Nymore Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nymore Bridge
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location |  MN 197 (First Street) over the Mississippi River, Bemidji, Minnesota |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1917 |
| Built by | Standard Reinforced Concrete Co. |
| Architect | Cheney, George M. |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Reinforced-concrete bridge |
| MPS | Reinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001849 |
| Added to NRHP | November 6, 1989 |
The Nymore Bridge is a special bridge in Bemidji, Minnesota. It crosses the famous Mississippi River. This bridge is a type called a deck arch bridge, which means it has a curved arch underneath that supports the flat road on top. It's also made of reinforced concrete, which is concrete with strong metal bars inside to make it extra tough.
Built in 1916, the Nymore Bridge has three main arch sections. It's important because it uses a unique way of strengthening concrete. This method was invented by George M. Cheney during a time when engineers were trying out many new ideas for building strong bridges.
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A Bridge with a Purpose
This bridge was first built to carry a major road, U.S. Route 2 (US 2), over the Mississippi River. It helped connect the city of Bemidji with a nearby village called Nymore. Later, Nymore became part of Bemidji. Today, a different road, Minnesota State Highway 197 (MN 197), carries most of the traffic over the bridge, as US 2 now goes around the city.
How the Bridge Was Built
The Nymore Bridge uses a special design by George M. Cheney. Imagine a giant metal frame, like a big arch-shaped truss. This metal frame was made from strong metal pieces and plates. Builders put this metal frame in place first. Then, they built wooden shapes (called forms) around it. Finally, they poured wet concrete into these forms. When the concrete dried, the metal frame was completely hidden inside, making the bridge incredibly strong.
Beautiful Design Details
The Nymore Bridge also looks very nice! It's decorated in a style called Classical Revival. This style uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings, like columns and simple, elegant shapes. It was popular for public buildings and bridges during the City Beautiful movement. This movement aimed to make cities more beautiful and organized.
Bridge Dimensions
The Nymore Bridge is quite long and wide.
- It measures about 168 feet (51 meters) from one end to the other.
- It is 31 feet (9.4 meters) wide, which is enough for cars to drive across.
- The middle arch section is the longest, at 65 feet (20 meters).
- The two arch sections on either side are each 40 feet (12 meters) long.
- Boats passing underneath have about 15 feet (4.6 meters) of space.
