Category: Art

A. Piatt Andrew Bridge Doors on Display at Cape Ann Museum

Free admission for Cape Ann residents on April 18

A. Piatt Andrew Bridge Doors on Display at Cape Ann Museum VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (April 10, 2015) – Two of four bronze doors from the granite faced pylons on top of the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge which brings Route 128 over the Annisquam River and into Gloucester are currently on display at the Cape Ann Museum. The doors were removed from the bridge late last year for much need conservation work and this will be the first time in over half a century that the public will be able to view the doors up-close.

Designed by sculptor John F. Paramino (1889-1956), the doors were cast at the T. F. McGann & Sons foundry in Boston in 1950. One honors the bridge’s namesake, A. Piatt Andrew (1873-1936), founder of the American Field Service, a U.S. Congressman from this district, director of the U.S. Mint and a long-time Gloucester resident. The second door celebrates the history of Cape Ann and in particular the fishing industry. John Paramino was born in Boston in 1889 to immigrant parents and studied modeling at the North Bennet Street School. He continued his studies under Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Bela Pratt and by 1916 had his own studio in Boston. Examples of Paramino’s public sculptures are scattered across Boston and include The Founders Memorial (1930) and the World War II Memorial in the Fenway (1947-1948).

Route 128, officially known as the Yankee Division Highway, was built between 1936 and 1958 on its current alignment as a bypass route around Boston. It was the first circumferential highway around a major U.S. city and now incorporates sections of I-93 and I-95. The A. Piatt Andrew Bridge is the crowning achievement of the decades-long Route 128 construction project and serves as a gateway to Cape Ann.

The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to offer Cape Ann residents free admission to the Museum on Saturday, April 18, in order that all may view the doors. In addition, the Museum will offer a narrated walking tour highlighting outdoor public sculptures in downtown Gloucester. The tour will be held on Saturday, May 23 at 10 AM. Tickets are $10 for Museum members and $20 for non-members. Space is limited, reservations are required. Reservations and tickets at (978)283-0455 x10 or info@capeannmuseum.org.

This project is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the City of Gloucester and the Gloucester Committee for the Arts, and the Cape Ann Museum.

Print quality images available on request.