FLINT HISTORICAL ARCHES Project Description:
The restored arches are replicas of the original arches located in downtown Flint. Each arch contains 50 light bulbs as in the original design. The new arches are not placed at intersections but are anchored at mid-block the length of downtown Flint. Flint Vehicle City arches will be placed at Court and S. Saginaw Streets and north of the bridge at N. Saginaw Street and M.L. King Boulevard. The seven arches cost in excess of $350,000 to build and erect. Most of the funding was collected in 11 months in 2003. Bristol Steel of Davison, Michigan fabricated the arches in less than 90 days. The same company installed the arches in under seven hours on Monday, November 24. Work began shortly after 6:00 p.m. and was completed just after midnight. Despite very cold and windy conditions the installation was flawless. The following Saturday, November 29, the arches were lighted for the first time with a crowd of nearly 2,000 in attendance. On the same day in 1899 the lights on the original arches were turned on for the first time. The arches were replicated through the use of historical photographs and written documentation from newspapers of the era.
The arches are part of the streetscape project along Saginaw Street in downtown Flint. As part of the project, the bricks in Saginaw Street were repaired, new sidewalks and lamp posts were constructed, and trees were planted.
History of the Flint Arches:
The Flint arches were erected in 1899 to replace gas lanterns used to illuminate the business district at night. Built by Genesee Iron Works, five arches were placed at intersections along Saginaw Street. Each arch was built with 50 light bulbs to illuminate the City's main street at night. Half were turned off at midnight. The arches supported decorations for every parade of importance held in the city and colorful lights replaced golden incandescence at holiday times. None of the original arches had the famous Flint Vehicle City crown at its apex.
When Flint celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1905 two additional arches were erected with the famous Flint Vehicle City graphic at the crown. These arches were placed at the south end of the city at the intersection of Fifth and Saginaw Streets and at the north end of the business district at the confluence of Saginaw and Detroit Streets (now M.L. King Boulevard).
Though many believe the arches celebrated Flint's heritage as a center for automobile manufacturing, the original arches were a salute to Flint as the world's largest volume manufacturer of horse drawn carriages.
In 1919, the City Council ordered the arches taken down and replaced by boulevard lighting. Originally it was planned to use the arches at the main road entry points into the city, but this never occurred. Though no one knows for sure, but it is believed they were used as scrap for the war effort.
