Exact location of Graffiti Bridge???

[Cohiba]

Hey All...

I had a few realtives who went to John Marshall HS...the real John Marshall. The one off of Britton road..I think Military street.

Anyways, I've seen a few chunks of the bridge with a thick layer or layers from the bridge.

I thought it was the railroad bridge between Britton and Wilshire. They revamped the railroad bridge a few years ago but I was told that WAS NOT graffiti bridge.

I had a relative who thought it was over by Chesapeake area...around where Flip's Wine Bar is or in the original Split-T area. Anyone know the EXACT location?

Any pictures of it??

Thanks as always!!!

[jerrywall]

If this is the one you're talking about at 59th and Western, here are some pictures and history.

https://oklahoman.com/article/332390...%20June%201991.

[TheTravellers]

The bridge we painted when I went to Northeast High in the early 80s was the railroad bridge at NW 85th/Western. I know that we and JM had a fierce rivalry, with them graffiti-ing our building and us graffiti-ing and doing other damage to one of their school buses that broke down in our parking lot and had to be left overnight, and I believe we traded painting over each other's graffiti on that bridge at 85th/Western. Guess there might've been two of them?

[rezman]

The Graffiti Bridge was south of 63rd, right down the street from the Split-T. It was a rail spur that came off the Santa Fe RR and fed the Bell Isle power plant. The other rail bridge farther north on Western around 85th is on the main line former Santa Fe, now BNSF RR.

[ditm4567]

My dad was McGuinness class of 1968 or 1969, and always told me it was near Flip’s and Split T on western and grand.

[rezman]

I got to thinking about this after my last post, Classen, east of the Bell Isle shopping center, north around Classen Curve to Western is built on top of the old rail right of way, and also 59th St. to the east as well. That's where the Graffiti bridge was.

[foodiefan]

The Graffiti Bridge was south of 63rd, right down the street from the Split-T. It was a rail spur that came off the Santa Fe RR and fed the Bell Isle power plant. The other rail bridge farther north on Western around 85th is on the main line former Santa Fe, now BNSF RR.

This ^. . . .and sans graffitti. . https://www.pinterest.com/pin/86694361546377460/

[Dob Hooligan]

The City decided to connect Classen in the area between Rose Hill Cemetery (Grand Blvd) and south of 63rd Street (around NW 59th) somewhere in the late 1990s IIRC. The City got ownership of the rail road right of way, removed the bridge, and installed the current alignment of Classen and NW 59th. I'm 90% sure the stucco building north of Flip's was there when the bridge was. I think it was maybe 10 feet south of the bridge. I think the black, multi story building to the north of the stucco building is built on some portion of the right of way land.

[The Shadow]

The City decided to connect Classen in the area between Rose Hill Cemetery (Grand Blvd) and south of 63rd Street (around NW 59th) somewhere in the late 1990s IIRC. The City got ownership of the rail road right of way, removed the bridge, and installed the current alignment of Classen and NW 59th. I'm 90% sure the stucco building north of Flip's was there when the bridge was. I think it was maybe 10 feet south of the bridge. I think the black, multi story building to the north of the stucco building is built on some portion of the right of way land.

^ That's not what happened.

The bridge was torn down in June of 1991. I was there along with lots of other people.

The reason it was torn down was to widen the street. It was just two lanes going under the bridge.

As for the exact location, it would be directly north of the stucco building (which used to be pink) at 5815 N. Western. That was also a major reason the bridge was torn down. The Edmond "Sub Crew" clowns kept painting that parking lot as well as the building, thus vandalizing the property. The owners had had enough. The building was eventually sold to John and Joy Reed Belt who would eventually sell it to CHK. I have no idea who owns it now.

And yes, you would have to have someone hold your legs as you hung upside down in order to paint the big letters across the top.

[Dob Hooligan]

^ That's not what happened.

The bridge was torn down in June of 1991. I was there along with lots of other people.

The reason it was torn down was to widen the street. It was just two lanes going under the bridge.

As for the exact location, it would be directly north of the stucco building (which used to be pink) at 5815 N. Western. That was also a major reason the bridge was torn down. The Edmond "Sub Crew" clowns kept painting that parking lot as well as the building, thus vandalizing the property. The owners had had enough. The building was eventually sold to John and Joy Reed Belt who would eventually sell it to CHK. I have no idea who owns it now.

And yes, you would have to have someone hold your legs as you hung upside down in order to paint the big letters across the top.

We are getting closer on the story: I drove by the location today on an unrelated matter. The black building was immediately south of the bridge, not the stucco building. It was native stone and unpainted at the time. I recall someone named Silvernail owned it and complained about illicit activity from people hanging out around the bridge (a story in the Oklahoman had a quote from him complaining about beer cans and used condoms in his parking lot). I have no doubt 1991 was the year It was taken down. And Classen runs east-west across Western almost directly where it was. I don't recall Western ever being two lane at the "Graffiti Bridge", but the mid 1960s is as far back as I remember. I do know that the bridge over Western that is around NW 85th was two lane until the last 25 years, or so,

[The Shadow]

We are getting closer on the story: I drove by the location today on an unrelated matter. The black building was immediately south of the bridge, not the stucco building. It was native stone and unpainted at the time. I recall someone named Silvernail owned it and complained about illicit activity from people hanging out around the bridge (a story in the Oklahoman had a quote from him complaining about beer cans and used condoms in his parking lot). I have no doubt 1991 was the year It was taken down. And Classen runs east-west across Western almost directly where it was. I don't recall Western ever being two lane at the "Graffiti Bridge", but the mid 1960s is as far back as I remember. I do know that the bridge over Western that is around NW 85th was two lane until the last 25 years, or so,

Ok Dob, you're right. I was going off of the Greg Burns painting in my office. It was just north of the building at 5901, which was built in 81. I remember the bridge before that building was there. I just noticed how the earth berms upward as you approach Classen.

It was four lanes, but that was a pretty tight squeeze. There's no way that would work nowadays, not to mention the low clearance.

As I recall both buildings on the west side of the street were vandalized on more than one occasion prior to it being razed. It was definitely Edmond kids.

[Dob Hooligan]

Well, I'm gonna correct myself again. I'm certain that the building owner was NOT named Silvernail. Maybe it was Timberlake? It was someone who had the same name as a construction company, as I recall.

[Martin]

don't forget we have these handy 1969 aerials posted on the site. here's the relevant section:

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=29398

vertically, the bridge is about 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the image and is dead center horizontally. make sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

[rezman]

don't forget we have these handy 1969 aerials posted on the site. here's the relevant section:

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=29398

vertically, the bridge is about 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the image and is dead center horizontally. make sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

That's it Martin. Thank you. You can see where the spur ties in to the ATSF and runs to Belle Isle. Right where Classen/59th are now. Very cool.

[The Shadow]

Well, I'm gonna correct myself again. I'm certain that the building owner was NOT named Silvernail. Maybe it was Timberlake? It was someone who had the same name as a construction company, as I recall.

Timberlake sounds right. It was originally a copper colored building like a lot of the development in that area at the time. I'm pretty sure it was not the Silvernail family.

Speaking of that area, who remembers Domino's (not the pizza place folks)?