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1. MikeT
   Member

   As long as we are dreaming, I wonder if it would be possible to re-do the Forest Av bridge to be more Olmstedian-like. I assume that it is not the original bridge. That is a very important gateway coming through the woods on each side. It seems not as wide as the Barrypoint bridge, and therefore more do-able. But might as well re-do Barrypoint also, as long as we are dreaming - it has that great setting by the Hoffman tower.

   Did Olmsted design those bridges or were they off the plan?

   Anyhow, a bridge can be a very picturesque element in a landscape - look at how well our swinging bridge fits into the landscape where it resides.

   As I was tooling around the net looking for Olmsted things, I saw that he and Vaux liked bridges, too. Here are some that I saw:

   
   www.olmstedparks.org

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   http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/BAA.htm

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   http://www.gobuffaloniagara.com/whattodo/great_designers.cfm

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   http://www.worcestermass.com/places/elmpark.shtml

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   Page down a bit for some great looking Vaux designed bridges
   do a find on 'arch'

   http://www.wildglobe.com/resources/centralpark_59-65.html

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   http://www.landscapemodeling.org/html/ch1/ch1text.htm#figure1.1
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   Figure 1.1 The landscape of the Fens, in Boston, by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, bridge by H.H. Richardson. Most landscapes are made up of varying proportions of landform, including rocks, vegetation, structures, water, atmosphere, and animals including people

   Posted Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 16:57 #

2. spatny
   Member

   I think there was some talk of investigating the possibility of lighting the Forest Ave. Bridge as a "gateway" to our fair Village. There seems to be electrical conduit built in but I can'r ever remember any lights there, and it would probably cost far too much for what it would accomplish. The Richardson rock bridge is very nice. If you look at Michael Mann's film of The Last of the Mohicans there is a great shot of a carriage crossing an arch bridge that is perfectly reflected in the water. Great scenery in that film, it's my pick for the great love story of early America. Choreography and staging of the combat sequences are superb. Check it out at the Library.

   Posted Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 17:21 #

3. MikeT
   Member

   Speaking of staging, that is one of the reasons for re-doing the bridge. First impressions are last impressions. (I'm speaking like a realtor!) We're marketing Riverside, bro! We want to elicit a sense of charm and quaintness. Gosh, we have a nice windy River, complete with a wood surround!, and a small charming town designed around it by a master architect. USE IT!

   We are going to bring 25 pct of the 2.5 - 3.0 million vistors to the zoo ( :) ), we want them oohing and ahing as they enter the forest thru Forest; first the woods, then the bridge over the river, them they see those two nice victorian painted ladies, then Tower building, and the center of town.

   I think that a bridge is an important landscape element that is rich with symbolism and the ability to elicit impressions of tranquility. Maybe we can re-do the top at least to have more of a natural stone look.

   in a town known for its Feng_Shui ( I call Riverside the Feng_Shui capital of the world! (tm - :) ) ), a bridge is a singularity of Feng_Shui.

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_Shui

   Posted Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 17:34 #

4. spatny
   Member

   Here's the bridge from Mohicans: http://www.mohicanpress.com/

   Posted Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 20:12 #

5. spatny
   Member

   Mike - here's the URL for the trailer - let it load in quicktime - takes a min or two. Carriage shot is in it briefly. Great score too!
   http://www.movie-list.com/l/last-of-the-mohicans.html

   Posted Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 20:31 #

6. MikeT
   Member

   cool movie. It takes place in upstate NY, correct? I did see the bridge and it looks good, especially the color and the materials. It did not look like it had a bannisters, so for our bridge we'd need those.

   I notice that daniel day lewis stars, too.

   I just saw the gangs of NY and he was real good in it.

   btw, I was going to do a forum thread on that movie, and attempt to relate it to riverside's creation. basically, riverside came out of the timeframe of that movie, and I assume that chicago was similar to nyc - tough and raw; thus out of this did olmsted create the antithesis of the city of the time.

   so all - check out the the gangs of NY if you want a good sense of the time and place that olmsted came out of and from which he was reacting.

   Posted Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 20:49 #

7. spatny
   Member

   Mike: Check out the DVD Chicago, city of the century from the library. It was done for American Experience. It starts out right here with the portage. Really, don't miss it. If you look at YouTube for LOTM you can find clips of all kinds - it's a real cult film. Wes Studi won an Oscar for his Magua. The music, especially Edelman's version, will get to you. The clips of the last 5 mins or so are really great staging.

   Posted Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 21:24 #

8. Catherine
   Member

   WOW. Olmsted is everywhere, including the Fens. Wonderful to walk through. I should have known he had struck again. Can you but wonder at the imagination of a man who could not live to see a great many of the works he had made grow to fruition, yet spend his life on it anyway? [I speak of the tree plantings.] We are so very lucky to live in a whole town designed by him. Thank God for its coincidence with Victorian architecture as well.

   Posted Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 11:49 #

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