Pope Street Bridge
Why it's listed
Spanning the Napa River northeast of St. Helena, this triple-arch stone bridge carries Pope Street and has been in continuous use since 1894. R. H. Pithie designed and built it, using hewn stone from the Wing Quarry on Monticello Road. The bridge is 175 feet long and 18 feet wide between parapet walls, with walls two feet thick. It cost $14,500, and about $17,500 including the channel change and approaches. Built for horse-drawn traffic, it was not intended to let two vehicles pass at once. It is described as the oldest of Napa County's old bridges and the first of many stone bridges built there. It came through the 1906 earthquake unharmed, which the nomination credits to its craftsmanship. It still links St. Helena with Chiles Valley, Pope Valley, Howell Mountain, the Silverado Trail and Highways 128 and 29. The City of St. Helena owns it, and it was considered structurally sound.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as the oldest and first of many stone bridges built across Napa County. It was built with stone from the Wing Quarry and is described as structurally sound. It survived the 1906 earthquake undamaged and has served as a link to Chiles Valley, Pope Valley, Howell Mountain and nearby highways since 1894.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72000241, listed October 5, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Pope St., over the Napa River, St. Helena |
|---|---|
| County | Napa County |
| Listed | October 5, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000241 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | R. H. Pithie (designer and contractor) |
| Architectural style | Triple arch stone masonry structure |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, unaltered, on its original site, and still in use as a city street; described as structurally sound. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 38.51120, -122.45582 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72000241.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14683693
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.