Architectural Critic Will Morgan: Providence River Pedestrian Bridge

Architectural Critic Will Morgan: Providence River Pedestrian Bridge

The Providence River Pedestrian Bridge is one of the final pieces in the magnificent mosaic of urban revival known as the Providence Renaissance.

This soon-to-open span is the capstone of long, amazing project that sought to uncover the Providence River and give it back to the people.

In linking the two shores of the river, the new footbridge will solidify the sense of reuniting two halves of downtown.

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It symbolizes the development of the area and will make both shores seem more of a cohesive single piece.

Most of all, it will create common ground for residents and visitors, providing a place to promenade and to view the skyline, College Hill, and the hurricane barrier and the I-195 blue bridge beyond.

A bridge has a special place in urban design, regardless of whether or not it is an architectural marvel.

It is about the movement of people, about that magical feat of being able to cross over water, about interaction and commerce–in short, the life of the city.

It may seem obvious to state, but bridges mean water, and water is one of the life-giving elements. (Think of Water Fire as just torches and without water.) I taught the history of cities for decades, but one definition of what makes a city great did not change: All are on water.

Historically, cities have grown up at breaks in transportation: a river that reaches the point where it is no longer navigable, where a river meets the sea, and so on.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course.

But Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Timbuktu hardly go to the top of the charts in desirability.

Would you rather be 700 miles from the sea in the brand-new capital city of Brasilia, or would you rather be in Rio de Janeiro? Which is more romantic, San Francisco or Denver?

And what waterside city doesn't have bridges, spectacular bridges, even?

Think of such city-defining crossings as the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, Tower Bridge in London.

The pedestrian bridge was realized through a competition, held in 2010.

Such contests allow the public to see different ideas on how to solve a certain problem, and they can elicit some exceptional designs.

William Warner, designer of the new bridge across the river at College Street, as well as the I-195 Bridge, submitted several proposals, one based on the idea of a ship, which is appropriate, given that the new bridge is where so many wharfs were located in the 19th century.

Some schemes were fanciful, some fun.

A couple had possibilities.

But only one, the Friedrich St. Florian and 3SIX0 Architects submission, actually soared, offering the possibility of timeless and notable identifier of Providence.

The chosen design, by a consortium of New Urbanists, tried to do too much.

Amenities, such as a restaurant were scrapped.

Yet, in trying to keep the spiraling costs down, the bridge turned out better–a cleaner, less complicated shape.

In the end, the cost-overruns and building delays will be forgotten.

Even if the result were just a pontoon bridge thrown up by the Army Corps of Engineers, it would draw people.

But we have a structure much better than that.

There is everything to like about the new bridge.

The wood decking system is attractive and the gentle curve creates changing perspectives as one views the city.

And most of all, the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge joins the Jewelry District with College Hill, connecting all of us to that reason for the city's settlement here, the river.

 

 

Architecture writer, William Morgan's favorite cities include Boston, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Providence. His forthcoming book, Snowbound: Dwelling in Winter, will be published next year by Princeton Architectural Press.