HomeMy WebLinkAboutPR Wooddale Avenue Bridge Natl Historic Society_0301
City of Edina 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Dawn Wills, Communications Assistant
Phone 952-903-5703 dwills@EdinaMN.gov EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wooddale Avenue Bridge Placed on National Register
of Historic Places
Edina, Minn., March 2, 2016 – The Wooddale Avenue bridge was officially listed on the National Register
of Historic Places Feb. 2, 2016.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA), as part of a federal relief project, constructed the Wooddale
Avenue bridge in 1937 during the Great Depression to provide work to the unemployed.
“In 1937, the Village of Edina provided the design, engineering, and materials, while the federal government
provided the labor,” said Joyce Repya, Senior Planner at the City of Edina.
The Wooddale Avenue bridge was built at the same time as St. Stephen’s Church, across the street. Both
were constructed using Platteville Limestone. The Village originally considered using boulders for the bridge’s
construction, but altered the design of it to include Platteville Limestone to complement the church.
Workers built the bridge using a combination of corrugated steel to form the arch structure; the masons then
used Platteville Limestone to form the headwalls, railings and wingwalls.
“By recognizing the significance of your property and planning for its preservation, you are participating in the
national movement which aims to preserve, for the benefit of future generations, our cultural heritage,” wrote
Barbra Mitchell Howard, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the Minnesota Historical Society in
her letter to the City of Edina declaring the Wooddale Avenue bridge’s placement on the National Register of
Historical Places.
As a part of its 2016 work plan, the Heritage Preservation Board is going forward with a request to the Edina
City Council to have the Wooddale Avenue bridge designated a local Heritage Landmark. The City will be
responsible for maintaining and preserving the bridge, and a plan of treatment to accompany the landmark
designation will ensure that.
Denis Gardner, National Register Historian with the Minnesota Historical Society said, “The Wooddale
Avenue bridge can last a long, long time. It just has to be maintained.”
For more information, contact Repya at 952-826-0462 or jrepya@EdinaMN.gov.
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