{"nrhp_refnum":"12000400","name":"Hospital Bridge","other_names":["Downieville Bridge","Downie River Bridge","Bridge 13C-005"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Upper Main St. over Downie R.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Downieville","county":"Sierra County","state":"CA","lat":39.56980068400003,"lon":-120.82268480199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-07-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 100-foot steel, pin-connected through Pratt truss bridge over the Downie River on Upper Main Street in Downieville, Sierra County, California, built in 1908 and completed in 1910 by the Western Bridge and Construction Company of Omaha, Nebraska, to a design by County Surveyor George F. Taylor.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A for its role in Downieville's development and as the only intact bridge after the catastrophic 1937 flood. It is significant under Criterion C as a rare, well-preserved example of a steel pin-connected Pratt truss and of the work of a builder with few California bridges. Its survival influenced later truss bridge construction in Sierra County.","narrative":"Spanning the Downie River between Upper Main Street and Lavazzola Road in Downieville, this 100-foot steel through Pratt truss bridge was designed by Sierra County Surveyor George F. Taylor and built by the Western Bridge and Construction Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Work began in 1908, but construction defects meant the county did not accept it until 1910. It was the town's first steel bridge and for decades the only vehicle route into the mining, timber and ranching country upstream. In December 1937 a flood destroyed or damaged Downieville's other bridges, while the Hospital Bridge remained intact. Afterward, the county built steel truss replacements rather than concrete spans. The bridge kept its original steel members and wooden deck. It was closed to vehicles in 1980 after a nearby concrete bridge opened, and it now carries pedestrians and mountain bikers. It was listed for its local importance and as a rare surviving pin-connected truss, with a period of significance of 1908 to 1937.","period_of_significance":"1908-1937","architect_builder":"Western Bridge & Construction Company, Omaha, NB - Builder; Taylor, George F, Sierra County Surveyor/Designer","architectural_style":"Steel, pin connected, through Pratt truss","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Removed from vehicular service in 1980; today carries only pedestrian traffic and mountain bikers. All structural members and the wooden deck are original.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.592366-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/12000400.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000400/d6f790007d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000400/d6f790007d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Rifflebox","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hospital_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:Hospital_Bridge_-_Downieville,_California.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857812","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospital_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q75261719"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sierra-county/hospital-bridge-12000400/"}