The historic Northern Avenue Bridge served as a vital connection to the Seaport District's former industrial waterfront. A 69' diameter circular granite draw pier is located at the center of the drawbridge which once contained the track system that allowed the bridge to rotate. The old bridge was integrated initially with a wooden fender pier that spanned 593' under the open draw bridge, the longest wooden pier in the city at the time.

The proposed design comprises two iconic components; the iconic Gyre bridge structure and the reimagined fender pier below.

The project seeks to honor the historic bridge and pier, connect people back to the water and enhance the harbor's ecological systems. The design accomplishes this goal in three ways. 1) The old bridge's structural truss members are preserved and re-used to reinforce new ADA accessible ramps taking users to a reimagined pier. Additionally, on the western side of the new pier, a colonnade of the old truss members serves as the structure for large-scale swings allowing people to swing out over the water. 2) The central bridge structure is seated on the historic center draw pier that once housed the turning track system. 3) The design celebrates and interprets the motion of the old draw bridge with an iconic spiral structural feature.