Property Record
W CASCADE AVE AND S FORK KINNICKINNIC RIVER
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Glen Park Suspension Footbridge |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Glen Park Foot Bridge |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 25336 |
| Location (Address): | W CASCADE AVE AND S FORK KINNICKINNIC RIVER |
|---|---|
| County: | Pierce |
| City: | River Falls |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1925 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19902014 |
| Historic Use: | suspension bridge |
| Architectural Style: | NA (unknown or not a building) |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Concrete |
| Architect: | Minneapolis Bridge Company |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Glen Park Suspension Footbridge |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 7/13/2018 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 2/16/2018 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. This cable suspension footbridge is comprised of concrete abutments that continue beyond the height of the bridge, terminating in arched portals through which the bridge runs. The span is 190 feet and the walkway is 8 feet wide. Side members are comprised of regularly spaced wooden uprights connected by three horizontal wooden members, the upper one is topped with a handrail. Metal mesh covers the lower third of each side. The structure was rehabilitated in 1986, following the original plans. A stone tablet is located on the ground at the structure’s north end and is inscribed with “GLEN PARK/CONSTRUCTED 1925.” The Glen Park Suspension Footbridge was built in 1925 in order to connect pedestrian traffic north of Cascade Avenue to Glen Park, which was established as a city park in 1898. The bridge was designed and built by the Minneapolis Bridge Company who had just completed the Junction (or Falls Road) Bridge (no longer extant). Financing for the construction of the bridge, which cost a reported $4,800, was raised by the Women’s Improvement League, who had a long history with improvements made to Glen Park. Work on the bridge began in July 1925. Upon its completion in October, the local paper reported that the bridge “…is universally declared as one of the best improvements the city has made in a long time.” In 1986, the bridge was rehabilitated and it continues to serve pedestrian access to Glen Park. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | “River Falls, Wisconsin: Intensive Survey Report,” 91, 93; “Work Started on Glen Park Bridge,” River Falls Journal, 9 July 1925, 1/2 (cites designer); “New Bridge Completed; Is Great Convenience,” RFJ, 15 October 1925, 1/2. See “Glen Park Municipal Swimming Pool,” National Register nomination, Prepared by Marlys Svendsen of Svendsen Tyler, Inc., August 2006, Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, June 2007. River Falls Journal 7/31/1997. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |