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Centre Street Bridge
Calgary
Other Names:
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Bridge of Lions
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Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Centre Street Bridge, built 1915-1916, is a concrete bridge with four arched spans and upper and lower traffic decks. It is ornamented by a pair of kiosks at each end topped by lion sculptures. The bridge crosses the Bow River, connecting downtown Calgary with Crescent Heights. It is a primary north-south transportation link for downtown. The bridge was protected as a Municipal Historic Resource in 1992.
Heritage Value
The Centre Street Bridge is historically significant as the second oldest bridge to span the Bow River in Calgary. Completed in 1916, it replaced the original Centre Street Bridge which dated from 1907. The Centre Street Bridge has long served as one of the main links between downtown Calgary and areas north of the Bow River. For much of its early history the bridge also accommodated two street car lines in addition to automobile and pedestrian traffic. As such, the Centre Street Bridge was also instrumental in the early development of neighbourhoods north of the Bow River, especially Crescent Heights, Mount Pleasant, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights and Renfrew.
The Centre Street Bridge is also architecturally significant as the most elaborate and ornamental bridge to span the Bow River in Calgary. Its graceful arched spans, classical balustrades, cantilevered balconies, and kiosks contribute to the beauty of the reinforced concrete bridge. The paired kiosks at each end of the bridge are surmounted with massive lion sculptures, which symbolize the British Empire, and are modeled upon those at Trafalgar Square in London. The kiosks are decorated with other symbolic sculptures and shields including buffalo heads representing Western Canada; a maple leaf for Canada; the rose for England; the shamrock for Ireland; and the thistle for Scotland. These sculptures were originally executed by James L. Thomson, a Calgary artist who was also responsible for the sculptures adorning the Bow Bridge in Banff.
John F. Greene, an expert Minnesota bridge engineer and architect was the design engineer of the Centre Street Bridge, and later designed the city's Mission and Hillhurst bridges. Assisting Greene with the Centre Street Bridge was George Washington Craig, the city's chief engineer as well as local architects Frank Lawson Jr. and J. Bernard Richards, the city's architect from 1917-1923. Other bridges designed by Greene include the outstanding Robert Street Bridge (1924-26) in St. Paul, Minnesota which has been listed on the American National Register of Historic Places.
The monumental and decorative character of the Centre Street Bridge makes it a primary example of 'City Beautiful' planning efforts in Calgary. It is also one of the small number of civic improvements carried out to generally align with the principles of Thomas Mawson's grand urban plan (1914) for the City of Calgary. When completed, the bridge was considered to be the finest of its kind in Western Canada.
Source: City of Calgary Heritage Planning File 04-113
Character-Defining Elements
The exterior character-defining elements of the Centre Street Bridge include such features as its:
-scale, with a length of 396 metres (1300 feet) and a 12.8 metre (42 foot) roadway width;
-reinforced concrete construction;
-arched spans containing spandrels with repetitive arches and the associated piers and abutments;
-under-slung roadway suspended by hangers;
-cantilevered balustrades (sidewalks) with classical balusters, cantilevered balconies, and paired kiosks;
-ornamental sculptures such as massive British lions, buffalo heads, and shields containing the symbolic emblems of the maple leaf, rose, thistle, and shamrock;
-decorative treatments such as the incised panelling, pilasters and grooves;
-concrete north retaining wall, impressed and articulated with panels.
Location
| Street Address: |
Centre Street, between the north side of Riverfront Avenue on the south bank of the Bow River and the north side of Memorial Drive on the north bank of the Bow River |
| Community: |
Calgary |
| Boundaries: |
Located on Centre Street between the north side of Riverfront Avenue on the south bank of the Bow River and the north side of Memorial Drive on the north bank of the Bow River. |
| Contributing Resources: |
Structure: 1
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ATS Legal Description:
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Mer |
Rge |
Twp |
Sec |
LSD |
5
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1
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24
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15
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16 (ptn.)
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PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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51.053092 |
-114.062554 |
GPS |
NAD 83 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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5660188.07074 |
285369.622054 |
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Digital Maps |
NAD83 |
Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Local Governments (AB) |
| Designation Status: |
Municipal Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
1992/07/27 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1915 To 1916 |
| Period of Significance: |
N/A |
| Theme(s): |
Developing Economies : Communications and Transportation
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life : Architecture and Design
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| Historic Function(s): |
Transport - Land : Bridge, Tunnel or Other Engineering Work
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| Current Function(s): |
Transport - Land : Bridge, Tunnel or Other Engineering Work
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| Architect: |
John F.Green
Frank Lawson Jr. (assistant)
John B. Richards (assistant)
G. W. Craig (assistant)
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| Builder: |
Frank Patterson
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| Context: |
Officially opened in November of 1916, Centre Street Bridge was Calgary's first concrete bridge. Distinguished by its public statuary, it was known as the "Bridge of Lions", due to the four stone cast lions created by local artisan James L. Thomson, who modeled the carvings after those at the base of Admiral Nelson's Monument in Trafalgar Square, London, England. One of the strongest bridges built in the city, its planning and construction resulted in a vocal public debate. The first crossing at Centre Street was a pedestrian crossing known as Foggs Ferry, built in 1882. It was replaced prior to the turn of the century by a privately built steel truss structure which was operated as a till bridge. It fell in to rapid disrepair and the city took over the bridge in 1911 and put in into public use. Condemned by the Alberta Highways Department in 1915, the need for a new bridge became urgent. Plans for the Centre Street Bridge, as well as the Mission and Louise Bridges, were initiated as early as 1911. No agreement could be reached by City officials regarding the placement and construction technology of the structure until 1912, when City Engineer George Craig was asked to prepare plans for a concrete bridge. The plans were approved by the Province, but later that year construction was delayed by a a ratepayers debate and further dispute over advice offered by Thomas Mawson. Mawon recommended an entirely new set of plans, which favoured a low-level bridge and also included a grandiose scheme for a gigantic elevator to lift pedestrians and automobiles up the north escarpment. This proposal was questioned by City officials and ratepayers on both sides of the river, who feared a loss of property and a hefty tax increase. Further decisions on the bridge construction were interrupted by the War. Following the 1915 flood and near drowning of Commissioner J.H. Garden while he was inspecting the existing structure, by-laws were passed to allocate funds for the project. A consulting engineer and bridge designer of the day John F. Green, was hired to re-work the plans and oversee the project. City engineer George Craig was scrutinized by Council throughout the project's construction because of allegations of mismanagement and cost overruns (there was difficulty acquiring steel supplies during the war). At an original cost of $400,000, the bridge was constructed in less than two years. Midway through construction the lower deck, originally designed for pedestrians only, was converted to include a roadway. The bridge was considered to be one of the finest in Canada at its completion. Throughout the sixties, there was significant concern regarding the structural safety of the bridge, due to dirt slides along the embankments of the Bow River and growing traffic volume. Mayor Rod Sykes called for a re-building of the bridge and relocation further east. Chinatown merchants and residents opposed this proposal, and it was decided a major renovation to the bridge would be made. Undertaken in 1974, the renovation closed bridge operations for five months, causing much consternation among Centre Street businessmen. Further restorative work was carried out on the lion statues in the 1980s. (1992) |
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Additional Information
| Object Number: |
4664-0010 |
| Designation File: |
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| Related Listing(s): |
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| Heritage Survey File: |
HS 69834
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| Website Link: |
N/A
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| Data Source: |
City of Calgary Heritage Planning File 04-113 |
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