{"nrhp_refnum":"83001655","name":"Rorig Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Water St. at Chautauqua Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"Westfield","county":"Chautauqua County","state":"NY","lat":42.31609285700006,"lon":-79.57869817399995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-09-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A single-span, 140-foot iron Pratt through truss bridge carrying Water Street over Chautauqua Creek in the village of Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York. It was built in 1890 by the Groton Bridge Co. of Groton, New York.","why_significant":"The nomination describes it as an intact, well-preserved example of a high Pratt truss bridge and a representative work of the Groton Bridge and Manufacturing Company. It is the only surviving nineteenth-century Pratt truss bridge in Westfield village and the best of the remaining nineteenth-century bridges in northern Chautauqua County. Its distinctive portal plates and finials are typical of Groton Company decoration.","narrative":"Rorig Bridge carries Water Street across Chautauqua Creek and its scenic gorge in a sparsely populated part of Westfield, southwest of the village center. Built in 1890 by the Groton Bridge and Manufacturing Company, it is a single-span, pin-connected high Pratt truss of cast and wrought iron, 140 feet long and 20 feet wide, resting on rusticated stone abutments. It keeps its original iron floor beams, timber deck and stringers, along with the decorative portal plates and finials typical of the Groton firm. A plaque on the bridge bears the date 1890 and the name of Commissioner James Taylor. The bridge is the only surviving nineteenth-century bridge in the village and the best remaining example of its era in northern Chautauqua County, which explains its recognition. It is named for the Rorig family, who operated a brewery and planing mill on the creek's west bank just upstream. A later inventory notes it has been closed to vehicles.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Thomas Pratt patent design; Groton Bridge Co., Groton, New York (Groton Bridge and Manufacturing Company)","architectural_style":"Pratt through truss (high Pratt metal truss bridge)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as deteriorated in the inventory form, with deterioration noted as a threat. It is closed to vehicles, though the nomination text also says it continues its original function under a three-ton limit.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:43.413597-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/83001655.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001655/4fb19dc7b1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001655/4fb19dc7b1-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cliff%27s_edge_in_Westfield.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cliff%27s_edge_in_Westfield.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75312269","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorig_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7366831"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/chautauqua-county/rorig-bridge-83001655/"}