Douglas & Lewis Street Bridges, Light Towers and Railings

The Douglas and Lewis Street Bridges are a pair of bridge artworks by Vicki Scuri Site Works. The two bridges are located a few blocks from one another, and each bridge features a series of sculptural forms, rising more than 65 feet above the Arkansas River in Wichita, Kansas. Zahner provided art fabrication for the project, working closely with Scuri and the design team to realize this work of public art for the City of Wichita.

Designed in collaboration with Mark Spitzer Designs, the artworks are each made up of a number of stainless steel tower forms with lighting systems. The forms were inspired by Wichita’s aeronautical heritage and the Jayhawk sail boat, an America’s Cup competitor that is permanently installed adjacent to the bridge at the city’s historic boathouse. The towers allude to the ship’s bow and billowing sail, creating a ceremonial space for pedestrians crossing the bridge, and a beautiful site for the city’s river festival.

Zahner engineers modeled and enhanced Scuri’s initial design, and the massive light towers were fabricated from stainless steel extrusions. The public artworks were installed in 2000.