Anderson Memorial Bridge:
Lighting Concept & History
Lighting concept
When John Powell was faced with the challenge of coming up with a lighting
concept that involved no protruding lamps, something the Historical Commissions
requested, he explains his approach as follows:
“The concept of lighting this historically significant crossing
of the Charles River, is to light the actual crossing of the river—the
arches that carry the roadway over the water. A light is being installed
under each arch, designed to illuminate the arch from below, revealing
the true structure of the bridge. The piers that support the central
arch and the spring arches from shore will be illuminated with two lights
each, one on either side, to accentuate their height above the river.
This is an energy conscious installation, using less than 1500 watt/hours
of electrical energy.”
To get permission from the owner of the bridge, the state’s Department
of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), six other local and state agencies
had to review the plans and give their approval.
While the project idea came from the Charles River Conservancy, the funding
for the planning and implementation started with a challenge grant from
the Cambridge based LEF Foundation. Other funders such as the Tomfohrde
Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and generous individuals
like Christine Kondoleon and Fred Wittmann made this magic possible. In
addition, the DCR has committed to the upkeep of the lights.
Bridge history
Built in 1915 with funds donated by Larz Anderson as a memorial to his
father, a Civil War veteran, this bridge is built on the site of the oldest
continuously maintained crossing of the Charles River. The Great Bridge,
of 1662, was the first bridge at this site.
The Anderson Memorial Bridge, along with the Weeks Memorial Footbridge,
the Western Avenue, and the River Street Bridge, were built under the
auspices of the MDC in the early part of the twentieth century. All of
these bridges are reinforced concrete structures that replaced long out
mooted structures not capable of safely carrying motorized vehicular traffic.
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