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| Schell Bridge, Northfield, Massachusetts |
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| Scheduled Public Events - Mark Your Calendar |
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March 5
| Soup and Song at the Gallery
Green Trees Gallery, 105 Main St., Northfield, 6-8 pm. A variety of appetizers, homemade soups, breads, desserts, and beverages will be served. Old time music provided by local musicians Annie Chappell and David Gordon -- banjo, fiddle, guitar and voice. This is a community/regional event and open to all. Relax with friends, meet new people in this unique setting. $15 adults, $7 children. Sponsored by Friends of Schell Bridge. 413-498-5931 for more information. Click HERE for a full-page announcement.
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May 8
| Ride for the Schell
This event comprises three guided and supported bicycle rides: a 35-mile experts ride, a 17 mile family ride, and a 2-mile kids ride.
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keep checking - more details will be supplied later ...]
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| Schell Bridge - Past and Present |
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| Schell Bridge - one of the Ten Most Endangered Historic Resources (PreservatiON Mass, 2003) |
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The Schell Memorial Bridge is a 515 foot long steel cantilever truss bridge donated in 1903 to the town of Northfield by one of its leading citizens, Francis R. Schell, who hoped to obtain easy access from his chateau in downtown Northfield to the East Northfield Railroad Station.
Schell Bridge is the third oldest of five Pennsylvania Truss Bridges and was designed by Edward S. Shaw, an important bridge engineer in Massachusetts from 1873 to 1919. Up until its closing in 1985, the Schell Bridge provided the town with easy transportation between the two sides of the village, which is divided by the Connecticut River.
Lack of funding for maintenance and rehabilitation are ongoing threats to the Schell Bridge. The town never had sufficient funding to maintain the bridge and by 1985, it was too far deteriorated for safe use and was closed.
MassDOT devised a plan to repair the bridge, but the town could not justify the costs of assuming responsibility for maintaining the rehabilitated structure. In 1987, with no group willing to take on the responsibility of the bridge, the decision was made to tear it down. Demolition bids were made and contracts awarded in 1999, but the bridge has thus far not been torn down.
There’s a funny cycle that occurs in the history of the building,” observed Kent Barwick, former chairman of New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. “It is very much appreciated when it is put up, then it sort of disappears into the city when other buildings become more noticeable or celebrated. And just a little while before it is rediscovered, it is thought to be absolutely worthless. That’s the dangerous moment for a building ...”
Such is the case with Schell Bridge. Today a private group is trying to trigger the rediscovery of the Schell; see more about the work of Friends of Schell Bridge elsewhere in this website.
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| Cover page story about the Schell Bridge in the Valley Advocate |
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| Photo by Mark Roessler |
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Bridge Salvation
The Valley's most beautiful bridge is hidden away in Northfield as the town debates its destiny. Thursday, July 23, 2009
By Mark Roessler
Massachusetts is blessed with many magnificent bridges crossing the Connecticut River.
In Springfield, there's the Memorial Bridge with its towering sconces perched upon mighty white pillars. In Northampton, the Calvin Coolidge Bridge's Art Deco eagles welcome drivers to share their aerie for a moment with its breathtaking views of the Holyoke Range. Turners Falls has its Avenue A bridge spanning the powerful falls, and up the road, between Gill and Erving, is the French King Bridge, with its steel deck stretching 140 feet above the river. In 1932, the year it was opened to traffic, the American Institute of Steel Construction named it the "most beautiful bridge" built in America that year.
But the fairest bridge in all the Pioneer Valley is not the tallest, longest or most prominently placed. The Schell Bridge, built in 1903, is a small, unassuming bridge, built not for speed or for industry, but built as a gift to unite a geographically divided community. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE.
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| A bit of the bridge by Tony Jewell |
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A restored bridge would have a number of positive effects for the region. If reopened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, the Schell would serve to reunite the two sections of town separated by the Connecticut. Northfield has the distinction of being the only Valley community split in two by the river -- but this has a somewhat isolating effect, especially for the western side of town.
Residents of quiet West Northfield would be spared any vehicular traffic inconveniences, but still enjoy the benefit of a car-free shortcut to downtown and Main Street. And a plan could be put in place to make the bridge safe for emergency vehicles only -- an important public safety improvement.
As one of the few quiet bridges over the Connecticut -- free from the traffic and noise of major bridges such as the Route 10 bridge in Northfield -- it could be a surprisingly popular destination for tourists and locals in search of a scenic river view. Shops on both sides of town could see more walk-in business from curious visitors.
Cyclists and hikers from up and down the River might find that the Schell opens up new recreational routes in the Valley, Vermont and New Hampshire.
As one of Massachusetts' Ten Most Endangered Historic Sites, an excellent case can be made from a preservationists' standpoint -- there aren't that many bridges left like the Schell, and even fewer with such a strong link to our past. It is a cherished rarity today, and will be infinitely more so for future generations. Restoring the bridge would be great news for river enthusiasts, history buffs, local businesses, hikers and bikers, the town of Northfield, and the region.
As the 2005 Smith College--Picker Engineering Program report on the condition of the bridge says, a restoration is possible. It would be unfair to put the burden of restoration and upkeep on local taxpayers, but Friends of Schell Bridge knows that similar projects are underway in many places around the U.S. and grant money, from Federal, State and private sources, can be found to restore the bridge.
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| Click on this image to go to a full size PDF file |
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The December 10, 2007 issue of Banker & Tradesman, the premier Real Estate, Banking and Commercial Weekly in Massachusetts did a feature story about Northfield and focused closely on our efforts to Save the Schell Bridge.
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| Click on the image to go to a readable/printable PDF copy |
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| In case you haven't seen it, here's the letter from the Northfield Selectboard to the Mass Historic Commission 'supporting' the request to put the Schell Bridge on the National Historic Register.
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| Kicking off the rediscovery of Schell Bridge |
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| Click-on the brochure cover to go to the PreservatiON Mass web site |
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PreservatiON Mass, the state's historic preservation advocacy organization, annually spotlights the Ten Most Endangered Historic Resources in the Commonwealth to focus attention on and rally support for imperiled historic buildings and landscapes. Through a media campaign, the program headlines historic places threatened by neglect, deterioration, insufficient funding, inappropriate development, insensitive public policy or vandalism. Local organizations and individuals concerned about the potential loss of these significant resources nominate sites from their community. Due to the hard work and diligence of concerned community members using the Endangered designation as an advocacy tool, fewer than fifteen of the more than one hundred thirty sites listed to date have been lost.
In mid 2003, Tony Jewell of Shelburne Falls submitted the Schell Bridge to PreservatiON Mass, for inclusion on the state's most endangered list. After careful consideration, it was included on the high profile list and shortly thereafter, Friends of Schell Bridge, Inc. was formed to be the entity advocating for its restoration.
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