When anybody familiar with the bridges on this site hears of the bridge builder called The Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co., they usually thing of these large and these small steel truss bridges, as this is what they were best known for. However, unknown to many, Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. built Tulsa's beloved, but much neglected 11th St. bridge, which is shown in the following photographs. Built in 1916, and widened and modified in 1930, half of the bridge is designed in the very formal Neoclassical style, while the other half is widely regarded as Art Deco.
Above, looking east with downtown Tulsa in the skyline, we stand at deck level. At this writing, the fence is down and new pavement graces the bridge. The left side of the bridge dates to 1916, while the right dates to 1930. This will be explained in the photos below.
Above, a side view if the bridge. The bridge consists of 18 98-foot open spandrel concrete arches. The wide arches to the left are the original structure, while the narrow arches on the right were added in 1930 when the bridge was widened from 2 lanes to 4. Note that much more detail went into the original bridge, such as the "ribs" in the underside of the arches visible here.
Below, a view of the side and underside of the 1916 portion of the structure. The piers between spans have engaged Doric pilasters molded into them.
Above, detail of the concrete railing on the 1916 side of the bridge, west end. This is not Art Deco.
Below, 1930 side of the bridge, west end. This is Art Deco.
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