Painting the Bridges

[Before and After @Laura St]

This Saturday (10/15), starting at 9:00am, the Springfield Block Captains, along with two church youth groups, will be working to preserve a piece of Downtown and Springfield History.

The Klutho Bridges, which cross Hogan’s Creek at Liberty St, Market St, Hubbard St, Confederate Park, Main St, Laura St, and 5^th St, as well as the old Julia St Bridge in Klutho Park, where built in 1929 as part of a Hogan’s Creek improvement. Famed Jacksonville architect, Henry Klutho, at the request of the Springfield Woman’s Club and Springfield Booster Club, stepped in and designed and built an expansive walkway and channel system between the St Johns River and 5^th Street. Klutho’s design addressed the flooding concerns with a pump system. He also addressed the issue of beauty by designing the bridges and balustrades that we see today. The design was so impressive it was featured in an engineering magazine at the time. (http://dblanchard.clearwire.net/html/hogan_s_creek.html)

[Hogans Creek in Florida Engineers Magazine]

Two of these bridges will not need to be addressed. Laura St, shown above, was completed in May, and the 5^th St Pedestrian Bridge was completed in July.

Volunteers are needed to help organize up to 40 teenage kids. The groups are meeting at Klutho Park, and the job will entail cleaning and applying a fresh coat of paint to these historical structures, helping to both beautify and preserve them.

The SPAR office is also asking for people to pitch in food and refreshments for this project. You can contact SPAR at 353-7727.