{"nrhp_refnum":"12000399","name":"Hansen Bridge","other_names":["Pearl Street Bridge","Downie River Bridge","Scott's Bridge","Bailey's Bridge","Bridge 13C0003"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"E. River St. between Upper Main & Pearl Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Downieville","county":"Sierra County","state":"CA","lat":39.56336131000006,"lon":-120.82521432699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-07-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-lane, 80-foot steel Pratt pony truss bridge built in 1935 across the Downie River in Downieville, Sierra County, California, connecting Upper Main and Pearl Streets. It was built by Lord and Bishop of Sacramento.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A at the local level for its association with the development of Downieville and its role after the December 1937 flood that destroyed three downstream bridges. It is also presented as a rare surviving single-lane low-side steel truss bridge still carrying vehicles. It is one of four single-lane steel truss bridges that together reflect 1930s-era travel in the town.","narrative":"Hansen Bridge carries a single lane of traffic across the Downie River in Downieville, linking Upper Main and Pearl Streets. Built in 1935 by Lord and Bishop of Sacramento for $1,975, it is an 80-foot steel Pratt pony truss, 12 feet 4 inches wide, with riveted steel plates, wooden stringers and an asphalt surface laid over corrugated metal. The bridge matters because of its link to the town's development and to the December 1937 flood. That flood collapsed the Highway 49 concrete arch bridge and destroyed two wooden bridges downstream, while this bridge suffered damage to its footings. County engineer George Taylor chose to repair it, and it returned to service by 1938. It is one of four single-lane bridges still in Downieville, three of them open to vehicles. Low-side steel truss bridges once common in California are now scarce, and few remain as single-lane crossings in daily use. The period of significance runs from 1935 to 1938.","period_of_significance":"1935-1938","architect_builder":"Lord and Bishop, Sacramento, CA","architectural_style":"Low-side steel truss bridge (Pratt pony truss)","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still carries automobile and pedestrian traffic over the Downie River; the asphalt surface and sheet metal railing are later additions, while the original steel railings remain.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.434776-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/12000399.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000399/0ccb4de9f6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000399/0ccb4de9f6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Rifflebox","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hansen_Bridge_(Downieville,_California).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rifflebox</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hansen_Bridge_(Downieville,_California).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857810","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130571855"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sierra-county/hansen-bridge-12000399/"}