Hampden County Memorial Bridge - Springfield/West Springfield, MA - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

The Hampden County Memorial Bridge is a reinforced-concrete arch bridge that spans the Connecticut River between Springfield and West Springfield, MA. Seven parabolic arches span the river. The channel span is 209 feet long and 29.71 feet high. Other spans vary from 176.5 feet to 121 feet in length, with heights from 29.2 feet to 19.1 feet.

The main construction contract for $3,254,883 was awarded to H.P. Converse on April 3, 1920. It was designed by Fay Spofford & Thorndike, with Haven & Hoyt, architects. The completed bridge was opened to traffic on August 3, 1922. The bridge was dedicated as a memorial to those who had died as pioneers, and soldiers in the Revolutionary, Civil and Foreign Wars. There are four plaques on the central towers honor the original colonists, and veterans of the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War, and World War I. The bridge was extensively refurbished in 1992 when Fay Spofford & Thorndike was again involved.

The bridge is adorned with eight stone columns, four larger and four smaller columns. The four larger columns are equidistant from the center of the bridge on the north and side pedestrian walkways. Each of the larger columns is decorated with carved garlands and topped with partially open metal spheres with finials fitted with street lamps. Each column carries a bronze inscription plaque. The plaques are titled:

PIONEER AND COLONIAL PERIOD
PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
WAR TO PRESERVE THE UNION
THE LATER WARS ON FOREIGN SOIL

Below each title is a narrative description of the role that Springfield played in each era of American history.

Four additional smaller stone columns are placed in pairs farther to the east and west and closer to the river banks. These columns are devoid of ornamentation and each is topped with a bronze spiked sphere.

On the Springfield side of the bridge there is a bronze plaque that describes the planning phase of the bridge. The plaque is inscribed:

HAMPDEN COUNTY
MEMORIAL BRIDGE
1915 PLANNED 1919
JOHN L BATES CHAIRMAN
JOSEPH H O'NEIL
JOSEPH R WORCESTER
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
APPOINTED UNDER CHAPTER 252 GENERAL ACTS OF 1915

FAY SPOFFORD & THORNDIKE DESIGNING ENGINEERS
HAVEN & HOYT ADVISORY ARCHITECTS

On the West Springfield side of the bridge there is a bronze plaque that describes the building phase of the bridge. The plaque is inscribed:

HAMPDEN COUNTY
MEMORIAL BRIDGE
1919 ERECTED 1922
CHARLES C SPELLMAN CHAIRMAN GEORGE W BRAY
DIED 1920 DIED 1920
WILLIAM H ENSIGN CHAIRMAN
GEORGE S COOK ARTHUR A SIBLEY
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF HAMPDEN COUNTY
ACTING UNDER CHAPTER 252 - GENERAL ACTS OF 1915
ROBERT O MORRIS CLERK OF THE BOARD
HENRY W ELY COUNSEL
FAY SPOFFORD & THORNDIKE H P CONVERSE & CO
SUPERVISING ENGINEERS CONTRACTORS
HAVEN & HOYT ADVISORY ARCHITECTS

William H Ensign became chairman when Charles C Spellman and George W Bray died together in an automobile accident.

TITLE: Hampden County Memorial Bridge ARTIST(S): Fay Spofford & Thorndike, designer; Haven & Hoyt, architects. DATE: 1922 MEDIUM: Stone and bronze CONTROL NUMBER: IAS MA000898 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Connecticut River between Memorial Avenue in West Springfield and Columbus Avenue in Springfield. DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: The bridge is adorned with eight stone columns; four larger with plaques and lamps and four smaller with spiked spheres. Planning phase plaque information added.

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