Arlington Memorial Bridge
The Arlington Memorial Bridge, often shortened to Memorial Bridge, is a Neoclassical masonry, steel, and stone arch bridge with a central bascule (or drawbridge) that crosses the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. First proposed in 1886, the bridge went unbuilt for decades thanks to political quarrels over whether the bridge should be a memorial, and to whom or what. Traffic problems associated with the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in November 1921 and the desire to build a bridge in time for the bicentennial of the birth of George Washington led to its construction in 1932.
Arlington Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
The bridge in December 2020, shortly after the completion of renovations | |
| Coordinates | 38°53′14″N 77°3′20″W |
| Locale | Potomac River Washington, D.C. |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 2,163 ft (659.3 m) |
| History | |
| Architect | McKim, Mead, and White |
| Built | 1932 |
| Location | |
Arlington Memorial Bridge | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical Central bascule Arch bridge |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | 80000346 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 4, 1980 |
| Designated DCIHS | November 8, 1964 |
Designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White, decorated with monumental statues depicting valor and sacrifice by sculptor Leo Friedlander, and cast by Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry of Florence, Italy, Arlington Memorial Bridge defines the western end of the National Mall. The bridge's draw span was permanently closed in 1961 and replaced in 2018 by one that does not open.