Bridge No. 5757
Encyclopedia
Bridge No. 5757 is a bridge on Minnesota State Highway 23
in Duluth, Minnesota
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The bridge, spanning Mission Creek, is in the Fond du Lac
neighborhood of Duluth. The bridge was built in 1937 by A. Bodin and Co. It is a double-span, multi-plate arch culvert
with granite
headwalls. The creek flows through two 20 feet (6.1 m) metal culverts that are 115 feet (35.1 m) wide.
The bridge has several ornamental features that distinguish it from an ordinary highway bridge. The headwalls and railings are faced with roughly-cut granite rubble
in various colors of gray, pink, and tan. The headwalls continue above the roadway to form the railings, which have narrow lancet-like openings that evoke a late Gothic Revival design. While the bridge resembles Federal Relief projects of the 1930s, it was not actually built by a Federal Relief organization such as the Works Progress Administration
or the Civilian Conservation Corps
. Instead, it was designed by the Minnesota Department of Highways (now the Minnesota Department of Transportation
), probably with their chief landscape architect
Arthur R. Nichols. It resembles the National Park Service Rustic
style popular in Federal Relief architecture, and the excellent stonework is typical of that used in the labor-intensive construction projects of that era.
A 0.75 miles (1.2 km) section of Highway 23 through this area was built as a wide, shaded, parkway-like divided highway. This portion is known as Veterans' Evergreen Memorial Drive.
Minnesota State Highway 23
Minnesota State Highway 23 is a state highway that stretches from southwest to northeast Minnesota. At in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1....
in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The bridge, spanning Mission Creek, is in the Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac (Duluth)
Fond du Lac is a neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota, United States.Evergreen Memorial Highway serves as a main arterial route in the community.-History:...
neighborhood of Duluth. The bridge was built in 1937 by A. Bodin and Co. It is a double-span, multi-plate arch culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
with granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
headwalls. The creek flows through two 20 feet (6.1 m) metal culverts that are 115 feet (35.1 m) wide.
The bridge has several ornamental features that distinguish it from an ordinary highway bridge. The headwalls and railings are faced with roughly-cut granite rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
in various colors of gray, pink, and tan. The headwalls continue above the roadway to form the railings, which have narrow lancet-like openings that evoke a late Gothic Revival design. While the bridge resembles Federal Relief projects of the 1930s, it was not actually built by a Federal Relief organization such as the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
or the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
. Instead, it was designed by the Minnesota Department of Highways (now the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
), probably with their chief landscape architect
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
Arthur R. Nichols. It resembles the National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style popular in Federal Relief architecture, and the excellent stonework is typical of that used in the labor-intensive construction projects of that era.
A 0.75 miles (1.2 km) section of Highway 23 through this area was built as a wide, shaded, parkway-like divided highway. This portion is known as Veterans' Evergreen Memorial Drive.