It was closed for a time due to arguments in the city over rights of passage and ownership, and burned down on July 22, 1890.

[9] The Monroe Street bridge was designed with ornamental features such as bison skulls, covered pavilions, and a chain-link railing motif.

On January 6, 2003, the bridge was closed for restoration,[10][11] dismantled down to the central arch, and rebuilt faithfully to its original appearance.

[14] With a bridge height from the deck floor to water of 135 feet and accounting for the air resistance drag on the human body in the 1.5 second free fall, the impact velocity at the waters surface is approximately 57.2 miles per hour which almost always causes traumatic injuries and jumpers either die of their injuries, drowning, hypothermia or a combination of these.

[15] Although they are often removed, members of the community sometimes place suicide prevention signage and messages of hope on the deck fence railings to make people think again about their actions and dissuade potential jumpers.