Esplanade Riel is a pedestrian bridge located in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

. It was named in honour of

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

. It is a side-spar cable-stayed bridge which spans the Red River connecting

downtown Winnipeg Downtown Winnipeg is an area of Winnipeg located near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. It is the oldest urban area in Winnipeg, and is home to the city's commercial core, city hall, the seat of Manitoba's provincial government, ...

with

St. Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

; it is paired with a vehicular bridge, the

Provencher Bridge The Provencher Bridge (french: Pont Provencher) is a set of paired bridges—a four-lane vehicular bridge and a suspended pedestrian bridge (called Esplanade Riel)—across the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The bridge links downtown Winnip ...

. The bridge includes an architectural composite tower that is prestressed with a cantilevered and stayed semi-circular plaza area at the base of the tower. The plaza provides space for commercial activities and as well as a restaurant. Esplanade Riel bridge Winnipeg, Manitoba

Esplanade Riel bridge Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Esplanade Riel is the only bridge with a restaurant in North America. Its first restaurant was a

Salisbury House Salisbury House or Salisbury Farm and variations may refer to: ;in Canada *Salisbury House (Canada), a restaurant chain ;in England *Cecil House, the London home of the earls of Salisbury *Salisbury House, Edmonton, a late 16th/early 17th century ...

. Salisbury House is a chain restaurant local to Winnipeg. The next tenant was Chez Sophie sur le pont (on the bridge), which opened in the summer of 2013 and closed in February 2015. The Esplanade Riel has become a landmark and is used in many promotional materials. Opened to foot traffic in 2003 and having a grand opening in the summer of 2004, the Esplanade Riel was co-designed by architects Guy Préfontaine and Étienne Gaboury of Gaboury Préfontaine Perry Architects Inc. The original drawing rests in the Engineering building of the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Downtown Winnipeg Downtown Winnipeg is an area of Winnipeg located near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. It is the oldest urban area in Winnipeg, and is home to the city's commercial core, city hall, the seat of Manitoba's provincial government, ...

and Waterfront Drive. In January 2013 the City of Winnipeg terminated the lease with Salisbury House and in March the city approved a five-year lease agreement with the French restaurant ''Chez Sophie sur le pont''. The original Chez Sophie, founded in 2005, is located on Avenue de la Cathedrale. The restaurants are operated by Stephane and Sophie Wild, who are from the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it ha ...

region of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. Chez Sophie closed on February 2, 2015. Mon Ami Louis opened as the new tenant in July 2015, serving more "approachable" fare, as opposed to

haute cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pric ...

. It closed in 2020.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline Buildings and structures in downtown Winnipeg Saint Boniface, Winnipeg Pedestrian bridges in Manitoba Bridges completed in 2003 Cable-stayed bridges in Canada Louis Riel