In October of 2012, The Luis G. Gutierrez – Cushing Street Bridge was dedicated and opened to the public as a gateway to downtown. The bridge marks the first multi-modal (streetcar, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian) public works project in Arizona. It also provided a link to an isolated section of Tucson while creating a destination and attraction point.
On the bridge are twelve shade canopies above the sidewalk. They appear as ship’s sails, 8 feet wide and 10 feet above the sidewalk at one end and taper down at their top to a near point 23 feet higher than the sidewalk. These 75 foot long canopies are perforated with small cottonwood leaf patterns and on each base; a different historic image is cut out to make a projection onto the sidewalk below. On the sidewalk below each canopy, a historic image has been sandblasted creating an engraving in the sidewalk surface. These twelve etchings represent historically significant events in Tucson’s development and show the diversity of Tucson from early Native Americans to exploring Mars.
But let’s focus in on that artwork. Many projects built incorporate art into the design of the structure. What makes the The Luis G. Gutierrez - Cushing Street Bridge art stand out is the use of solar art into the final project. Each of the twelve historic events has a solar art alignment discovery date and time. At the respective discovery moment, the sun will shine through the overhead cut out in the shade canopy onto the engraving on the sidewalk of the bridge. Although only lasting a moment, these 12 solar alignments throughout the year make visiting this bridge an interactive experience for the visitor. The following is a list of days and times the different solar alignments take place.
Calendar: Solar events for the Luis G. Gutierrez Bridge
February 19 at 8:45 am: First Aircraft
February 21 at 8:45 am: Rodeo Parade
March 15 at 9:30 am: Father Eusebio Kino
March 20 at 8:30 am: The Southern Pacific Railroad
April 10 at 9:30 am: Mariachi
May 25 at 10:30 am: Phoenix Mars Lander
June 1 at 12 pm: The Historic Streetcar
June 24 at 10:30 am: El Dia de San Juan
July 3 at 10:45 am: The Monsoon
August 20 at 9:30 am: The Presidio San Agustin de Tucson
October 14 at 8:45 am: Tucson Pressed Brick Company
October 26 at 8:15 am: Commander Juan Bautista de Anza Arrives
You don’t have to visit on the day or time of the event I picked but you do have to email or message me the answer to the following questions when you log the find. Please do not post any answers in your find log! AND any log without an accompanying email will be deleted. After collecting the necessary information, take a short walk along the rest of the bridge. Tucson has a rich history and this was a fascinating way to present it.
Ground zero is at one of the historic event engravings. These questions are on or near that specific event.
1. What is the discovery date and time?
2. Describe what the shade canopy projection would look like when cast on the sidewalk engraving (Bottom part - what are the 5 letters)?
3. Describe what the skateboard blockers/deterrents look like on the wall near the GZ? (These are devices used to stop skateboarders from sliding along the top of the wall)
4. How many leaves are imprinted in the sidewalk between the engraving and dedication plaque to the east? (Your count will be less than 20)
5. What is stamped on the brass disk on the wall with the dedication plaque?
Thank you for visiting and hope you enjoyed your visit.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.