| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
| Belle Isle Central Avenue Bridge | Central Avenue Over Canoe Stream | Detroit: Wayne County, Michigan | Metal Stringer, Stationary | 1893 By: King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio |
| Technical Facts |
| Alteration Date | Structure Length | Roadway Width | Main Spans | Approach Spans |
| 1946 | 54.8 Feet (16.7 Meters) | 49 Feet (14.9 Meters) | 1 | None |
This ornate bridge is on one of the main roads on Belle Isle. It was built in 1893 by the King Bridge Company, and as such is an extremely old beam bridge, built by an important bridge company. However, historic significance is hurt by the fact that either some or all of the stringers were replaced in 1947, although the bridge today retains its original general appearance. The railings on this bridge are extremely ornate, along with the decorative arch which is not structural. The structure is actually a stringer bridge. This bridge is a sister to the nearby Casino Bridge.
There are plans to replace this bridge. Perhaps they would retain the guardrails, since that is what happened with the Casino Bridge. However, the arched metal grill should be retained also, since it is very ornate, as well as the original stone abutments and concrete posts. None of this was saved on the Casino Bridge.
Information and Findings From MDOT
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The
steel-stringer structure of the Central Avenue Bridge is disguised by an
ornate metal grill, which makes the bridge appear to be a metal arch.
Coursed ashlar forms the wing walls. Octagonal stone posts, trimmed with
acanthus leaf and other designs, and decorated metal posts hold the
ornate metal railing panels. The following is inscribed in the northwest
and southeast end posts: “When the bridge was rebuilt in 1946, city
engineers were careful to retain the arched metal fascia and the
original railings and posts. In September 1879, the city of Detroit
purchased Belle Isle, a 707-acre island in the Detroit River. By 1940,
fill had expanded its size to nearly 1,000 acres. According to local
historian Clarence M. Burton, it was originally “an unimproved area,
abounding in native forests, sloughs, swales and was very unattractive.”
The city hired prominent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead for
$7,000 per year to plan and oversee improvements. His layout included a
central driveway, Central Avenue, and the canal that meanders around the
island. A casino opened on the island in 1877, giving a name to another
of the island’s roads. The Central Avenue Bridge was similar in
appearance to another which was apparently built on the island at the
same time, but is no longer in extant. Arched girders comprised the
structure of the other bridge, which was the subject of a favorable
article in The Engineering Record in May 1893. The article observed that
most bridge design was ruled by economy, resulting in utilitarian
structures that lacked “any opportunity for graceful effects, or
pleasing or ornamental outlines.” A more picturesque option, masonry
arches, cost significantly more and took longer to erect. Belle Isle’s
arched girder bridge “relieve(d) the square severity of the straight
girders and secure(d) a more pleasing effect with our materially
increasing the necessary cost.” The Central Avenue Bridge, on the other
hand, achieved a picturesque appearance by screening the structural
stringers with an ornate arched fascia. Both bridges were produced by
the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, it is not clear why two
designs were employed for bridges of equal span, built at about the same
time.