner Lake project, 1935-1938. The building may not initially appear to be a historically significant structure-especially when considering many of the other resources in the county. This building is an icon form a very intense period of American history and is one of the only remaining structures in Johnson County resulting in the overall Gardner Lake project cost $567,245, which included not only the construction of the lake and lake house, but the creation of an earthen dam, beach, shelter houses, toilets, outdoor ovens, picnic tables, athletic fields and a boat dock. It was the largest of twelve WPA projects commissioned in Johnson County during the 1930's.
The rustic style of most WPA structures is consistent throughout the United States. The design of WPA buildings was based upon principles established by the National Park Service (NPS in 1916). In the beach house national register nimination history, rustic park structures were found to 'blend in with, and not intrude upon the environment.'
Building materials were described as 'rugged, durable, practical, and built with native materials, in order to imply the building as a natural outgrowth of the park itself.' NPS structures built between 1935-1942 thus shared many remarkable traits.
The Gardner Lake Beach House was constructed by the Works Progress Administrion (WPA) in 1938, as a smaller part of the creation of the Gardner Lake.
The beach house was in use from 1938 until 1989 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The beach house is one of the sites included in the 'Beyond the Exhibit' booklet which compliments the Seeking the Good Life exhibit.
The WPA was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 as a response to the massive unemployment caused by the stock market crash in 1929. The WPA was established to provide basic work for the high number of unemployed.
In 1938, the WPA was reorganized and renamed the Works Projects Administration. More than five million Americans found work between July 1935 and December 1938 as a result of these projects. The Gardner Lake Beach House, constructed by the WPA in 1938 as a part of the creation of Gardner Lake, as designed in a rustic style so it could 'blend in with, and not intrude upon the environment.' The structure was in use from 1938 until 1989 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Johnson
County Museum collection.
