{"nrhp_refnum":"76002068","name":"Paddock Viaduct","other_names":["Main Street Bridge"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Worth","county":"Tarrant County","state":"TX","lat":32.76006055300007,"lon":-97.33497199699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-03-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A reinforced concrete viaduct, also called the Main Street Bridge, carrying traffic across the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas. It was built 1912-14 to plans by Brenneke and Fay, consulting engineers of St. Louis.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that it was the first large bridge in the United States to use self-supporting reinforcement for its concrete arches, which removed the need for falsework in the riverbed. Similar structures had been built in Europe since 1897. It has also given downtown Fort Worth dependable access to the northern part of the city since 1914.","narrative":"Paddock Viaduct, also known as the Main Street Bridge, carries traffic over the Trinity River between downtown Fort Worth and the city's northern area. Built between 1912 and 1914, it is 1,752 feet long and rises 99 feet above the riverbed. Its main spans are three-hinged, ribbed reinforced concrete arches, joined by girder spans and earth fills held by retaining walls. The roadway was 54 feet wide, enough for four wagons and two streetcars abreast. Brenneke and Fay of St. Louis designed it, and Hannan-Heckley Brothers Construction Company built it for $386,141.28, paid for by a city bond issue. The nomination highlights its self-supporting steel reinforcement, which held its own weight while concrete was poured around it, so no falsework was needed in the river. It describes the viaduct as the first large bridge of this type in the United States. Apart from new curbs, railings and lamp poles added in 1965, it remains largely as built.","period_of_significance":"1912-14","architect_builder":"Brennke and Fay, Consulting Engrs. (builder: Hannan-Heckley Brothers Construction Company of St. Louis)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition, essentially as completed in 1914, with only superficial changes: street railway tracks removed in the 1940s, and new curbs, railings and lighting poles added in 1965. Still in use for transportation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.668325-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/14/9735/40973514/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/76002068.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002068/bef1797805-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002068/bef1797805-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paddock3.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:Paddock3.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973514","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddock_Viaduct","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7123371"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/tarrant-county/paddock-viaduct-76002068/"}