Pearl Street Bridge

Pearl Street Bridge. 10 Things to know about the Pearl Street Bridge. , 1 Before bridges were built, Grand Rapids' earliest inhabitants had to rely on canoes, scows, precarious foot bridges, and in the winter, even horse-drawn sleighs that would cross the river on the ice. , , 2 Built by the Pearl Street Bridge Company in 1858, at a cost of $16,000, the Pearl Street Bridge was the third major bridge constructed in Grand Rapids, preceded by the Bridge Street and Leonard Street bridges. , , 3 The bridge was maintained as a privately owned toll bridge by the Pearl Street Bridge Co. for 15 years until the city purchased it in 1873 for $1000, making it toll-free for all. , , 4 The Pearl Street Bridge was originally a covered wooden bridge. It sat on five massive stone piers positioned in the river, with large ice cutting buttresses pointed up stream to break up ice flows. , , 5 On July 4, 1865, a banquet for Union soldiers returning home from the Civil War was staged on the bridge. Tables filled with food stretched from end to end of the 620-foot span, and nearly a thousand people took part in the celebration. , , 6 During the Great Log Jam of 1883, the Pearl Street Bridge held fast, suffering only minor damages. Conversely, several nearby iron railroad bridges were destroyed, due to insufficient elevation above the water level. , , 7 600,000 logs rushed under the bridge at Pearl Street during The Great Log Jam of 1883, and continued west, toward Grand Haven. , , 8 In 1886 the Pearl Street Bridge was replaced by an iron lattice truss bridge, echoing the style of other bridges on the Grand River at the time. One surviving example of this bridge style is the Blue Bridge, just south of this location. , , 9 In 1922 the bridge was once again rebuilt as a concrete arch bridge, making it the third largest bridge in the state of Michigan. The Belle Isle Bridge in Detroit and our own Fulton Street bridge were first and second, respectively. , , 10 In 1983 the Pearl Street Bridge was reconstructed to accommodate modern vehicle load standards. Engineers devised a way of reinforcing the bridge while maintaining its historic arched facade. As seen today, it is a composite bridge consisting of central vehicular lanes with two outer pedestrian sidewalks.