The Lincoln Avenue Pedestrian Bridge is among the winners of Chicago Athenaeum's 2019 American Architecture Award.

The 170-foot-long pedestrian bridge connects neighboring community in south metro Denver, provides a link in a regionwide network of cycling trails and creates a civic landmark for the City of Lone Tree.

“The City of Lone Tree was thrilled to learn that Fentress Architects was the recipient of this prestigious award,” Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet said in a news release. “They delivered an iconic bridge that balanced community needs, design elements, and structural efficiency.”

As the form of the bridge — an asymmetric cable-stay — took shape, the design team of Fentress Architects and Thornton Tomasetti worked to create a balance between structural efficiency and artistic form. Paying homage to the symbolism of the City of Lone Tree, the design team refined the three-dimensional lattice truss in the shape of a sculptural leaf, respectful of the natural beauty of the nearby Rocky Mountains.

“This project answers a need common to so many communities in our world: solutions to multi-modal transit,” Curt Fentress, principal in charge of design at Fentress Architects, said in the release. “Intersections of pedestrian paths and vehicular traffic are growing ever more frequent and important. They are opportunities for civic government to serve their constituents.”

Fentress Architects has designed some of Denver's most iconic structures including the passenger terminal at Denver international Airport, Broncos Stadium, the Colorado Convention Center, and Charles Schwab's Corporate Campus.

In its 25th year, the American Architecture Awards are the highest public awards given in the United States by a non-commercial, non-trade affiliated, public arts, culture, and educational institution, according to the news release. They are also the centerpiece of The Chicago Athenaeum and European Centre's efforts to identify and promote best practices in all types of architectural development, as well as recognize design excellence and the best and next contributions to innovative contemporary American architecture.