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London Bridge (Lake Havasu City)

Coordinates: 34°28′18″N 114°20′50″W / 34.4716789°N 114.3471778°W / 34.4716789; -114.3471778
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London Bridge in Lake Havasu
London Bridge in Lake Havasu City
Coordinates34°28′18″N 114°20′50″W / 34.4716789°N 114.3471778°W / 34.4716789; -114.3471778
CarriesMcCulloch Boulevard North
CrossesBridgewater Channel Canal
LocaleLake Havasu City, Arizona, United States
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialClynelish (Brora) sandstone and various granite mixes
Total length930 feet (280 m; 167 sm)[1]
Longest span45.6 metres (150 ft)[2]
No. of spans5
History
DesignerJohn Rennie
Construction start1825
1967 (rebuild)
Construction end1831
1971 (rebuild)
OpenedAugust 1, 1831 (London)
October 10, 1971 (Lake Havasu)
Location
Map

London Bridge is a bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, United States. When it was built in the 1830s, it spanned the River Thames in London, England. In 1968, the bridge was purchased from the City of London by Robert P. McCulloch. However, McCulloch only had the exterior granite blocks from the original bridge cut and transported to the United States for use in the construction of a new bridge in Lake Havasu City, a planned community he established in 1964 on the shore of Lake Havasu. The only parts of the “New London Bridge” that made it to Arizona was the exterior masonry. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge. The bridge was completed in 1971 (along with the Bridgewater Channel Canal, separating the peninsula from the mainland), and links mainland Lake Havasu City with Pittsburgh Point. The "rededication" of the London Bridge took place on October 10, 1971.[3]

History

London Bridge in Arizona, 1972, showing the new canal

The 1831 London Bridge was the last project of engineer John Rennie and completed by his son, John Rennie.[4] By 1962, it was not sturdy enough to carry the increased load of traffic; the bridge was sold by the City of London in April 1968 to make way for its replacement.[5]

The purchaser, Robert P. McCulloch, was an entrepreneur and real estate developer who founded Lake Havasu City. He installed the bridge to attract tourists and retirement home buyers to his properties there.[5]

Purchase and transfer to Arizona

The community first started as an Army Air Corps rest camp, called "Site Six" during World War II on the shores of Lake Havasu. In 1958 McCulloch purchased 3,353 acres (13.57 km2) of property on the east side of the lake along Pittsburgh Point, the peninsula, intending to develop the land. But the real estate agents could not bring in prospective buyers, because the land was far from centers of population and had a very hot, arid climate.[6] McCulloch's real estate agent, Robert Plumer, learned that London Bridge was for sale and convinced McCulloch to buy it and bring it to the area to attract potential land buyers. The initial response from McCulloch was, "That's the craziest idea I have ever heard," but after consideration, he decided to go ahead[7] and purchased it for £1.02 million ($2.46 million at that time).[8]

There is a popular rumor that the bridge was bought in the mistaken belief that it was London's more recognizable Tower Bridge,[9][10][11] but the allegation was vehemently denied by both McCulloch and Ivan Luckin, who arranged the bridge's sale.[8]

The bridge's facing stones were removed, with each numbered and its position catalogued. After the bridge was dismantled, the stones were transported to a quarry in Merrivale, Devon, where 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) were sliced off many of the original stones.

Plumer arranged with a cargo shipping company that was going to sail a newly built ship, without any cargo, from the U.K. to the U.S. Plumer negotiated to pay for all the voyage's operating costs, in return for carrying the bridge stones as cargo to the U.S., which was far less than the going rate shipping costs.

The new ship transported the bridge in pieces through the Panama Canal and unloaded it at the Port of Long Beach, California. From there, the bridge was transported overland to Lake Havasu City, where re-assembly began in 1968.[12]

Reconstruction in Lake Havasu

London Bridge in Arizona, 1973

On September 23, 1968, the bridge's foundation stone was re-laid at the reconstruction site in Arizona by Sir Gilbert Inglefield, Lord Mayor of London.[12] A new concrete interior structure was clad in the original stonework.[1] The reconstruction took slightly over three years and was completed in late 1971 by Sundt Construction.[13]

The bridge was not rebuilt over a river, but was put up on land between the main part of the city and Pittsburgh Point, which at that time was a peninsula jutting into Lake Havasu.[14] Once completed, a construction company dredged the Bridgewater Channel Canal under the bridge, across the neck of the Pittsburgh Point peninsula. The canal separating it from the city made Pittsburgh Point an island. As a result, the bridge now traverses a navigable shortcut between the Thompson Bay in Lake Havasu, south of Pittsburgh Point, and the northern part of Lake Havasu.[15]

Use as a tourist attraction

After the bridge was reconstructed, prospective buyers of land were attracted to visit the bridge and take a tour of properties for sale. Land sales improved, and McCulloch recouped all his expenses on the purchase and shipping of the bridge. Since he had obtained the land at no cost[citation needed], the sale of the properties paid for the bridge and more. Recent years have seen much development in the area of the bridge to increase tourist interest.

The original "English Village" was an open-air mall with a hedge maze and historical museum built in faux-English style. It deteriorated over time and sections of the mall were leveled. The Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau has undertaken a revitalization of the English Village,[16] with conversion of the mall to condos proposed in 2011 by Virtual Realty Enterprises, its current owner.[17]

On June 16, 2014, The Sun published a false story claiming Lake Havasu City’s beloved London Bridge was being torn down to build an attraction for selling marijuana and drug paraphernalia to tourists. Doug Traub, President & CEO of the Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau (now Go Lake Havasu) responded by demanding a retraction[18]. The story was picked up by publications around the globe.[19] Within a matter of weeks, the Sun relented, removed the story from circulation and printing a retraction.[20]

  • London Bridge in the early 1890s
    London Bridge in the early 1890s
  • London Bridge around 1900 with traffic
    London Bridge around 1900 with traffic
  • Bridge reconstruction at Lake Havasu in March 1971
    Bridge reconstruction at Lake Havasu in March 1971
  • The rebuilt London Bridge in 2003
    The rebuilt London Bridge in 2003
  • Sign on the bridge
    Sign on the bridge
  • Labelled stone still visible
    Labelled stone still visible
  • Aerial photo of the bridge in 2011
    Aerial photo of the bridge in 2011
A panoramic view of the entire bridge.
London Bridge in about 1870 when it crossed the River Thames in London

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Jackson, Donald C. (1988). Great American Bridges and Dams. Wiley. p. 245. ISBN 0471143855.
  2. ^ London Bridge (1831) at Structurae
  3. ^ "London Bridge". Lake Havasu City.
  4. ^ Murray, John (1874). Handbook to London As It Is. p. 43 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ a b "Yes, the London Bridge Will Rise Again in Arizona". The Arizona Republic. 19 April 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 5 October 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Messick, Brandon (18 March 2019). "Havasu's quick growth impressed a nation". AP News.
  7. ^ Maia, Osvaldo Tetaze (17 February 2018). "A great deal or simply "A Crazy Idea"?". Medium.
  8. ^ a b "How London Bridge was sold to the States". This is Local London. Hertfordshire. 27 March 2002. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012.
  9. ^ "Polaris EX2100 / LE2100 Sport Boats". Popular Mechanics. December 2003. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  10. ^ Oliver, Mark (14 December 2004). "Bridges". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  11. ^ Coren, Alan (1974). "If that's the Acropolis, how come it don't chime?". The Sanity Inspector. Coronet Books. ISBN 0340199121.
  12. ^ a b Elborough, Travis (2013). London Bridge in America: The tall story of a transatlantic crossing. Random House. pp. 211–212. ISBN 978-1448181674. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  13. ^ Toll, Eric Jay (8 May 2015). "This Arizona builder had a hand in the Manhattan Project and London Bridge". The Business Journals (blog). Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  14. ^ Wilson, Bill (13 October 2011). "This London Bridge is staying up". Roads and Bridges. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  15. ^ Wildfang, Frederic B. (2005). Lake Havasu City. Chicago, IL: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 105–122. ISBN 978-0738530123. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  16. ^ "The English Village: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow". Lake Havasu City. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  17. ^ Bruttell, Nathan (6 April 2011). "English Village owner in Lake Havasu City to present big changes". Havasu News. Lake Havasu City, Arizona: River City Newspapers. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Arizona's London Bridge is not falling down, no drugs around, cries dared city". The Guardian. 2 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  19. ^ "London Bridge is NOT falling down, Arizona tourism chiefs insist". London SE1. 21 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Paper to correct story on Arizona's London Bridge". Chattanooga Times Free Press/Associated Press. 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  21. ^ Olivia, IMDb, 2 February 1983, retrieved 16 May 2021
  22. ^ "Million Dollar Mystery". AFI|Catalog. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  23. ^ "London Bridge (Season 19, Episode 13)". Travel Channel. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
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