Evening On The Gay Street Bridge, Knoxville

Title

Evening On The Gay Street Bridge, Knoxville

Artist

Marcy Wielfaert

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Of the four bridges that cross the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Gay Street Bridge is my favorite. It's historic construction and charming lamp posts evoke the historic feel of the late 18th century, the time period of its construction and opening. The first bridge across the Tennessee River at this site was a temporary pontoon bridge built during the American Civil War that was followed by a permanent bridge with stone supporting piers, built by Union General Ambrose E. Burnside. When that bridge was washed away in a flood in March 1867, Knox County built a covered bridge at the site, which opened on May 2, 1875, but it was blown down by a tornado shortly afterward. The county sold the surviving piers and right of way to G. W. Saulpaw, who built a wooden Howe truss bridge at the site in 1880. Saulpaw's bridge stood until 1898, when it was demolished after the completion of the Gay Street Bridge. The Gay Street Bridge was designed by Charles E. Fowler, chief engineer of the Youngstown Bridge Company of Ohio. Fowler later boasted that he had hastily sketched the bridge's design—which was chosen over three other bids—on the back of an envelope during his train ride to Knoxville to meet with county officials. Construction of the bridge, which was supervised by Fowler, began in 1897. Due to the scarcity of certain building materials during the Spanish–American War, Fowler was forced to modify his original design, and was constantly bickering with Knox County officials over who should pay the extra costs. The Gay Street Bridge opened to traffic on July 9, 1898. Knox County issued a statement proclaiming the bridge "for the use of all the world except Spain," in reference to the war which had been raging throughout the year. Engineering journals such as Engineering News and Bridge Engineering praised the bridge's combination of safety and aesthetics. Because the 1898 bridge included trolley tracks, its construction accelerated residential development in the Island Home Park area on the south side of the river, which previously had been isolated from downtown Knoxville.

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November 11th, 2021

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