Robert Parker Coffin Bridge
Robert Parker Coffin Bridge | |
Pony truss | |
NRHP reference No. | 100001672[1] |
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Added to NRHP | June 11, 2018 |
The Robert Parker Coffin Bridge (formerly known as the Buffalo Creek Bridge) is a
In 1972, the town added a low-hanging decorative wooden covering in an effort to deter large commercial vehicles; with a clearance height of 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m), the covering has been frequently struck by trucks, buses, and other vehicles, particularly in recent years. After a collision in 2018, the bridge was shut down for several months while the decorative covering underwent reconstruction and reinforcement with steel. Currently, despite enduring numerous hits since then, the structure only suffers minor damages.
Description
The one-lane bridge carries Robert Parker Coffin Road over
According to the National Bridge Inventory, the bridge is 41 feet (12 m) long, and the roadway is 17.4 feet (5.3 m) wide.[3]
The structure is composed of short vertical and horizontal steel beams arranged in a triangular formation, making it a
The 1972 covering was modeled after the
History
A
Robert Parker Coffin (1917–2019) was an architect who served as president of Long Grove for over 20 years. He led the small village through the post–World War II economic expansion that threatened to bring major real estate developments and an expressway, and locals credit the present character of the town to his vision of retaining Long Grove's small-town, rural feel. In the 1980s, Long Grove Road, the road that crosses the bridge, was renamed Robert Parker Coffin Road in his honor.[4][9]
The structure was deteriorating by the 1970s, with officials from the state government recommending turning it into a two-lane road on top of a culvert.[10] Coffin and the rest of the town disagreed; instead, they opted to construct a decorative wooden covering (which Coffin designed)[9] in 1972 to decrease its maximum height to deter heavier vehicles.[11] During that decade, locals applied for the bridge to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), but the request was denied because bridges of that kind were too common. Throughout the years after installing the covering, cars would hit it occasionally and cause minor damage, but local business owners would just repair it.[4]
Decline and restoration
The
This decline sparked intense debate by town leaders and residents over what to do with the bridge. Some advocated for demolishing the bridge and replacing it with a modern two-lane crossing or a smaller one just for pedestrians, or keeping the bridge but significantly raising the cover's height. Others wanted to keep the existing character and obtain funding to restore and preserve it. In 2017, the Long Grove Historical Society and the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association re-nominated it for the NRHP as a rare surviving bridge of its kind.[4] This time the nomination was successful—the Buffalo Creek Bridge was formally added to the register on June 11, 2018.[1] In 2019, the Long Grove Village Board voted 4-2 to restore the bridge. [13]
Sixteen days later, the driver of a
In 2022, the bridge was renamed as the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge in honor of Coffin, who had been a strong advocate of maintaining the charm and character of the town and bridge.[16]
Legacy
The Robert Parker Coffin Bridge is one of a small number of remaining bridges of its kind in the area. It is classified by the
The bridge, described as iconic,[4][7][9] has become a source of identity and pride for the village of Long Grove and its residents, and it is featured on the municipality's logo and welcome signs.[10] Its tendency to be struck is a source of embarrassment or alarm to some residents, but others have embraced it as a defining feature, such as a local business named Broken Bridge Treats and a local brewing company that produces beers named "Bad Move" and "Bus Wedgie".[7][10]
See also
- List of bridges known for strikes
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Illinois
References
- ^ a b "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 5/10/2018 to 6/15/2018". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Underwood, Roy; Messner, Ryan (February 13, 2017). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Buffalo Creek Bridge". Illinois Historic Preservation Division. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ "Bridge Information – LTBP InfoBridge". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration. 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rumore, Kori (November 27, 2022). "Trucks still hit Long Grove's iconic bridge, but town punches back — just as it always has against modern life". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ Taylor, Jim (January 18, 2022). "Genuine Northwest: Winter Edition". Northwest Quarterly. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ Zalusky, Steve (July 23, 2022). "After being struck 35 times since 2020, Long Grove bridge just keeps on trucking". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Keilman, John (November 27, 2022). "'I thought I would make it': The strange psychology behind the crashes at Long Grove's covered bridge". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Daily Herald. Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Angell Luc, Karie (September 23, 2022). "Long Grove's covered bridge has new name, same crash concerns; 'It's just amazing that people continue to do it'". Lake County News-Sun. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c Barrett, Joe (October 4, 2022). "Historic Covered Bridge Eats Vehicles by the Dozens. 'I Haven't Seen a Truck Win Yet.'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ Daily Herald. Archivedfrom the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Landmarks Illinois. April 6, 2017. Archived(PDF) from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "LONG GROVE'S NATIONAL HISTORIC BRIDGE IS SAVED!". LongGroveHistory.org. Long Grove Historical Society.
- ^ Shields, Todd (July 11, 2018). "Long Grove bridge rebuild could take months; officials say timber cover could collapse". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Daily Herald. Archivedfrom the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Starks, John (September 22, 2022). "Dual dedication ceremony honors framers of Long Grove". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
External links
Media related to Buffalo Creek Bridge (Long Grove, Illinois) at Wikimedia Commons