You are here

Iowa » Central » Des Moines » Des Moines, Downtown » Court Avenue Bridge

Court Avenue Bridge

-A A +A
1917, Norman T. Vorse. Court Ave. between 1st St. and E. 1st St.

Both Manning and Robinson, the turn-of-the-century planners, called for a series of broad-arched masonry bridges to cross the Des Moines River. These were to be tied together with embankments on each side of the river. The stone balustrades on top of the embankments were designed to match those on the bridges. The Court Avenue bridge is a graceful example of a Beaux-Arts composition. On the shore side, each of the low segmental arches springs from a projecting semi-circular buttress; delicate voussoirs define each of the arches; and at the crown of the arches are shieldlike cartouches.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,