National Register of Historic Places

Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge

Leland Township, Leelanau County, Michigan
Listed
January 27, 2000
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
99001732

About this property

The Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge is a bridge located on M-204 over Lake Leelanau Narrows in Leland Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Lake Leelanau was a major impediment to east-west travel since this area was first settled in the mid-1800s. A wooden bridge was erected over the narrows in 1864; a replacement metal truss bridge was constructed in 1894–1895. In 1939, the Michigan State Highway Department decided to replace the aging truss bridge to help support the local tourist economy. They built this new bridge about 200 yards north. The bridge project was part of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, which provided jobs in the Great Depression through funding public infrastructure projects. The Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge is a three-span structure crossing the narrowest part of the 15-mile-long (24 km) Lake Leelanau. Each span is 60 feet (18 m) long and consists of nine rolled steel beams, sitting on concrete mid-stream piers and skewed end abutments. The base of each pier are formed into pointed cutwaters at each end. Four posts on each pier support the bridge, with the exterior post ending with a graceful Streamline Moderne curve. A similar curve is apparent on the concrete railing posts above. The deck of the bridge is 38 feet (12 m) wide, with sidewalks on each side of the roadway.

Location

Leland Township, Leelanau County, Michigan
44.98145, -85.71183

Categories

SOCIAL HISTORYTRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Fountain Point
Civil War
1 mi
Leelanau Transit Company Suttons Bay Depot
Industrial
3 mi
Riverside Inn
Industrial
3.6 mi
Leland Historic District
Listed
3.8 mi
Core, William and Margaret McFarland, Farm
Listed
6.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge listed on the National Register?

Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 2000.

What type of historic resource is Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge?

Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge?

The period of significance for Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.

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