A re-creation of a historic 1860 bridge in Central Park is being unveiled on Wednesday morning, replacing a plain wooden footbridge that had been in place since the Great Depression.

The Oak Bridge project, which has transformed the appearance of one of the main entrances to the Ramble near West 77th Street, is an attempt to restore the section of the park to the original vision.  Calvert Vaux had originally created an ornate design: carved white oak, panels of decorative cast iron set in the railings, and pine floorboards.  However, the upkeep of the wood turned out to be more than challenging. After numerous attempts at repair, including a reconstruction in 1875, the bridge was finally torn down and replaced in 1935 with a utilitarian footbridge that was meant to be temporary.

Last week the new Oak Bridge (or Bank Rock Bridge) was unveiled – The new bridge is constructed of steel and aluminum which was coated to resemble the painted carved oak elements of the original. New York Steel constructed the street structure and Welding Works fabricated and installed the ornamental cast aluminum.