The Ballard Bridge, also known as the 15th Avenue Bridge, is a double-leaf bascule bridge in Seattle which connects Ballard to the Magnolia and Queen Anne neighborhoods. Opened in 1917 and spanning the Lake Washington Ship Canal, the Bridge originally had wooden approaches intended to last only ten years. The bridge was closed for repairs in 1939 and the approaches were replaced with steel and concrete. The Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
This north-facing image was taken in the days leading up to the Bridge's formal reopening celebration on May 25, 1940.
Written on original envelope: Seattle, Bridges, Ballard Written on negative: Ballard Bridge Subject headings for individual negative:Wagner Tug Boat Company
Caption information source: "Ballard Bridge (Seattle)," by Priscilla Long, HistoryLink.org Essay 11260 Caption information source: The Seattle Sunday Times, May 26, 1940, page 1 Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
ID Number: PI20464
Date: 1940
Physical Description: 1 nitrate negative : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
