Spring Garden Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
Spring Garden Street Bridge is a bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, USA, that crosses the Schuylkill River
below Fairmount Dam. It is the fourth bridge at the Upper Ferry site.
The bridge is located at 39°57′52"N 75°11′00"W.
now stands. Being upstream of the others, this was called the Upper Ferry.
For the Upper Ferry site, bridgebuilder Louis Wernwag designed "The Colossus"
, the longest single-span wooden bridge in the United States. Construction began in 1812, and it opened on January 7, 1813. A double-arched-truss with a clear span of 340 feet (103.6 m), it was a marvel of engineering for its time. Also called the "Colossus of Fairmount", the "Upper Ferry Bridge", and the "Lancaster Schuylkill Bridge", the tollbridge was part of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike
. It was destroyed by fire September 1, 1838.
Thomas Birch
painted at least two views of the bridge, and one of them was made into an 1813 engraving by Jacob J. Plocher. This "Upper Ferry Bridge" engraving was copied frequently on Staffordshire
china.
designed the first major wire cable suspension bridge in the United States. The 358-foot (109.1 m) "Wire Bridge at Fairmount" was commissioned by the City of Philadelphia, and opened to traffic on January 2, 1842. It had no toll, and stood for over thirty years.
Ellet would go on to design the 1,010-foot (310 m) Wheeling Suspension Bridge
(1847–49), and the 770-foot (234.7 m) abandoned Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge (1847–48).
(1808), an early suspension bridge using iron chains designed by James Finlay
, had been built across the Schuylkill River
five miles above Philadelphia, but it collapsed under the weight of snow in January 1816. In response, wire manufacturers White & Hazard built a wire footbridge just upstream – 407 feet (124 m) in length with a suspended walkway 18 inches (0.45 m) wide. Though a modest and temporary structure, this Spider Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill is thought to have been the first wire-cable suspension bridge ever built.
lines, the Schuylkill Expressway
, the Schuylkill River
, the West River Drive Bridge
, and the Schuylkill River Trail
.
Another bridge crosses diagonally beneath it, carrying the West River Drive (now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive) over the Schuylkill River.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, USA, that crosses the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
below Fairmount Dam. It is the fourth bridge at the Upper Ferry site.
The bridge is located at 39°57′52"N 75°11′00"W.
1st bridge: The Colossus
As early as 1693, a ferry operated, crossing the Schuylkill River at Fairmount, the hill on which the Philadelphia Museum of ArtPhiladelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
now stands. Being upstream of the others, this was called the Upper Ferry.
For the Upper Ferry site, bridgebuilder Louis Wernwag designed "The Colossus"
Colossus Bridge
The Colossus bridge was a record setting timber bridge across the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia. It was built in 1812 by Louis Wernwag, and was considered his finest bridge design...
, the longest single-span wooden bridge in the United States. Construction began in 1812, and it opened on January 7, 1813. A double-arched-truss with a clear span of 340 feet (103.6 m), it was a marvel of engineering for its time. Also called the "Colossus of Fairmount", the "Upper Ferry Bridge", and the "Lancaster Schuylkill Bridge", the tollbridge was part of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike
Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike
The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, first used in 1795, is the first long-distance paved road built in the United States, according to engineered plans and specifications. It links Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia at 34th Street, stretching for sixty-two miles. However, the western...
. It was destroyed by fire September 1, 1838.
Thomas Birch
Thomas Birch (artist)
Thomas Birch, American portrait and marine painter; born in London, England, in 1779; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 3, 1851.He came to the U. S. in 1794, and assisted his artist father, William Birch, in preparing a 29-plate collection of engravings: "Birch's Views of Philadelphia"...
painted at least two views of the bridge, and one of them was made into an 1813 engraving by Jacob J. Plocher. This "Upper Ferry Bridge" engraving was copied frequently on Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
china.
2nd bridge: Wire Bridge at Fairmount
To replace "The Colossus", Charles Ellet, Jr.Charles Ellet, Jr.
Charles Ellet, Jr. was a civil engineer and a colonel during the American Civil War, mortally wounded at the Battle of Memphis.-Biography:Ellet was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, brother of Alfred W...
designed the first major wire cable suspension bridge in the United States. The 358-foot (109.1 m) "Wire Bridge at Fairmount" was commissioned by the City of Philadelphia, and opened to traffic on January 2, 1842. It had no toll, and stood for over thirty years.
Ellet would go on to design the 1,010-foot (310 m) Wheeling Suspension Bridge
Wheeling Suspension Bridge
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge was opened in 1851. It was designed by Charles Ellet Jr., who also worked...
(1847–49), and the 770-foot (234.7 m) abandoned Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge (1847–48).
Influences
The Chain Bridge at Falls of SchuylkillChain Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill
Chain Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill was an 1808 chain suspension bridge built across the Schuylkill River, north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designed by James Finley, it became the model for his later chain suspension bridges....
(1808), an early suspension bridge using iron chains designed by James Finlay
James Finlay
James F. Finlay was a Scottish rugby union player.He was capped four times for between 1871–75, including the first ever international. He also played for Edinburgh Academicals....
, had been built across the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
five miles above Philadelphia, but it collapsed under the weight of snow in January 1816. In response, wire manufacturers White & Hazard built a wire footbridge just upstream – 407 feet (124 m) in length with a suspended walkway 18 inches (0.45 m) wide. Though a modest and temporary structure, this Spider Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill is thought to have been the first wire-cable suspension bridge ever built.
3rd bridge: Callowhill Street Bridge
The Callowhill Street Bridge was designed by Jacob H. Linville, engineer, and built by the Keystone Bridge Company, 1874-75. A double-decker bridge that carried passengers, vehicles and streetcars on its upper deck and trains (later removed) on its lower, it was a Whipple truss of cast and wrought iron, 350 feet (106.68 m) long and 48 feet (14.63 m) wide. The arches between the decks were decorative and removed circa 1900; the ornate railings were removed by 1910. It was demolished in 1964.4th bridge: Spring Garden Street Bridge
The current bridge was designed by Richard Wisniewski of Philadelphia, and completed in 1965. It carries West Spring Garden Street over the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
lines, the Schuylkill Expressway
Schuylkill Expressway
The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as the Schuylkill, is a freeway through southwestern Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia, and the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania...
, the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
, the West River Drive Bridge
West River Drive Bridge
The West River Drive Bridge is a steel girder bridge built in 1966 over the Schuylkill River on West River Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation owns and maintains the bridge...
, and the Schuylkill River Trail
Schuylkill River Trail
The Schuylkill River Trail is a multi-use trail under construction for expansion along the banks of the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania...
.
Another bridge crosses diagonally beneath it, carrying the West River Drive (now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive) over the Schuylkill River.