The Bridge on the River Cuy

Photos: Dudley Weaver collection

lthough Kent’s first bridge over the Cuyahoga River was further north—closer to Brady’s Leap—its modern counterpart is the centerpiece of the city’s downtown, connecting East Main Street with West Main Street.

The multi-arched span still standing today was constructed in 1876-77, using stone dug from quarries on North Water Street, near the foot of Columbus Street. The bottom photo was taken on day 2 of the new bridge: Wednesday, September 26, 1887. An early version of the bridge was of the covered variety (pictured above).

In “days of yore” in particularly cold winters the river would freeze above the arched dam and children and adults alike would strap on skates and have a gay old time cutting figure-eights into the river’s ice. A policeman would be stationed to ensure no careless skater went over the edge!

The northwest base of the bridge reveals  a remnant of the quarry where stones were hand-cut for our arched dam. Bissler Furniture was constructed directly on this bedrock foundation.

BRIDGE STASTICS
The bridge was originally planned to be 40 feet wide; later the village agreed to pay the extra cost of making it 20 feet wider. The total cost was $26,531.03, of which $17,778.53 was borne by the county and $8,752.50 by the village. The bridge required 123,750 cubic feet of stone.	One man as badly injured on the site, W.D. Archer, suffered a broken hip and other injuries when crushed beneath a falling stone on June 23, 1877. The average number of men employed was 60. The bridge is 275 feet long and 60 feet wide, with a roadway of 40 feet.

source: Kent Visitors Guide, 2001 – excerpt from Days of Yore