BROWNDALE BRIDGE

The Browndale Bridge is owned by the City of Edina. It has been assigned structure number 92643 in the Minnesota Department of Transportation highway bridge inventory and property identification number HE-EDC-0628 in the Minnesota Historical Society inventory of historic resources in Hennepin County.

DESCRIPTION
The Browndale Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that carries Browndale Road over Minnehaha Creek a short distance north of 50th Street at the entrance to the Edina Country Club District. The main span of the spandrel-filled arch is 24 feet, 8 inches in length; including the concrete abutments, the historic structure is 31 feet long. The bridge deck is 24 feet wide, with a bituminous roadway and 6-inch concrete curbs; the railings (some of which have been bent as a result of automobile collisions) are steel plates attached to masonry bollards with stone caps. The concrete spillway of the former Edina Mill dam is directly underneath the bridge; the archaeological remains of the mill are preserved in Dwight Williams Park along the north side of Minnehaha Creek, immediately downstream from the Browndale Bridge. Flared concrete wing walls, built in two phases, protect the bridge abutments. The bridge and abutments have been coated with hand-troweled sand cement grout. Some cracks and spalling are visible on the underside of the barrel vault and the wing walls.

Although it has been rated “deficient” by the Minnesota Department of Transportation on the basis of its width and alignment (which do not meet modern highway safety standards), the bridge is considered structurally sound and its load-bearing members are in good condition. The City plans to rehabilitate the bridge and wing walls with new concrete facing that matches the existing rough-sawn board finish, a widened and resurfaced roadway with new curb, and placement of new curb and gutter along the approaches; plans also include embankment slope repairs and replacement of the existing bridge railing with new historically appropriate ornamental metal railing.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The first bridge at this site may have been constructed as early as 1860; late-19th century records contain frequent references to a “stone arch bridge” crossing Minnehaha Creek at the Edina Mills locality. The stone bridge was destroyed by flood waters and was rebuilt under the auspices of Hennepin County in 1902; the plans for “Bridge No. 44” survive in the archives of the Hennepin County Engineer. This iron and timber structure was itself washed away in 1906 and was replaced by the present concrete arch structure, which is in many respects similar to the standardized short-span stone-arch bridge designs developed during the early twentieth century by the Minnesota State Highway Commission. Concrete wing walls were added in 1907 and the entire structure was overhauled in 1909. The earliest bridge inspection records date from 1933.

The Browndale Bridge is historically significant for the engineering heritage embodied in its design and construction. It is a rare, early twentieth century example of a short-span, concrete-arched highway bridge and the only surviving, authenticated standing structure contemporaneous with the Edina Mill (1857-1932). Contextually, it relates to the broad theme of “The Suburban Landscape (1887 to 1974)” and the local study units “Edina Mills: Agriculture and Rural Life” and “Minnehaha Creek: From Wilderness Stream to Urban Waterway” that were delineated in the 1999 Historic Context Study. The bridge has well documented associations with important events and patterns of events, including settlement and development of the Edina Mills locality, suburban residential development in the Browndale Park and Country Club neighborhoods, and the effects of the automobile on rural and suburban lifeways. The masonry arch span provides physical evidence of the evolution of bridge engineering and the high quality of workmanship that went into its construction. The bridge is also an important part of the Minnehaha Creek cultural landscape and serves to illustrate how the watershed has been shaped by historical changes in land use.

PLAN OF TREATMENT
The Edina Heritage Preservation Board uses the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties as the authoritative guide for its design review decisions. Within the framework of these standards, and in consultation with the property owner, the Board has adopted the following general and specific guidelines specially tailored to the preservation requirements of the Browndale Bridge:

1) The Browndale Bridge will be preserved in place with stabilization of the historic masonry and ongoing maintenance to sustain its existing form. The preferred preservation treatment is rehabilitation, defined as the process of maintaining the bridge in a state of utility through repairs and minor alterations which make possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those features which are significant to its historical and engineering values. Repair and replacement of deteriorated features should be based on accurate duplications of the original, based on historical, pictorial, or physical evidence.

2) The distinguishing historical qualities and character of the bridge (i.e., its height, shape, and form) should not be significantly altered or destroyed.

3) Rehabilitate the surfaces of the bridge and wing walls by coating them with concrete, duplicating the original finish as closely as possible while preserving the existing shape of the structure.

4) Replace the existing railings with historically appropriate ornamental metal railings based on historical and pictorial evidence.

5) Signs, lighting, fencing, and walkways should be compatible with the character of the bridge and provide a minimum intrusion on its size, scale, material, and color.

6) Recognize the special problems inherent in the bridge’s alignment and structural systems when complying with traffic safety and structural engineering requirements so that the essential character of the bridge is preserved intact.

7) Investigate alternative safety measures that preserve the historical integrity of the bridge. The City should make every effort to retain the historic bridge as a functional part of the modern transportation system while preserving its distinguishing original qualities and character. If it can no longer be used for vehicle traffic, the bridge should be adapted for use as a pedestrian and bicycle crossing.

8) In the event that the bridge can no longer be preserved in place for reasons of public safety, the preferred treatment to mitigate the effects of demolition is removal to another, similar location where it could be preserved and rehabilitated. If relocation is not viable, the effects of demolition should be mitigated by documenting the bridge with measured drawings, large-format negative photographs, and written information to the standards of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER).