In the early days of Grove City College, there was only the lower campus, where Carnegie Hall, Robert E. Thorn stadium and the tennis courts are now. As the college grew, it expanded to upper campus, with the building of Harbison Chapel, Rockwell Science Building and Memorial Hall, all in the 1930s.

One thing stood between lower campus and the new buildings however -- Wolf Creek. A bridge spanned the creek on East Main Street, but the administration sought a more direct route between the two sides of campus. Rainbow Bridge was constructed in time for the Oct. 8, 1931 dedication of Harbison and Rockwell.

Folks will have to rely on photographs and memories of the beloved bridge for a few months this year, however. It's scheduled for replacement beginning later this spring.

"The bridge is 71 years old, and it's showing signs of deterioration," said John Hickley, director of the college's physical plant. "It's not unsafe, but we tend to be proactive about maintenance."

Hickley said work on the bridge is expected to begin either in May or June. He won't be sure about cost until bids come back next month. Hickley said they hope to get 100 years out of the new bridge.

At this point the bridge is not unsafe, according to the engineer responsible for preparing the inspection report, said Tom Gregg, director of operations.

The deterioration is in the concrete supporting structure, he said.

"The way it's constructed, the sides and the underside of the deck form the main part of the support structure. Over the years the concrete has deteriorated in those areas. You can't see it because of the stones, but when we had testing done the deterioration was apparent at that in-depth inspection."

Visual inspections are a matter of routine for the college's maintenance team.

In addition to the bridge, the steps from upper campus to the bridge will also be replaced, along with the railing that runs beside them.

Although few classes are held on lower campus these days, the span is still a popular walkway for students going downtown, people in the community out for a stroll, or for wedding parties taking advantage of its idyllic beauty.

In maintaining that beauty, it won't be the typical demolition and rebuilding. Contractors will carefully dismantle the bridge and number the Briar Hill sandstone on the arched sides to be replaced in their exact positions, according to Hickley.

The black iron railings will be new, but will be matched in design. The deck of the bridge will be replaced with new paving stones.

"We want to have it appear the same way as it always has," Gregg said. "It's in a lot of photos and paintings all over the community. The alumni identify with it and we want to put it back the way it was."

One change, however, will be communication conduits that now run along the side of the bridge. When the new bridge is in place, the lines will run on the underside of the bridge, hidden from view.

Contractors will also install a drainage system on the deck of the bridge to shed water from the ends rather than letting it roll over the sides.

To work on the bridge, crews will make a construction path across the creek. The area will be blocked from public access.

That will change the route for Grove City's Paddle, Pedal, Hoof relay that has become a Fourth of July tradition. Gregg, who is on the committee to plan the July 4 festivities, said the relay will go on, but with different points of entry and exit from the creek.

"We anticipate a four-month process," Hickley said. "Our goal is to be done mid-August."

Most of the students will be home for summer break while the work is going on, and according to Nancy Paxton, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, that might be a good thing -- the bridge is instrumental in making a student a true part of the college. The bridge is so much a part of the GCC campus that in 1983 they changed the name of the yearbook to "The Bridge."

"Students now say you're not a Grover until you're kissed on Rainbow Bridge," Paxton said.

A 1954 graduate of GCC, Paxton doesn't remember that being a part of the mystique of the bridge. In her days as a student it was more for function than for fancy.

A photograph in David M. Dayton's book, "'Mid the Pines," shows an academic procession over the bridge for the 1931 dedication. It was the first of many.

"We had commencement on the football field in the stadium," said John Moser, a 1953 graduate of GCC who retired as the college's registrar in 1995. "We would process for baccalaureate from lower campus, across the walk and Rainbow Bridge singing "God of Our Fathers."

"We used it quite a bit back in those days as a student, going back and forth," Moser said. "We'd have an 8 a.m. class on lower campus, then come up for chapel at 9 a.m., then down for classes, up for meals." That happened six days a week.

"In the winter time the bridge was a sheet of ice. They would have to put ashes on it so you could even get up on the bridge," Paxton said.

Moser remembers the icy bridge, too, and his wife, Jane, whom he met when they were both students there, has physical proof.

"My wife has a scar on her leg where she fell on Rainbow Bridge. Some young men tried to 'help' the girls -- give them a little push to encourage them down the other side."