Terrace Bridge

In the middle of Prospect Park lies the Terrace Bridge, supporting one of the two cross park roads which trisect the interior of the park. The 18 and 90 along the stone at either end of the arch refers to the year this steel bridge replaced a wooden one built in 1870. The NYC Parks Department website has a nice and concise history of the bridge and the original vision for this portion of the park – plans for an adjacent restaurant ended with the 1873 financial panic. I’m still trying to work out the significance of the wood lagging hung between the six steel arches, and why they would be used to hide the structural brick arches supporting the roadway.