Linden Street Bridge
Why it's listed
Carrying a single railroad track over Linden Street in Waltham at a 63-degree skew, this steel bridge was built in 1894 for the Central Massachusetts Railroad line, then under Boston & Maine control. It measures about 98 feet 3 inches long and 17 feet wide, with an inside truss height near 22 feet. The Pennsylvania Steel Company of Steelton, Pennsylvania, fabricated the riveted lattice through truss. Its granite abutments date from 1881 and supported an earlier bridge on the site. The design follows the railroad's landmark nine-span lattice truss over the Connecticut River at Northampton. The bridge is one of only three of its type left in Massachusetts and reflects the line's heavy traffic and upgrading between 1887 and 1900. Passenger service ended in 1975, and freight followed soon after. A state transit survey ranked the bridge in its top category, and it was listed for its historical association and engineering design, with its original materials and workmanship intact.
Significance in brief: It is one of only three remaining riveted lattice through truss bridges of its type in Massachusetts, modeled on the Central Mass. Railroad's landmark nine-span lattice truss over the Connecticut River. It also reflects the growth in traffic on the line between 1887 and 1900 after the Boston & Maine Railroad acquired it.
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 89001515, listed September 28, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Boston & Maine Railroad over Linden St., Waltham |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | September 28, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001515 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Pennsylvania Steel Co. (Steelton, PA), fabricator |
| Architectural style | Riveted lattice through truss |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good with no alterations; the inventory form lists it as out of service. Passenger service on the line ended in 1975. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.38015, -71.22039 (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 89001515.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6552356
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.