Walnut Street Bridge
Also known as: See Also:Harrisburg Historic District
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Spanning the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Walnut Street Bridge is an almost mile-long wrought iron truss structure, divided by City Island into seven spans of 175 feet to the west and four spans of 175 feet and three of 240 feet to the east. Its superstructure was fabricated by the Phoenix Bridge Co. of Phoenixville and assembled on site by Dean & Westbrook of New York, and it opened to traffic late in 1890. The longer spans cross the main channel, allowing passage for logging operations and coal barges. Its main members are built from rolled semicircular wrought iron sections riveted together, a patented method known as the Phoenix Column. This construction allowed bridges of almost any size to be assembled from standardized, prefabricated parts. The bridge is considered one of the last large wrought iron bridges and one of the last surviving multispan Phoenix bridges in the East, and it is regarded as among the best remaining examples of the type.
Significance in brief: The bridge is regarded as one of the last surviving, if not the last, multispan bridges built with Phoenix columns in the East. It uses the Phoenix Column, a rolled wrought iron construction patented by Samuel Reeves from a design associated with Wendel Bollman. The form was among the most popular bridge types in the U.S. from about 1867 to the late 19th century, and the nomination considers it one of the best extant examples given its size and construction.
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 72001115, listed June 5, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Walnut St. over Susquehanna River, Harrisburg |
|---|---|
| County | Dauphin County |
| Listed | June 5, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001115 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1889-1890 |
| Architect / builder | Phoenix Bridge Co. (fabricator); Dean & Westbrook (erector) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The present steel lattice flooring replaces the original wooden planks and steel guard rails have been welded to the sides; otherwise the bridge is described as very close to its original condition, in need of paint and some pier repair, and deemed sound, carrying about 8000 cars daily. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.25508, -76.88832 (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 72001115.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7963667
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.