Gay Street Bridge, Knoxville
A 1,512-foot (461 m) structure crossing the Tennessee River, linking downtown Knoxville to its southern part, the Gay Street Bridge is an impressive element of the city skyline. Completed in 1898, this is the oldest of four vehicle bridges in Knoxville. Its temporary pontoon prototype was built at this site during the American Civil War, around 1860.
A number of permanent bridges that appeared here later on suffered ill fate. The first one, supported by stone piers, built by Union General Ambrose E. Burnside, was washed away in a flood in March 1867. A replacement covered bridge, built by Knox County and opened on May 2, 1875, was blown down by a tornado shortly afterward. The county then sold the surviving piers and rights-of-way to G. W. Saulpaw, who built a wooden Howe truss bridge here in 1880. That bridge stood until 1898, when it was demolished upon the completion of the Gay Street Bridge.
The present arched, steel spandrel-braced (cantilevered) bridge features a concrete deck, and was designed by Charles E. Fowler. The latter boasted that he had hastily sketched the bridge's design鈥攚hich was chosen over three other bids鈥攐n the back of an envelope during his train ride to Knoxville to meet with county officials. Construction of the bridge began in 1897. Due to the scarcity of construction materials during the Spanish鈥揂merican War, Fowler was forced to modify his original design, and was constantly bickering with Knox County officials over who should pay the extra costs. Curiously, at the time, Knox County issued a statement proclaiming the bridge "for the use of all the world except Spain," in reference to the war which had been raging throughout the year.
The Gay Street Bridge opened to traffic on July 9, 1898. Originally, its deck contained trolley tracks and thus accelerated residential development in the Island Home Park area on the south side of the river, which had previously been isolated from downtown Knoxville. These tracks, however, were removed in 1950. Today, the deck consists of two vehicle lanes, each flanked by a pedestrian sidewalk.
Engineering journals, such as Engineering News and Bridge Engineering, have praised Gay Street Bridge for its combination of safety and aesthetics.
A number of permanent bridges that appeared here later on suffered ill fate. The first one, supported by stone piers, built by Union General Ambrose E. Burnside, was washed away in a flood in March 1867. A replacement covered bridge, built by Knox County and opened on May 2, 1875, was blown down by a tornado shortly afterward. The county then sold the surviving piers and rights-of-way to G. W. Saulpaw, who built a wooden Howe truss bridge here in 1880. That bridge stood until 1898, when it was demolished upon the completion of the Gay Street Bridge.
The present arched, steel spandrel-braced (cantilevered) bridge features a concrete deck, and was designed by Charles E. Fowler. The latter boasted that he had hastily sketched the bridge's design鈥攚hich was chosen over three other bids鈥攐n the back of an envelope during his train ride to Knoxville to meet with county officials. Construction of the bridge began in 1897. Due to the scarcity of construction materials during the Spanish鈥揂merican War, Fowler was forced to modify his original design, and was constantly bickering with Knox County officials over who should pay the extra costs. Curiously, at the time, Knox County issued a statement proclaiming the bridge "for the use of all the world except Spain," in reference to the war which had been raging throughout the year.
The Gay Street Bridge opened to traffic on July 9, 1898. Originally, its deck contained trolley tracks and thus accelerated residential development in the Island Home Park area on the south side of the river, which had previously been isolated from downtown Knoxville. These tracks, however, were removed in 1950. Today, the deck consists of two vehicle lanes, each flanked by a pedestrian sidewalk.
Engineering journals, such as Engineering News and Bridge Engineering, have praised Gay Street Bridge for its combination of safety and aesthetics.
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Gay Street Bridge on Map
Sight Name: Gay Street Bridge
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Knoxville, Tennessee
Create Your Own Walk in Knoxville
Creating your own self-guided walk in Knoxville is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Downtown Knoxville Walking Tour
A small town with big-city amenities and a vibrant music scene (a mix of country, bluegrass, and rock), Knoxville, or K-Town as it's popularly shortened by locals, is also often referred to as 鈥渢he Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains,鈥� for its proximity to the national park area, whose marble quarries, in the past, gave it another moniker, The Marble City.
Knoxville was founded in... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
Knoxville was founded in... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
Knoxville鈥檚 Historical Buildings
Knoxville is often referred to as "The Marble City" for the abundant supply of high-quality marble used in many of its buildings. Noting the wealth of well-preserved historic homes in the city, prominent American architect John Russell Pope even coined his own moniker for it 鈥� the "City of Houses".
Indeed, Knoxville's eventful and sometimes turbulent past, dating from... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
Indeed, Knoxville's eventful and sometimes turbulent past, dating from... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
University of Tennessee Walking Tour
Founded in 1794 as William Blount College, The University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. Nowadays, the UT flagship institution features a mix of historic and modern sites which draw many a visitor to the city.
The campus covers nearly 600 acres in downtown鈥檚 west end, including over 200 buildings and a faculty of more than 1,700... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
The campus covers nearly 600 acres in downtown鈥檚 west end, including over 200 buildings and a faculty of more than 1,700... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles