Lake Avenue Bridge
Awards
2020 Preservation Connecticut Award of Merit
2020 National Scenic Byway Foundation Leveraging Services Award
Merritt Parkway, running through Connecticut's Gold Coast, is known for its scenic layout and architecturally elaborate overpasses. As one of the first and oldest parkways in the United States, it is designated as a National Scenic Byway and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. JBC was retained by the Merritt Parkway Conservancy to perform a selective paint color investigation of elements on the Lake Avenue Bridge, located along the parkway’s route in Greenwich, CT. Working along an active roadway and during nighttime lane closures, JBC conservators removed twenty-four finish samples from elements of the span, railings, piers, and columns. The best of these samples were mounted in resin and polished for microscopic examination. As a result of JBC’s analysis, the rich polychrome tones of the bridge were restored to their original scheme, complete with gold-painted accents.
This project continues JBC’s long history of working to preserve and restore the magnificent bridges of the Merritt Parkway, beginning with our 1996 “Restoration Guide for the Merritt Parkway Bridges” prepared for the Parkway Conservancy.
Project Scope
• Historic finishes analysis
Lake Avenue Bridge before rehabilitation.
Lake Avenue Bridge after rehabilitation.
Lake Avenue Bridge before rehabilitation.
Lake Avenue Bridge after rehabilitation. (Image credit: Tod Bryant)
Cast iron before rehabilitation.
Restored decorative cast iron. (Image credit: Tod Bryant)
Cast iron before rehabilitation.
Restored decorative cast iron. (Image credit: Tod Bryant)
Lake Avenue Bridge during construction.