Sculpture of the Wood Family Fishing Bridge Train during Sunset [DSC_1405]

The Wood Family Fishing Bridge is a pedestrian-only bridge in Beloit, Wisconsin, constructed by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway in 1928. The old trestle had been unused since the 1960s, but in 1993, it became the centerpiece of Beloit 2000’s RiverFront Project, which aimed to reclaim unsightly riverfront properties for public use, including the creation of a RiverWalk leading from downtown north to Henry Avenue along both the east and west banks.

Renowned artist Siah Armajani, McAllister College graduate, and a close friend of Beloit College vice president Alan McIvor, was commissioned to design the bridge as a public artwork, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The community’s reception to Armajani’s design, which included an aluminum replica of a Fairbanks Morse-built locomotive perched above the bridge’s floor to honor Beloit’s history as a major manufacturer of railroad locomotives, paved the way for others to donate toward the project.

Steven P.J. Wood, the former president of Warner Electric Brake and Clutch, was instrumental in making the project possible, pledging $600,000 for its completion in honor of his family. Local craftspeople were employed to build the bridge, which is made of steel and treated white pine planks, with an overall floor area of 13,000 square feet. The bridge’s lighting system is solely reliant on plastic, teacup-sized luminaires mounted on the railings, which are lighted by hidden light-source boxes powered by fiber optic strands. The lighting system also changes colors with the use of revolving discs that make the bridge an even more attractive sight at night.

Though it was built with armchair philosophizing, fishing and picnicking, walking, and bicycling in mind, the bridge is capable of accommodating such community activities as art shows and dances using its eight-big platforms. The Wood Family Fishing Bridge is part of the RiverWalk system, and at 720 feet long is among the most striking public art pieces residents of Beloit, Wisconsin, can lay claim to.

Posted by OldOnliner on 2022-12-08 03:19:07