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BRIDGE IN MOTION
CONSTRUCTING SITE, FLOWS, AND PHENOMINA PROJECT [LOCATION] BOSTON, UNITED STATES [ACADEMIC] DESIGN DISCOVERY 2018 AT HARVARD GSD [INSTRUCTOR] GIDEON FINCK [INDIVIDUAL WORK]
The Northern Avenue Bridge was constructed in 1908 spanning the active Fort Point Channel, then a major industrial transportation route. As constructed, it was an operable steel three-span, triple-barreled, Pratt-type through-truss bridge with a rim-bearing center span that swung open to allow for water traffic. The bridge was designed to carry horse-drawn and motorized truck use through the outside barrels, freight locomotive passage through the central barrel, and pedestrians on sidewalks cantilevered beyond the outside barrels. At the time, the bridge was constructed as an integral part of the development of South Boston as a maritime and industrial center for Boston and the region and continues to serve as a reminder of that part of the city's evolution. Currently in a state of severe disrepair, the bridge is closed to all traffic and is threatened with total loss. The Walsh administration is considering options for its reuse or replacement. My design is to give new life to this bridge in an interesting way; it does not stand still any more, instead, this one in motion can serve lots of useful purposes.
The History of Northern Avenue Bridge
1912
1908 The bridge was built in 1908, when horse and carriages were still in use.
In 1912, a firehouse was built on the bridge. It kept the northern harbor safe until 1948.
1999
1968 The entire building and the supporting piers under it toppled into the water.
Most elements below the bridge deck are corroded well beyond repair, so it was closed to vehicle traffic.
2014
2000 It began to be opertaed as a pedestrain bridge.
The bridge was closed after inspectors found that thirteen floor beams were unsafe for pedestrians.
To the present V a r i o u s redevelopment schemes have been proposed for the bridge.
