Franklin Avenue Bridge

The Franklin Avenue Bridge, officially the F.W. Cappelen Memorial Bridge, carries Franklin Avenue over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was designed by Frederick William Cappelen, assisted by Kristoffer Olsen Oustad, both of whom were among four important Norwegian-American engineers working in the region at the time. The reinforced-concrete open-spandrel arched structure was completed in 1923. The bridge's overall length is 1054.7 feet (321.47 m), with a central span of 400 feet (122 m). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 along with several other area bridges as part of a multiple-property submission.[1] At the time of its completion, the bridge's central span was the longest concrete arch in the world.

This article is about the bridge in Minneapolis. For the bridge that carries Franklin Avenue in Los Angeles, see Shakespeare Bridge.

Franklin Avenue Bridge
Franklin Avenue Bridge spanning the Mississippi River
Coordinates44°57′50″N 93°13′22″W
CarriesCSAH 5 (Franklin Avenue)
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleMinneapolis, Minnesota
Official nameF.W. Cappelen Memorial Bridge
ID number2441
Characteristics
DesignConcrete Arch
Total length1054.7 feet
Longest span400 feet
Location

The bridge originally carried streetcars, which were removed in the 1940s. A major renovation in the early 1970s changed many of the ornamental details and widened a completely replaced deck. A bike lane was added in 2005. The bridge was extensively rehabilitated between 2015 and 2017, including restoring some of the details lost in the 1970s reconstruction [2]

The bridge's designer, Frederick William Cappelen, was also responsible for the design of many public works buildings in Minneapolis, such as the Prospect Park Water Tower[3] and the Kenwood Park Water Tower.[4][5] Cappelen died during the construction of the bridge on February 16, 1921 following an operation for appendicitis.[6][7] As a memorial to his life and career, the city council decided immediately after Cappelen's death to name the bridge in his honor.[8][9]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Cappelen Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation Franklin Avenue (CSAH 5) Over the Mississippi River Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission Summary" (PDF). City of Minneapolis. September 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  3. "Prospect Park Water Tower and Tower Hill Park — Minneapolis, MN" Waymark". Waymarking.com. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  4. "Kenwood Park Water Tower". Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  5. Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Volume 47 (New York: American Society of Civil Engineers. 1948)
  6. "Cappelen død". Minneapolis Tidende. Minneapolis, MN. October 20, 1921. p. 16. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "F. W. Cappelen, City Engineer 25 Years, Dies". Star Tribune. October 17, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Memorial Cappelen Bridge Is Planned". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, MN. October 20, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  9. "Cappelen Memorial Bridge Idea Agreeable to Widow". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, MN. October 22, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved February 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. open access
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