Wender·Vista
Brookfield Floating Bridge
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVermont
across Sunset Lake, on Vermont Route 65, in Brookfield

Brookfield Floating Bridge

— — a road that rides on the water.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The Brookfield Floating Bridge crosses Sunset Lake on a deck of pontoons. The water table is too deep here for pilings, so the road floats — built and rebuilt seven times since 1820. Drive across slowly and the planks rise an inch or two under the tires. In winter the town holds an ice harvest on the lake and the bridge becomes a viewing stand. It is the only floating highway bridge east of the Mississippi. from the studio

from the studio
Brookfield Floating Bridge
— bring it home

Brookfield Floating Bridge, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Brookfield Floating Bridge

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Brookfield Floating Bridge carries Vermont Route 65 across Sunset Lake in Brookfield, Orange County, Vermont. The lake is roughly 22 metres deep at the crossing, too deep for conventional pilings, so the deck floats on a string of pontoons anchored to the bottom. The first crossing was built in 1820 by Luther Adams, and the bridge has been rebuilt at least seven times since. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the only floating bridges on a public highway in the United States.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the water

Sunset Lake is a small kettle lake about 0.4 kilometres long, formed when the last glacier retreated through central Vermont. The water is clear and cold and deep in proportion to the lake's surface, which is why the bridge cannot use conventional supports. The current span, opened in 2015 after a long closure, rides on plastic pontoons rather than the wooden barrels used in earlier versions. The deck still flexes underfoot when a car crosses.

— the season

Brookfield holds an Ice Harvest festival on Sunset Lake on the last Saturday in January, with a community ice-sawing demonstration carried out from the surface of the frozen lake. The floating bridge is the natural viewing platform. In summer the crossing is open to vehicle traffic at a posted limit of 15 miles per hour. In autumn the maples around the lake turn in the first or second week of October, with the bridge cutting a straight line through the colour.

— where
United States · Brookfield, Orange County, Vermont
— position
44.0428° N · 72.6019° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Brookfield village
village
5 km E
Allis State Park
state park
13 km SW
Randolph
town
26 km NW
Montpelier
state capital
N
Brookfield Floating Bridge
Brookfield village
Allis State Park
Randolph
Montpelier
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Brookfield Floating Bridge — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

It crosses Sunset Lake on Vermont Route 65 in Brookfield, Orange County, central Vermont. The crossing sits at the heart of Brookfield village, about 26 kilometres south of Montpelier.

Sunset Lake is roughly 22 metres deep at the crossing, too deep for conventional pilings. The deck floats on a string of pontoons anchored to the lake bottom, a design dating back to the first crossing in 1820.

The first floating crossing here was built in 1820 by Luther Adams. The bridge has been rebuilt at least seven times since. The current span opened in 2015 and rides on plastic pontoons rather than wooden barrels.

It is one of the only floating bridges on a public highway in the United States and the only one of its kind east of the Mississippi. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Yes. The bridge carries Vermont Route 65 at a posted limit of 15 miles per hour. The deck flexes underfoot when a vehicle crosses, which is part of why drivers take it slowly.

Brookfield holds an Ice Harvest festival on Sunset Lake on the last Saturday in January, with a community ice-sawing demonstration carried out on the frozen lake. The floating bridge is the viewing platform.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a steady gift among our customers with central Vermont ties. The floating bridge is the landmark people from Brookfield, Randolph, and Northfield name first. A Small or Medium carries the memory well.

The piece reads well in classic New England, lake-house, and warm minimalist rooms. The blue of the lake in the stained glass sits comfortably against pine, painted shiplap, or a quieter neutral palette.

Yes. Lake-house style has shifted toward fewer pieces with stronger colour. A Medium or Large of the floating bridge fills that role without leaning toward the more tired nautical-decor look.

Above a standard sofa, a Large reads from across the room; a four-tile Mural fills the wall. Above a console or mantle, a Medium sits in proportion. A nine-tile Mural is for a stair landing or great room.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both handle steam and splash without trouble and resist scratching. The Glossy finish is meant for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it does not lift with normal cleaning. Skip abrasive pads and solvents.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio, drawn by Reid Wender as part of the Vermont chapter of the atlas. We do not license the work to third parties.

— if this one stayed with you

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