Beauty and Hope

"This section lying between Sixth Avenue and Eight Avenue will provide the central beautification theme as it will evolve into a beautiful elevated rose garden with 2,000 selected roses planted at vantage points... the color ensemble, when complete is expected to be one of rare beauty."<br> The Decatur Daily December 30, 1933<br><br> During the difficult years of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used park projects to provide a vision of hope in the future. As part of the New Deal efforts, park improvements were made in 1933-1938 under the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA). As the park is an example of both the "City Beautiful" movement of the late 1800's and as a representation of New Deal park projects, Delano Park has two periods of historic significance. This second important phase of the park's development was led by Carolyn Cortner Smith, a pioneering female architect, who guided the construction of the park's handsome stone structures. These projects provided needed job opportunities in bleak times and gave people new parks where they could experience beauty an fun once again. <br><br> Made possible by Shirley and George McCrary