Hennepin Avenue Bridge (1888)

The Hennepin Avenue Bridge, or the Steel Arch Bridge, was a hinged arch bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Hennepin Avenue from the west bank of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, to Nicollet Island. While described and named as a single bridge the upriver and downstream sides were designed and built separately. It replaced a 1876 suspension bridge, which in turn replaced an 1855 suspension bridge which had been the first span to cross the Mississippi. The northernmost section was built in 1888 and the southern section was built in 1891. After receiving renovations in 1897, 1931, and 1954, the bridge's northern and southern sections were demolished and replaced in 1988 and 1989, respectively, as they were replaced by the current Hennepin Avenue Bridge.