Photos
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Oblique View North Side Since the day it opened, December 1, 1928, this structure is known as the most beautiful bridge ever built in Racine.
Terra Cotta bas relief panels adorn the sides with shields, symbols and Neptune-like faces that act as outlets for storm water. The panels seem to reflect the story of Racine, Wisconsin, and the United States. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Bas relief sculpture with an eagle and buffalo According to the noted local historian, Gerry Karwowski, the art panels represent "...a cow for the dairy state, a schooner for the Great Lakes, a plow for the pioneer farmers, sheaves of wheat the first crops and of course the horns of plenty. It also is a patriotic bridge with another panel of the American Eagle and Buffalo."
He also mourns that the majority of Racine citizens, and many who use this bridge daily, are unaware of the unique beauty of this structure. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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A storm drain outlet Whatever these creatures represent, they line both sides of the bridge and act as water spouts. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Pier Cap Panels Each pier cap sports a steel door like this one, with a shield of some sort. Vandals have damaged at least two of them. At one time, each pier cap had an ornate light standard and coach light fixture. Those were inexplicably removed in 1969 and two of them adorn the entry of the museum. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The East Approach Note the mosaic panels in the center of the parapet wall. They are mirrored on the opposite parapet wall. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The Deck Looking northwest. The bridge was built in 1928 by Zendala Construction Co. of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Charles S. Whitney, of Milwaukee, was the Consulting Engineer.
The bridge was constructed at a cost of $90,000.00. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The center mosaic This is on the south parapet wall. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The mosaic on the right Mirrored on the opposite side of the center mosaic, shown above. No one is quite sure what the mosaic panels represent, but a plauable theory is that the panels honor the Native Americans who lived here. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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State of Wisconsin Inventory Plaque This bridge was reconstructed in 1982. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The Deck and North Parapet Wall To the right is a stairway that leads down to Horlick Drive. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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South side of main span, looking northeast Photo taken by Martin Stupich, 1987 for HAER |
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Same view 2008 Horlick Drive passes beneath the span through this tunnel. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Detail of the Tunnel Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The Terra Cota Plaque This is above Horlick Drive. The cow represents Wisconsin's dairy heritage, the schooner honors Great Lakes shipping, the plow honors farming and the sheaves of wheat (and horns of plenty) for the harvest. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The South Face As seen from Horlick Drive. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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South side, looking northeast Photo taken by Martin Stupich, 1987 for HAER |
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Same view, 2008 Note all the characters across the top. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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Oblique View, North Face Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The North Portal Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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The Mosaic Panels On the south parapet wall. The panels are mirrored on the north parapet wall. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
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North Side of Arch from Horlick Avenue Photo taken by Martin Stupich, 1987 for HAER |
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Same view, 2008 A similar photo from 1928 appears in the book, Racine. The book reports that when the bridge was being constructed, many saw the ornate details as a waste of tax money and Mayor William Armstrong came under fire for it. The bridge was sometimes called, "Armstrong's Folly" but today, it still stands as one of the most striking bridges in Wisconsin. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008 |
Significance of the 6th Street Bridge
HAER WI-18 Notes
Survey number HAER WI-18
Unprocessed field note material exists for this structure (FN-5).
Building/structure dates: 1928 initial construction
Building/structure dates: 1983 subsequent work
Significance: The West Sixth Street Bridge is a single open-spandrel, reinforced-concrete barrel-arch bridge. Its flush facade and Art Deco/Moderne style make it one of Wisconsin's most unusual and architecturally significant concrete bridges. The majority of the terra cotta detailing remains intact. Charles S. Whitney (1892-1959), the principal engineer/architect on the project, was world renowned for his innovations in concrete construction. Whitney's firm of Ammann & Whitney is known for its work on Dulles International Airport and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, as well as numerous highway and large bridge projects.
Facts
- Overview
- Concrete arch bridge over Root River and Horlick Drive on W. 6th Street in Racine
- Location
- Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built 1929; rehabilitated 1982
- Builders
- - Charles S. Whitney
- Northwestern Terra Cotta Co.
- Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Zendala Construction Co.
- Design
- Arch
- Dimensions
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Length of largest span: 129.6 ft.
Total length: 160.8 ft.
Deck width: 45.9 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Also called
- Armstrong's Folly
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +42.72600, -87.80510 (decimal degrees)
42°43'34" N, 87°48'18" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/434086/4730702 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Racine South
- Inventory number
- BH 34915 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
- Inspection (as of 10/2006)
- Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 79.4 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2005)
- 10,500
Update Log
- August 8, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning
- August 1, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning: Added Designer
- July 28, 2008: Essay added by J.R. Manning
- July 11, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning: Added Root River to description.
- July 10, 2008: New photos from J.R. Manning
Sources
- J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Meet Gerald Karwowski, Student of Racine History - A brief biography of a Racine Historian with links to several interesting locations.