Hope Memorial Bridge

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Hope Memorial Bridge
Lorain-Carnegie.jpg
The Lorain–Carnegie Bridge circa 1970s
Coordinates41°29′22″N 81°41′37″W / 41.489407°N 81.693554°W / 41.489407; -81.693554 (Hope Memorial bridge)Coordinates: 41°29′22″N 81°41′37″W / 41.489407°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
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Hope Memorial Bridge is located in Cleveland
Hope Memorial Bridge
LocationSpans Cuyahoga River between Lorain and Carnegie Aves., Cleveland, Ohio
Coordinates41°29′22″N 81°41′37″W / 41.489407°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
Location

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.

Four pairs of statues designed by sculptor Henry Hering and architect Frank Walker, officially named the Guardians of Traffic,[3] are sculpted onto opposite-facing ends of two pair of pylons, a pair at each end of the viaduct. They symbolize progress in transportation.[4] Each Guardian holds a different vehicle in its hands: a hay wagon, covered wagon, stagecoach, a 1930s-era automobile, as well as four types of motorized trucks used for construction.

On November 19, 2021, the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball changed their name to Cleveland Guardians; the choice was inspired by the Guardians of Traffic, which neighbor Progressive Field, the team's home ballpark.[5]

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 ($90,100,000 with inflation[6]). 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 Cuyahoga 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."[7] 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.[8] 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;[9] others the entire Hope family;[10] and still others have claimed it recognizes Harry Hope along with the other workers who helped erect the giant sandstone pylons.[11]

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.[12]

A pair of peregrine falcons nest under the bridge.[13]

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.[14]

The inaugural Guardian Mile road race was 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.[15]

The bridge's statues are the inspiration for the name of Cleveland's Major League Baseball team, the Cleveland Guardians.[16]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Lorain–Carnegie Bridge at Structurae
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ Wise, Carrie (October 4, 2018). "Exploring the History and Popularity of Cleveland's Guardians of Traffic". Ideastream. Retrieved December 19, 2020. While the structures are also often reffered[sic] to as Guardians of Transportation, officially they are the Guardians of Traffic, [Case Western Reserve University professor John] Grawbowski said.
  4. ^ Trickey, Erick (August 2009). "Icons of Cleveland: The Guardians of Traffic". Cleveland Magazine. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  5. ^ Bell, Mandy (November 19, 2021). "Guardians era officially arrives in Cleveland". MLB. Retrieved November 19, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Snook, Debbi (2002-12-02). "Bridges [sic] of Hopes". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  8. ^ Thoma, Pauline (September 2, 1983). "Lorain-Carnegie span is new Hope". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. 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.
  9. ^ Kucinich, Rep. Dennis (May 21, 2002). "Bob Hope Veterans Chapel". Congressional Record. 148 (66). The city of Cleveland claims [Bob Hope] as one of their favorite sons and has named a major bridge after him...
    • Simon, Jeff (November 8, 2014). "The Definitive Biography of Bob Hope". The Buffalo News. Memorials to [Bob Hope] are proliferated across the American landscape...cross the Cuyahoga River across the Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland...
  10. ^ Cetina, Judith G.; Judith G. Cetina, Ph.d. (2011). Cuyahoga County: The First 200 years. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-8346-4. ... renamed the Hope Memorial Bridge in honor of the family of comedian and actor Bob Hope"
    • Rotman, Michael (September 24, 2010). "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...
  11. ^ Dawidziak, Mark; Tom Feran (July 29, 2003). "Bob Hope: Entertainer always had a place in his heart for Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. 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.
  12. ^ "Lorain–Carnegie (Hope Memorial) Bikeway Opened Today" (Press release). Ohio Department of Transportation District 12. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  13. ^ Warsinskey, Tim (August 26, 2015). "Biking the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Cleveland to New Philadelphia, Day 1". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland. 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.
  14. ^ Loreno, Darcie (July 17, 2016). "Group takes part in 'Circle the City with Love' on Hope Memorial Bridge ahead of RNC". WJW News. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  15. ^ "GOH Run!". GOH Run!.
  16. ^ Stankiewicz, Kevin (July 23, 2021). "Cleveland's baseball team is changing name to the Guardians". CNBC.

External links[]

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