Photos
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Deck and West Railing Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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North Portal Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Rail Detail Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Deck and East Railing Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The East Face Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The Arch Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Underneath The arch appears to be more decorative than anything else. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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South Abutment Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The Mother's War Memorial One of two markers in this park commemorating war dead. This near the north end of the Steel Arch Bridge. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Overview Looking Northeast Photo taken by J.R. Manning in April 2009 |
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More Railing Detail Photo taken by J.R. Manning in April 2009 |
The Significance of Lake Park and the Lake Park Bridges
Written by J.R. ManningThe west shore of Lake Michigan features a tall bluff, varying in height but as high as 70 meters, that overlooks the lake. In the mid 1800's, the civic leaders of Milwaukee recognized the importance of preserving public space in the form of parks and began to buy up land throughout the area. One of the spots was the area that is now known as Lake Park. The significance of this site is nothing new, burial mounds of Native Americans were found here.
In 1854, the U.S. Lighthouse service built the North Point Lighthouse on a two acre plat that divided the planned park area. The lighthouse was moved back 100 feet because of bluff erosion, a problem that continues to this day. The city and the federal government came to an agreement in 1893 that allowed the park to be developed as planned, and the lighthouse continued in operation until is was decommissioned in 1994. The lighthouse is now a part of the park and is being restored.
The Milwaukee Park Commission contracted with Frederick Law Olmsted, the noted landscape architect, to design Lake Park. (Ohlmstead is remembered for designing New York's Central Park, the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the grounds of the Vanderbilt's Biltmore Mansion.)
This bridge was built in 1893. The Lion Bridges, that span the ravines that frame the lighthouse, were completed in 1897. The footbridge was built in 1905 and the Grand Staircase in 1908.
You can learn more about this wonderful park and the structures of it at the website of the Lake Park Friends.
Facts
- Overview
- Bridge over Ravine on Lake Park Drive in Milwaukee
- Location
- Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
- Status
- Open to pedestrians
- History
- Built 1893; Closed to vehicular traffic in 1964
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +43.07100, -87.86800 (decimal degrees)
43°04'16" N, 87°52'05" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/429332/4769064 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Milwaukee OE E
- Inventory number
- BH 36787 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Sources
- J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Lake Park Friends - The description of this bridge, although the photo is the arch of one of the Lion Bridges.
