Hope Memorial Bridge

The Hope Memorial Bridge (formerly the Lorain–Carnegie Bridge) is a 5,865-foot-long (1,788 m) art deco truss bridge crossing the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. The bridge connects Lorain Avenue on Cleveland's west side and Carnegie Avenue on the east side, terminating just short of Progressive Field. Pairs of statues designed by sculptor Henry Hering and architect Frank Walker – titled the "Guardians of Traffic" – stand on pylons at each end of the viaduct, symbolizing progress in transportation.[3]

Hope Memorial Bridge
The Lorain–Carnegie Bridge in 1988
Coordinates41.489407°N 81.693554°W / 41.489407; -81.693554 (Hope Memorial bridge)
Carries SR 10
CrossesCuyahoga River
LocaleCleveland, Ohio
Characteristics
DesignArt deco truss bridge
Total length1,368.55 meters (4,490.0 ft)[1]
Longest span69.80 meters (229.0 ft)[1]
Clearance below28.3 meters (93 ft)
History
Construction end1932
Lorain-Carnegie Bridge
LocationSpans Cuyahoga River between Lorain and Carnegie Aves., Cleveland, Ohio
Coordinates41.489407°N 81.693554°W / 41.489407; -81.693554
Area8.5 acres (3.4 ha)
Built1927 (1927)
Architectural styleArt Deco, cantilever deck truss bridge
NRHP reference No.76001398[2]
Added to NRHPOctober 8, 1976

History

A bond issue to pay for the bridge was passed in 1921, but construction was delayed for years due to squabbles over how the money would be spent. The bridge was completed in 1932 at a cost of $4.75 million ($89,010,000 with inflation[4]). It stands 93 feet (28 meters) above the river's waterline in order to allow shipping to pass unobstructed. A second, lower deck designed to carry truck and commercial traffic was never put into service.

One of the "Guardians of Traffic"

The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1976, after a controversy in which county engineer Albert S. Porter threatened to remove the historic pylons to widen the span, stating, "Those columns are monstrosities and should be torn down and forgotten. There is nothing particularly historic about any one of them. We're not running a May Show here."[5] The bridge was renovated in the early 1980s. On September 1, 1983, the Lorain–Carnegie bridge was officially renamed the "Hope Memorial Bridge"; initial reports claimed the new name was chosen in honor of William Henry "Harry" Hope, a local stonemason who helped build the "Guardians of Traffic" sculptures, and the father of comedian and former Cleveland resident Bob Hope.[6] In the years since the dedication, however, claims have varied as to who exactly the bridge's name honors. Some have claimed the bridge was renamed specifically for Bob Hope;[7] others the entire Hope family;[8] and still others have claimed it recognizes Harry Hope along with the other workers who helped erect the giant sandstone pylons.[9]

On December 10, 2012, officials opened a 14.5-foot-wide (4.4 m) multi-use path on the north side of the bridge, part of a project which will also add lighting to the Guardians of Traffic.[10]

A pair of peregrine falcons nest under the bridge.[11]

During the 2016 Republican National Convention, the bridge was a site of peaceful demonstration where a group to "Circle the City with Love" held hands while standing in silence, designed as an initiative to promote a moment of love and reflection.[12]

The inaugural Guardian Mile road race will be run across the bridge on August 11, 2018. The elite field boasts multiple olympians and $14,000 up for grabs in prize money, as well as races for runners of all ages and levels.[13]

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See also

References
  1. Lorain–Carnegie Bridge at Structurae
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. "Icons of Cleveland: The Guardians of Traffic". Cleveland Magazine, August 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  4. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  5. Snook, Debbi (2002-12-02). "Bridges [sic] of Hopes". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  6. Thoma, Pauline (September 2, 1983). "Lorain-Carnegie span is new Hope". The Plain Dealer. The ceremony drew a large contingent of the family of Bob Hope's father, Harry, one of the stonecutters who created the four gigantic pylons, and the man for whom the bridge is now named.
  7. Congressional Record (May 21, 2002) – Rep. Dennis Kucinich: "The city of Cleveland claims [Bob Hope] as one of their favorite sons and has named a major bridge after him..."
  8. Cuyahoga County: The First 200 years (2011 book) - "... renamed the Hope Memorial Bridge in honor of the family of comedian and actor Bob Hope"
    • Rotman, Michael. "Lorain-Carnegie Bridge". ClevelandHistorical.org. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. The bridge was renamed at this time, becoming the Hope Memorial Bridge, in honor of actor Bob Hope and his family...
  9. Dawidziak, Mark; Feran, Tom (July 29, 2003). "Bob Hope: Entertainer always had a place in his heart for Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. He did not return in September 1983 for ceremonies re-dedicating the renovated Lorain-Carnegie Bridge as the Hope Memorial Bridge, in honor of Hope's father and other stonemasons who carved its massive stone pylons and eight 'Guardians of Traffic' figures.
  10. "Lorain–Carnegie (Hope Memorial) Bikeway Opened Today (press release)". Ohio Department of Transportation District 12. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  11. Warsinskey, Tim (August 26, 2015). "Biking the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Cleveland to New Philadelphia, Day 1". The Plain Dealer via Cleveland.com. Advance Ohio. Retrieved July 28, 2016. ... a trio of veteran bird watchers had binoculars and cameras aimed at a peregrine falcon nest under the Hope Memorial (Lorain-Carnegie) Bridge.
  12. http://fox8.com/2016/07/17/group-to-circle-the-city-with-love-on-hope-memorial-bridge-ahead-of-rnc/
  13. https://www.gohrun.org/
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