Third Avenue Bridge, Minneapolis - Then & Now

The black and white photo above is from the MNHS Visual Resources Database and shows the construction of the Third Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in 1917. This view is looking toward the milling district on the west bank.

The postcards below are from my postcard collection. The first card shows the completed bridge looking toward the east bank of the river. The large building in the center is the Industrial Exposition Building (1887-1940). The Third Avenue Bridge was originally called the St. Anthony Falls Bridge. The description on the back of this card is as follows:

ST. ANTHONY FALLS BRIDGE at Minneapolis, Minnesota, completed in June, 1918, at a cost of $865,000. It is the largest concrete arch bridge, built on a reverse curve, that spans the Mississippi River at any point from the source to the mouth. Designed and built by the Minneapolis City Engineering Department.

The next postcard shows another early view looking toward the Milling District on the west side of the river.

Here is some more information about the bridge from the Minneapolis Riverfront District website:

This 2,223-foot-long span was originally called the St. Anthony Falls Bridge, as it is built over the upper portion of the St. Anthony Falls Dam. Its alignment follows a shallow reverse S-curve in order to avoid fractures in the limestone bedrock supporting the bridge piers; it has the distinction of being the largest concrete arch bridge on a reverse curve. Much of the design work was done by Minneapolis city engineer Frederick W. Cappelen, who was responsible for a number of other local bridges and other structures, including the Cappelen Memorial (Franklin Avenue) Bridge. Construction of the $650,000 bridge used techniques which were state-of-the-art for the time, including the placement of water-tight cofferdams within which the bridge piers were poured. The concrete arches were formed against “falsework,” which supported and shaped the arches and then were removed after completion. A number of modifications have been made to the bridge over the years, including a major renovation in 1979- 80.

I didn't realize until I saw the description on the Lost Bridges page of the Minneapolis Riverfront District website, that the next postcard shows the "falsework" used in the construction of the Third Avenue Bridge. The falsework of the Third Avenue Bridge can be seen in the distance on the right side of the picture behind the smoke stacks. Here is the description of this card from that website:

Postcard showing the following bridges, heading upriver: Minneapolis Western Railroad, Lower (10th Avenue), Stone Arch, and falsework for the Third Avenue bridge, under construction; ca. 1917 .

The last postcard is a recent view of the Third Avenue Bridge. The bridge has not changed much, but the focus and style of the postcard have. This view is toward some of the downtown Minneapolis buildings on the west side of the river. The description does not even mention the bridge, saying only "A golden sunset casts its hue on the skies over Downtown Minneapolis and is reflected in the Mississippi River."

Visit Sepia Saturday for More Vintage Photos