Capitol Boulevard Memorial Bridge - Boise, ID
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 43° 36.544 W 116° 12.483
11T E 563909 N 4828758
This bridge, built in 1931, is an example of the art-deco style in its simple balustrades and the design of the end columns.
Waymark Code: WMDZDE
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 03/13/2012
Views: 2
The
Capitol Boulevard Memorial Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and example of art deco design. It was built in 1931 as a memorial to the Oregon Trail Pioneers, and is located near one of the historic crossings of the Boise River.
Among the embellishments on the bridge is a mural consisting of 24 tiles composing a scene with a covered wagon and horse rider in the foreground and a smaller one on the upper tiles. The total size is about 2' x 3'. The colors have remained in good condition.
References seem to indicate that this was one of a number of murals in Boise placed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Others appear on the state capitol, but have generated some controversy due to their style and representations.
On the other side of the bridge is a bronze relief plaque memorializing the Pioneers of the Old Oregon Trail. There is also a bronze plaque giving the details of the the bridge's construction. There are no reference to be find to indicate the the bridge itself was a WPA project.