{"nrhp_refnum":"73001590","name":"Askew Bridge","other_names":["Soap and Whiskey Bridge"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"N. 6th St. near Woodward St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Reading","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.34373362600007,"lon":-75.92579283499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-03-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A skewed masonry railroad bridge carrying double tracks of the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad over North 6th Street to the railway terminal in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was completed in 1857 from local brownstone.","why_significant":"The nomination regards it as the best example of a skew bridge in the United States. Its arches are laid on elliptical courses that follow the oblique angle of the tracks to the street, and it has no keystone. It is also known as the Soap and Whiskey Bridge, names tied to its construction.","narrative":"Completed in 1857 in Reading, Pennsylvania, the Askew Bridge carries double tracks of the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad over North 6th Street to the railway terminal. Richard Osborne designed it from local brownstone, and its main arch spans the street across forty feet. A smaller arch on each side spans the sidewalk. Each course of the arch is laid in an elliptical curve that follows the oblique angle at which the tracks cross the street, so the arch has no keystone. The bridge is regarded as the best example of a skew bridge in the United States. Its builders reportedly used a soap model during construction, which gave rise to the name Soap Bridge. The nickname Whiskey Bridge refers to the whiskey given to Irish workers as part of their pay. The structure remains in good repair and in use by the railroad.","period_of_significance":"1857","architect_builder":"Richard Osborne (designer)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"In excellent repair and still in use by the Reading Railroad.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.949683-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/73001590.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001590/20e7832deb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001590/20e7832deb-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Jet Lowe HAER/HABS photographer","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ELEVATION_VIEW,_TAKEN_PERPENDICULAR_TO_SOUTH_FACE,_LOOKING_NE._-_Philadelphia_%26_Reading_Railroad,_Skew_Arch_Bridg.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jet Lowe HAER/HABS photographer</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ELEVATION_VIEW,_TAKEN_PERPENDICULAR_TO_SOUTH_FACE,_LOOKING_NE._-_Philadelphia_%26_Reading_Railroad,_Skew_Arch_Bridg.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997954","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skew_Arch_Bridge_(Reading,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7534786"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/askew-bridge-73001590/"}