Section 4(f) Case Study: Historic Tenth Street Bridge, Great Falls, Montana
Montana | Posted: November 1, 2005 |
4(f) Case Study - Great Falls, MT |
The Historic Tenth Street Bridge is the longest and oldest concrete arch bridge in the upper Great Plains, but it came within six days of demolition in the mid-1990s. It survived because of the commitment of several groups - most notably, the city of Great Falls, the non-profit Preservation Cascade, and the National Trust - and through the strength of Section 4(f).
The opening of the Tenth Street Bridge in 1920 helped connect Great Falls with the developing communities on the north side of the Missouri River. At the time, a local newspaper called it "an imposing structure of sweeping arches…a carved monument above the water," and the bridge and its reflection in the Missouri have delighted travelers ever since.
After a new bridge opened just upstream in 1995, the Montana Department of Transportation marked this graceful combination of transportation and architecture for demolition -- even though it was structurally sound, rehabilitation would cost only $165,000 more than razing it, and the community favored saving it. In July 1996, less than a week before a contractor was about to begin demolition, the National Trust and local preservation advocates went to court, pointing out that preservation was clearly the kind of "feasible and prudent alternative" that Section 4(f) requires planners to find. The courts soon issued an injunction stopping the contractor, and a federal appeals court took the extraordinary step of assigning a senior judge to work with the parties in an effort to mediate the case.
A year and a half of mediation led to a unique public-private partnership to preserve the bridge. The City of Great Falls assumed ownership from the state, local preservation advocates raised more than $300,000 for rehabilitation of the bridge, and the National Trust made available a $100,000 line of credit and helped the city to obtain a Save America`s Treasures grant of $250,000. Rehabilitation is not yet complete, and more funding is needed, but the Historic Tenth Street Bridge will remain a centerpiece of Great Falls for generations to come as a part of City`s riverfront trail network.
For more information:
Department of Public Policy
National Trust for Historic Preservation
1785 Massachusettes Ave., NW
policy@www.preservationnation.org
202-588-6255
