Celebrating 100 years of the Centre Street Bridge

Imagine the traffic jams if drivers were forced to wait on the north side of the Centre Street Bridge for an elevator to lift vehicles up the hill.

It almosthappened.

That and other stories of how the Calgary landmark came into being are told in a 16-minute video produced by the city to celebrate the bridge's100th anniversary.

The origins and inspiration for the Centre Street Bridge

8 years ago

Duration 1:10

This year the iconic bridge celebrates its 100th year. We delve into the history of its creation.

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Narrated by Harry Sanders better known as Harry the Historian the story of the Centre Street Bridge goes back further than the span itself.

Regular crossings of the Bow River around where the bridge now sits began in the early 1880s when Fogg's Ferry began operating.

It was in 1906 that the first bridge was constructed, part of a pre-First World War boom.

"A man named AJMcArthur acquires the land that becomes Crescent Heights and he wants to make it available to people in Calgary, the problem is there's no bridge access," said Sanders.

"It lies outside the city of Calgary, Crescent Heights doesn't become part of Calgary until 1910, so he just gets some investors, forms a joint stock company and build a little wood and steel bridge."

The original span was constructed without any consideration for road alignment, or even government approval, said Sanders, as McArthur simply bought land on either side of the river and started building.

"They offered it to the city for the construction cost of $17,000 and the city turns it down," said Sanders.

"They're not interested in this crappy little bridge, even after they annex Crescent Heights and make it part of Calgary."

Tired of city trucks wearing it out, McArthur closed the bridge to city vehicles before offering it for sale to the city once again, this time for $5,000, which was rejected by taxpayers. The city eventually bought the crossing for a paltry sum of $1,300.

With the boom in full swing, city officials began planning for future growth and hired landscape architect Thomas Mawson, who created two sets of plans for a new bridge.

One was a high-level span topped with statues,similar to the one there today,and the other a low-level span with a unique way of getting streetcars and vehicles up the hill on the north side an elevator.

"The city even priced this out with the Otis elevator company to see if we could get an elevator at the north end of the bridge that would take streetcars and automobiles up the elevator up to the north hill and back down," said Sanders.

"So one wonders what that would have done to the traffic flow."

A real estate crash in 1913 followed by the outbreak of the First World Warmeant Mawson's plans were put on hold, but a bridge was still needed, and in 1914, taxpayers voted in favour of building one at a cost of $375,000.

Itwas designed by bridge expert John Green, assisted by the city's chief engineer at the time, George W. Craig.

There wasn't any money in the budget for frills, or bells and whistles though, so city officials had to get creative.

"One of the aldermen who was driving along on the north hill happened to see a stone lion on somebody's lawn," said Sanders.

"He liked the art, he thought maybe this is the sculptorof the artistic elements for our new bridge."

In a serendipitous twist, that artist wasJames L. Thompson whoalready worked for the city, and hewas tappedto build the four original lions, which were installed in 1917.

"One wonders, did he get an artist's commission to do this or did the city pay him his hourly wage as a worker?" said Sanders.

The original lions were created on site, first as clay models based onone at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square in London.

Eventually the lions became worn and were removed as part of a major refurbishment in 1999, however one was able to be restored and was used as a cast to recreate four others, which were put back on the bridge in 2000. The original, restored lion now sits at the entrance to city hall.

Construction of the Centre Street Bridge wasn't without tragedy.

During a flood of 1915, the original McArthur Bridge was being inspected by Craig, city commissioner James Garden and a city worker, Edwin Tambling, who was deaf.

Tambling stepped onto the old bridge without hearing warnings from the other two and itcollapsed, sending them into the swollen river.

Craig and Garden were rescued, however Tambling was swept downstream and drowned.

One year later, on Dec. 18, 1916, the new Centre Street Bridge was officially opened to traffic, with Craig riding in the first car to cross it.

And 100hundred years after that, city officials gathered at Sien Lok Park at the south end of the bridge on Wednesday to unveil a plaque commemorating its centennial.