{"nrhp_refnum":"12000787","name":"Hays Street Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Hays St. over UPRR, N. Cherry, & Chestnut Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.432342594000033,"lon":-98.48021464499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-09-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 353-foot wrought iron and steel truss bridge carrying Hays Street over railroad tracks and two streets on the east side of downtown San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. It was erected in 1910 using one span originally built in 1881.","why_significant":"The bridge is argued to be significant under Criterion C for engineering at the state level, since one span is among only four known Whipple trusses in Texas and the only known Texas bridge with Phoenix columns. It is also significant under Criterion A for transportation, because of its link to railroad expansion in San Antonio.","narrative":"Hays Street Bridge is a 353-foot truss bridge on the east side of downtown San Antonio, built in 1910 over railroad tracks and nearby streets. It combines a 225-foot Murphy-Whipple span, first built in 1881 over the Nueces River near Uvalde, with a 128-foot Pratt span. Both were fabricated by the Phoenix Bridge Company and moved here as the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway expanded its lines and the city required above-grade crossings. The Whipple span is one of only four known in Texas and the only known Texas bridge with Phoenix columns, hollow posts made of riveted wrought iron channels. Wrought iron bridges are rare in the state. The bridge carried traffic until 1982, when it closed. Local preservation efforts followed, and a 2010 rehabilitation repaired the trusses and replaced the deck and concrete approaches. It now serves pedestrians and is recognized for engineering and for its role in the city's railroad development.","period_of_significance":"1881-1962","architect_builder":"Phoenix Bridge Company","architectural_style":"OTHER: Pratt and Murphy-Whipple Through Truss","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed to vehicles in 1982, rehabilitated in 2010 with new approaches, deck and railings, and now open to pedestrians.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.343649-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/9683/40968332/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/12000787.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000787/130be3d9cb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000787/130be3d9cb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"SoylentPurple","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HaysStreetBridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">SoylentPurple</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HaysStreetBridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968332","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002771"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/hays-street-bridge-12000787/"}