Virginia Street Bridge
This article needs to be updated.(May 2019) |
Virginia Street Bridge | |
Location | Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°31′30″N 119°48′45″W / 39.52500°N 119.81250°WCoordinates: 39°31′30″N 119°48′45″W / 39.52500°N 119.81250°W |
Area | 0.5 |
Built | 1905 |
Architect | John B. Leonard |
Demolished | June 8, 2015 |
NRHP reference No. | 80002471[1] |
Added to NRHP | December 10, 1980 |
The Virginia Street Bridge was a historic concrete double arch bridge in downtown Reno, Nevada, US, carrying Virginia Street across the Truckee River.[2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[3] The bridge is sometimes referred to as the "Wedding Ring Bridge" or the "Bridge of Sighs".[2]
In both 2002 and 2006, the bridge was listed as one of the "Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places in Nevada" by , a historic preservation organization partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).[4]
Due to structural and flood control concerns, the bridge was replaced in 2016.[5][6]
History[]
Built in 1905, the current Virginia Street Bridge is the fifth in a series of bridges to have been built in downtown Reno. The first was a wooden bridge built in 1860 by and was hence called .[3][7] After it was destroyed by a flood, a second bridge, a toll bridge, was built and sold to in 1861, although in 1867 it was also destroyed by a flood.[7] Even though it was replaced by yet another bridge, it became unneeded after the arrival of the Transcontinental Railroad.[7] In 1877, the Washoe County authorized the creation of a new tied-arch bridge made of iron.[3] In 1905, the iron bridge was moved and the current bridge, designed by San Francisco architect John B. Leonard, was built by of Oakland, California.[8]
Legend[]
Legend has it that newly divorced women would, after exiting the Washoe County Courthouse, stand on the Virginia Street Bridge and cast their wedding rings into the Truckee River below.[3] Hence, the bridge became known as the main symbol of Reno, which was called the "Divorce Capital of the World" beginning in 1906.[2] Over the years, salvage divers have found actual rings, according to archivist .[3]
In the 1961 film The Misfits, Marilyn Monroe considers tossing her wedding ring from the Virginia Street Bridge, but decides against it.[3]
References[]
- ^ "Inventory Nomination Form". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 10, 1980. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Virginia Street Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Bledsoe, Bruce (March 19, 2009). "Virginia Street Bridge". The Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
- ^ "The Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places in Nevada". Preserve Nevada. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
- ^ DeLong, Jeff (December 24, 2014). "Work to start on 'crumbling' Virginia Street Bridge". Reno Gazette–Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
- ^ "Virginia Street Bridge Project". Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Virginia Street Bridge". City of Reno. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Street Bridge — Reno, Washoe County". Scenic Nevada. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Street Bridge (Reno, Nevada). |
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NV-14, "Virginia Street Bridge, Spanning Truckee River at Virginia Street, Reno, Washoe County, NV", 16 photos, 9 data pages, 1 photo caption page
- Arch bridges in the United States
- Bridges completed in 1905
- Buildings and structures in Reno, Nevada
- Concrete bridges in the United States
- Former toll bridges in Nevada
- Historic American Engineering Record in Nevada
- National Register of Historic Places in Reno, Nevada
- Road bridges in Nevada
- Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada
- Transportation in Reno, Nevada
- 1905 establishments in Nevada