When the Ohio Department of Transportation announced that Cleveland’s first vertical lift bridge will be dismantled this winter, one local historian saw an opportunity to preserve a piece of the city’s industrial heritage. Geoffrey Moreland, a Medina firefighter and owner of a fire‑prevention business, secured the bridge’s main control panel – often called the bridge’s “heart” – and is now working to bring it back to life.
Saving the bridge’s “heart”
Moreland, who runs the YouTube channel Truss & Rivets, first learned of the bridge’s impending demolition in 2023. The Eagle Avenue lift bridge, built in the 1930s by the firm of lift‑bridge pioneer John Alexander Low Waddell, had been closed to traffic in 2005 and left to rust. An inspection in 2021 warned that severe corrosion made the structure unsafe, leading the city to choose demolition over costly renovation.
During a 2025 site visit, Moreland was granted access to the bridge’s control room. He was drawn to an olive‑green panel with red indicator lights, still intact despite graffiti and years of neglect. After coordinating with ODOT and the demolition contractors, a longtime friend on the crew photographed the roughly 450‑pound panel being lowered into a garage instead of being cut up.
From salvaged panel to museum exhibit
The panel now sits in Moreland’s home, dented and spray‑painted but structurally sound. While it dates from the 1950s or 1960s rather than the original 1930s installation, the historian believes it can be restored to operational condition. He plans to connect it to a scaled‑down model of the Eagle Avenue bridge, allowing the panel to actually raise and lower a miniature span.
Beyond the bridge panel, Moreland’s backyard already houses a working railroad crossing, a restored Thunderbolt air‑raid siren, and a collection of mechanical railroad bells. He is gathering photographs, documents, and personal accounts from former bridge workers and commuters to create a comprehensive historical record.
Vision for a Cleveland engineering museum
Inspired by his growing collection, Moreland has launched a website for the proposed Cleveland Museum of Engineering and Transportation. Though he has not yet secured a physical location or funding, he hopes to raise money and assemble a board of trustees. In the meantime, he is preserving artifacts and offering them on loan to existing museums.
“Progress has to happen. People want to move into the city, and it’s a great place to live now,” Moreland said. “But we are losing what we have as far as history. That’s why I’m so keen on trying to save as much as I can.”
Community response
Local residents and history enthusiasts have praised Moreland’s efforts, noting that the bridge’s control panel represents a tangible link to Cleveland’s manufacturing heyday. While the city proceeds with demolition, scheduled for early 2027 when river traffic slows, the salvaged panel offers a way for future generations to experience the engineering marvels that once defined the Cuyahoga River corridor.
Moreland continues to document the bridge’s story, hoping that his work will inspire others to protect and celebrate Cleveland’s industrial legacy.
Original reporting: Signal Akron — read the source article.
