The Albert Memorial Bridge is listed as Municipal Heritage Property by the City of Regina, SK CAN. The Bridge is part of the Lakeview Heritage Walking Tour: (
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"80. ALBERT MEMORIAL BRIDGE
2600 to 2700 BLOCKS ALBERT STREET
This 1930 bridge was built during the Great Depression as an unemployment relief project, along with the dredging of Wascana Lake. The project employed over 2,100 men to hand-dredge the lake and create two islands with the mud removed from the bottom. To justify the $250,000 expenditure, the minister of public works, James Bryant, announced that it would be dedicated as a war memorial. However, when the formal dedication occurred, the two bronze plaques failed to signify that the bridge was a provincial war memorial and the bridge designer ordered the plaques to be removed. But the provincial government countermanded his order and had the plaques reinstalled.
The dispute was left unresolved for the next 60 years until 1995, when the First World War Memorial was constructed at the Albert Street Legislative Drive entrance. The project to span a 50-foot wide creek with an 840-foot long ornate bridge was nicknamed "Bryant's Folly" and to this day is considered to be one of the world's longest bridges over the narrowest span of water.
In 1985, the City proposed to demolish the decorative balustrades on either side of the bridge and to remove the elm trees lining Albert Street in order to widen the street. Plans were abandoned and a $1.4 million restoration project was completed in 1988. Wascana Lake was again redeveloped in 2004/05 and deepened from 1.5 to 5.5 metres, removing 1.3 million cubic metres of soil at a cost of $18 million.
The bridge was designed by the architectural and engineering firm of Puntin, O'Leary & Coxall and built by Carter-Halls-Aldinger Co. It features Egyptian-style terra cotta balusters and lamp standards cast in a multicoloured lotus flower design. Egyptian-style concrete obelisks give a sense of grandeur at the bridge entranceways and are adorned with terra cotta plaques of Queen Victoria. Note the sculptured medallions depicting municipal and provincial symbols.
The Albert Memorial Bridge was designated as a Municipal Heritage Property in 1984. It was the recipient of a 1989 Municipal Heritage Award in the Exterior Restoration category. See the commemorative plaque."
From the City of Regina Heritage Properties Map Viewer: (
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"SITE LOCATION: 2600 to 2700 Blocks Albert Street
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: N of 2.83 metres South of the North limit of Regina Avenue as shown on Plan No. CA2933 and S of the South limit of 19th Avenue on Plan No. K4654
COMMON NAME: Albert Street Memorial Bridge
BYLAW NAME: Albert Memorial Bridge
Designation Date: 1984-10-01
BYLAW: 7880
REFERENCE ADDRESS: 2750 Albert Street"
From Historic Places Canada: (
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"Albert Memorial Bridge
Albert Street, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S, Canada
Formally Recognized: 1984/10/01
OTHER NAME(S)
Albert Memorial Bridge
Albert Street Bridge
LINKS AND DOCUMENTS
n/a
CONSTRUCTION DATE(S)
1930/01/01 to 1930/12/31
LISTED ON THE CANADIAN REGISTER: 2006/08/17
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Albert Memorial Bridge is a Municipal Heritage Property located on Albert Street, a main north-south throughway in Regina. Constructed in 1930, the property features a 256-metre long bridge spanning the Wascana Creek.
HERITAGE VALUE
The heritage value of Albert Memorial Bridge lies in its association with the public relief programs started in response to the Great Depression. The economic depression that followed the stock market crash in 1929 had a tremendous impact on Saskatchewan. Funded jointly by the federal, provincial and municipal governments, the Albert Memorial Bridge was constructed in 1930 as part of a relief project that employed 700 men. On November 10, 1930 the ornate bridge was dedicated to the province’s fallen soldiers of World War I, making it the first war memorial commissioned by the provincial government. Situated on Regina's main north-south throughway, the Albert Memorial Bridge serves as a gateway to Wascana Park, the Old Lakeview area and the downtown core. It is reputed to be the longest bridge spanning the shortest body of water in the world.
The heritage value of the Albert Memorial Bridge also lies in its Art Deco-influenced architecture. Designed by the firm of Puntin, O’Leary and Coxall, the Albert Memorial Bridge provides an excellent example of decorative glazed terracotta in an Egyptian motif. The property features obelisk-like entry towers adorned with portraits of Queen Victoria, lamp posts adorn with images of bison heads, and colorful terracotta balusters decorated with lotus flowers and papyrus plants. Symmetrical in design, the Albert Memorial Bridge displays exotic motifs arranged in geometric patterns which relay a sense of drama, luxury, and elegance, all characteristics of the Art Deco architectural style.
Source:
The City of Regina Bylaw No. 7880 HR B84.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The heritage value of the Albert Memorial Bridge resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that speak to its status as a landmark in the community, including its orientation on its original location;
-those elements that reflect its Art Deco-influenced architectural style, including the obelisk-like entry towers adorned with portraits of Queen Victoria, lamp posts adorned with images of bison heads, and terra cotta balusters decorated with lotus flowers and papyrus plants."